Summertime ushers in a wonderful season when the pace of teaching and learning is set by you, not by school schedules. All Kinds of Minds looks forward to going “back to school” with you in August with our eNewsletter. But for now, pick up a good book, find a chair by the pool and have a little fun! These titles are stacking up on my desk:

• In his book Brain Rules, John Medina offers a fresh look at the neuroscience research about learning and offers his take on its implications for the school and workplace. If you get a chance to read it, send us your thoughts on how it fits – or doesn’t fit – with our approach to learning.

• I guarantee that The Book Thief by Markus Zusak will be your book club’s summer hit! With unforgettable characters, powerful lessons about words, the heroics of ordinary people, and the life-saving role of books, this award-winning novel provides great food for thought.

• My colleague Craig Pohlman’s book Revealing Minds is a great way to prepare for the coming school year. It provides a practical, hands-on guide to assessing learning problems using the positive and comprehensive All Kinds of Minds’ approach.

And if you need a break from the heat, visit www.magicalmemorytour.com and join us in participating in a scientific study about memory. The British Association for the Advancement of Science invites participants to rock and roll it up by contributing their stories about the Beatles to help learn more about how the brain functions and how we relate our memories. So dust off the “vinyls” or turn on your iPod and turn back the hands of time!