Give your soon-to-be eighth grader a head start on their upcoming school year with Summer Bridge Activities: Bridging Grades 7-8. With daily, 15-minute exercises kids can review proportions and misplaced modifiers and learn new skills like square roots and writing in the active voice. This workbook series prevents summer learning loss and paves the way to a successful new school year. --And this is no average workbookÑSummer Bridge Activities keeps the fun and the sun in summer break! Designed to prevent a summer learning gap and keep kids mentally and physically active, the hands-on exercises can be done anywhere. These standards-based activities help kids set goals, develop character, practice fitness, and explore the outdoors. With 12 weeks of creative learning, Summer Bridge Activities keeps skills sharp all summer long!

Malcolm X grew to be one of America’s most influential figures. But first, he was a boy named Malcolm Little. Written by his daughter, this inspiring picture book biography celebrates a vision of freedom and justice. Bolstered by the love and wisdom of his large, warm family, young Malcolm Little was a natural born leader. But when confronted with intolerance and a series of tragedies, Malcolm’s optimism and faith were threatened. He had to learn how to be strong and how to hold on to his individuality. He had to learn self-reliance. Together with acclaimed illustrator AG Ford, Ilyasah Shabazz gives us a unique glimpse into the childhood of her father, Malcolm X, with a lyrical story that carries a message that resonates still today—that we must all strive to live to our highest potential.

“Fantastic. Wistful, mysterious, sparkling with secrets. I raced through Summer Hours in a day!” —Meg Donohue, USA Today–bestselling author “A dreamy, nostalgic tale full of wisdom and heart. I love this book.” —Andrea Dunlop, author of Women are the Fiercest Creatures Five summers. A secret love. One sparkling reunion. Thirty-three-year-old Becc Reardon has tried hard to forget the all-consuming relationship that upended her life one summer in college. But when a mutual friend’s wedding means road-tripping up the California coast with a man from the past, she can’t resist one last chance at a reunion. From gorgeous beaches to quaint hotels, each stop along the way is a reminder of their memories together—the infinite nights at bonfires, the sneaky midday movie sessions. And soon enough, Becc is happily speeding beside the ocean waves with the funny, adventurous person she used to love and wondering what the future holds beyond the weekend. But when the pair unexpectedly arrive at the location of their long-ago flameout, old heartbreaks flood back, and Becc will have to decide if those dazzling hours they once shared are worth fighting for before the trip ends and they’re lost forever. This novel that spans from the mid-’90s to 2008 is about love, female coming of age, the power of nostalgia, and what happens when you realize you haven’t become the person you’d always promised to be. *Don't miss Lady Sunshine, Amy Mason Doan’s next novel that Elin Hilderbrand calls “a delicious daydream” and Laura Dave calls “a fantastic summer read.” Available now.

The heartwarming tale of an irrepressible donkey who needed a home—and forever changed a family. Rachel Anne Ridge was at the end of her rope. The economy had crashed, taking her formerly thriving business along with it. She had been a successful artist, doing work she loved, but now she felt like a failure. How would her family pay their bills? What would the future hold? If only God would somehow let them know that everything was going to be all right . . . and then Flash the donkey showed up. If there is ever a good time to discover a wounded, frightened, bedraggled donkey standing in your driveway, this wasn’t it. The local sheriff dismissed Flash as “worthless.” But Rachel didn’t believe that, and she couldn’t turn him away. She brought Flash into her struggling family during their darkest hour—and he turned out to be the very thing they needed most. Flash is the true story of their adventures together in learning to love and trust; breaking down whatever fences stood in their way; and finding the strength, confidence, and faith to carry on. Prepare to fall in love with Flash: a quirky, unlikely hero with gigantic ears, a deafening bray, a personality as big as Texas, and a story you’ll never forget.

Designed specifically for preparing Canadian first-grade students for the new year ahead. Reviewed by Canadian teachers and students, this workbook features daily activities in reading, writing, math, and language arts plus a bonus section focusing on character development and healthy lifestyles. The exercises are easy to understand and are presented in a way that allows your child to review familiar skills and then be progressively challenged on more difficult subjects. Give your children the head start they deserve with this fun, easy-to-use, award-winning series, and make learning a yearlong adventure! 160 full-colour perforated pages and an answer key.

A riveting and dramatic story of two devoted sisters, Italian citizens, who must survive in WWII Japan. In 1940, when Simona is eight and her sister, Carolina, is five, their father becomes the cook to the Italian ambassador to Japan, and the family leaves Italy for Tokyo. The girls learn perfect Japanese, make friends, and begin to love life in their new home. But soon Japan is engaged in a world war. In 1943, when all Italians in Japan are confined to internment camps as enemy aliens, Papà and the girls are forced to part, and Simona and Carolina embark on a dramatic journey. Anyone who aids them could be arrested for treason. All the sisters have is each other: their wits, courage, and resilience, and the hope that they will find people who see them not as the enemy, but simply as children trying to survive. In this gripping, deeply moving story, Donna Jo Napoli gives readers an unforgettable and authentic new perspective on World War II.

In the tradition of Judy Blume's Summer Sisters, The Summer List is a tender yet tantalising novel about two friends, the summer night they fell apart, and the scavenger hunt that reunites them decades later – until the clues expose a breathtaking secret that just might shatter them once and for all. Laura and Casey were once inseparable: as they floated on their backs in the sunlit lake, as they dreamed about the future under starry skies, and as they teamed up for the wild scavenger hunts in their small California lakeside town. Until one summer night, when a shocking betrayal sent Laura running through the pines, down the dock, and into a new life, leaving Casey and a first love in her wake. But the past is impossible to escape, and now, after seventeen years away, Laura is pulled home and into a reunion with Casey she can't resist – one last scavenger hunt. With a twist: this time, the list of clues leads to the settings of their most cherished summer memories. From glistening Jade Cove to the vintage skating rink, each step they take becomes a bittersweet reminder of the friendship they once shared. But just as the game brings Laura and Casey back together, the clues unravel a stunning secret that threatens to tear them apart... Mesmerising and unforgettable, Amy Mason Doan's The Summer List is about losing and recapturing the person who understands you best – and the unbreakable bonds of girlhood.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Old secrets come to light when four friends gather on Nantucket for a life-changing reunion in this heartwarming novel of love and self-discovery by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer. “The next generation discovers the magic of the island in this big-hearted book so vivid you’ll almost be able to smell the ocean air as you turn each page.”—E! News When four strangers rent bargain-basement rooms in an old hotel near the beach, they embark on the summer of their lives. First there’s Ariel Spencer, who has big dreams of becoming a writer and is looking for inspiration in Nantucket’s high society. Her new friend Sheila Murphy is a good Catholic girl from Ohio whose desire for adventure is often shadowed by her apprehension. Then there’s small-town Missourian Wyatt Smith, who’s immediately taken with Ariel. The last of the four, Nick Volkov, is looking to make a name for himself and have a blast along the way. Despite their differences, the four bond over trips to the beach, Wednesday-night dinners, and everything that Nantucket has to offer. But venturing out on their own for the first time, with all its adventure and risks, could change the course of their lives. Twenty-six years after that amazing summer, Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt, and Nick reunite at the hotel where they first met. Now it’s called The Lighthouse and Nick owns the entire operation with his wife and daughter. Ariel and Wyatt, married for decades, arrive with their son, and Sheila’s back too, with her daughter by her side. Life hasn’t exactly worked out the way they had all hoped. Ariel’s dreams have since faded and been pushed aside, but she’s determined to rediscover the passion she once had. Nick has the money and reputation of a successful businessman, but is it everything he had hoped for? And Sheila has never been able to shake the secret she’s kept since that summer. Being back together again will mean confronting the past and finding themselves. Meanwhile, the next generation discovers Nantucket: Their children explore the island together, experiencing love and heartbreak and forging lifelong bonds, just as their parents did all those years ago. It’s sure to be one unforgettable reunion. This delightful novel from beloved storyteller Nancy Thayer explores the potential of dreams and the beauty of friendship.