That fine summer is about Mahala, who can do anything a boy can and most things better, even if she is scared of bulls and has troubles with multiplication! That summer -oh, fifty years or so ago when your own grandparents were young -Malie lea ed all sorts of thing about friendship and the out-of-doors, and about her grandmother after whom she was named. And if you want to see what life was like for young girls who were bright and a little headstrong a Newfoundland outport of those times, read on! That Fine Summer was first published in 1978 to wide acclaim and was quickly reprinted for use in Newfoundland schools. Set in Notre Dame Bay in the first half of this century, the story of Mahala, a very spirited and independent young girl, draws its inspiration from the author's own childhood memories and from the landscape from around the bay of Exploits where she and her friends had many a fine time themselves! This re-issue has been prepared so that young people in Newfoundland and Labrador will be reminded of their rich heritage, and so that children elsewhere can discover what it was like in those not so far off days in coastal communities before the decline of the fishery. A new set of illustrations has been prepared for this edition by Aileen Woolridge, noted Newfoundland artist and illustrator.

Ella Manuel was born in 1911 and grew up in Lewisporte, Newfoundland, where her father was a well known merchant and hotelier. She completed her formal education in the US, graduating from Boston University in the midst of the Depression. She became a social worker in England in the 1930s, married there, and moved to the US just before the outbreak of World War II. At the time of confederation, Ella returned to Newfoundland, where she worked to establish herself as a writer and a freelance broadcaster. She began her long career with social commentaries and stories for children, which she read for the local radio station in Corner Brook. The royalties from the sale of this book support the Ella Manuel Trust, set up in her memory after she died in 1985. The Trust helps young women graduating from high schools in the province to further their education, so that they too can work towards some of the things Ella so passionately believed in: a more peaceful and healthy world, a greater opportunity and a larger role in society for women, and a better future for Newfoundland and Labrador.

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