Bestselling author and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Ratey presents a groundbreaking and fascinating investigation into the transformative effects of exercise on the brain.

Want to impress your parents? Your friends? Your teachers? The college admissions office? Of course you do Brain Spark is a collection of short readings on major topics that are critical for a well-rounded mind. Focusing on people, places, and important concepts, Brain Spark helps teenagers and young adults make sense of adult conversations and news events. The stories are short, fun and easy to read. In addition, the information sticks thanks to “spaced repetition” - the scientifically supported method of long-term memory enhancement proven to help maximize the retention of information. This is accomplished with memory-triggering questions throughout the book. Cultural literacy is critical to success in an increasingly competitive world and broadens all of our horizons. Get ready to feel the Brain Spark! Did you know that: - former Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot his friend in the face, while hunting? - the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar designed his own prison with jacuzzis, a soccer field, and waterfalls? - the French General de Gaulle dressed up as a nurse to try to escape a German Prisoner of War camp? - Nelson Mandela lived in a 7 by 8 foot jail cell, with only a straw mat to sleep on, for 18 years?

A NEW emphasis IN THIS edition of Spark the Brain, Ignite the Pen is writing to learn in the content areas. This edition of the work first published in 2006 includes a collection of classroom-tested quick writes designed to assist students in thinking and writing about significant content in the disciplines. Contributors to the book teach a wide array of grade levels (K through college) and subject areas e.g., English, social studies, math, science and health), and the quick writes included in the book are ideal for use in a variety of classroom subjects and settings. Given the current research validating the impact of using writing tasks to learn content, this volume should be useful to a wide range of teachers, teacher educators, and professional development trainers K-12.

A fascinating new book that helps us make sense of our senses.

John Ratey, bestselling author and clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, lucidly explains the human brain’s workings, and paves the way for a better understanding of how the brain affects who we are. Ratey provides insight into the basic structure and chemistry of the brain, and demonstrates how its systems shape our perceptions, emotions, and behavior. By giving us a greater understanding of how the brain responds to the guidance of its user, he provides us with knowledge that can enable us to improve our lives. In A User’s Guide to the Brain, Ratey clearly and succinctly surveys what scientists now know about the brain and how we use it. He looks at the brain as a malleable organ capable of improvement and change, like any muscle, and examines the way specific motor functions might be applied to overcome neural disorders ranging from everyday shyness to autism. Drawing on examples from his practice and from everyday life, Ratey illustrates that the most important lesson we can learn about our brains is how to use them to their maximum potential.

From award-winning author Pablo Cartaya comes a deeply moving middle grade novel about a daughter and father finding their way back to each other in the face of their changing family and community. A SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD HONOR FOR MIDDLE GRADE Emilia Torres has a wandering mind. It's hard for her to follow along at school, and sometimes she forgets to do what her mom or abuela asks. But she remembers what matters: a time when her family was whole and home made sense. When Dad returns from deployment, Emilia expects that her life will get back to normal. Instead, it unravels. Dad shuts himself in the back stall of their family's auto shop to work on an old car. Emilia peeks in on him daily, mesmerized by his welder. One day, Dad calls Emilia over. Then, he teaches her how to weld. And over time, flickers of her old dad reappear. But as Emilia finds a way to repair the relationship with her father at home, her community ruptures with some of her classmates, like her best friend, Gus, at the center of the conflict. Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya is a tender story about asking big questions and being brave enough to reckon with the answers.