Developmental assets are those qualities or circumstances that help young people “grow up healthy, caring, and principled.” This inviting collection of 166 activities for middle and high school youth is a rich toolkit for fostering developmental assets such as family support, service to others, high expectations and sense of purpose. Each of its offerings, from a veteran teacher, parent and writer, is tied to at least one of 40 developmental assets listed early in the book. For example, the Neighbor Search activity relates to the assets of Other Adult Relationships and Caring Neighborhood. Its objective is for each young participant to find a neighbor who ‘has a great smile’, ‘knows how to do things’, ‘is a grandparent’, and so on. The activities can be used one at a time or in clusters for use in retreats and learning series. For more on Developmental Assets visit the {{Search Institute website | http://www.search-institute.org}}.

Reviewed by Marie F. Fleming