Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a psychology professor at  Claremont Graduate University who  invented the concept of flow " also known as the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity."

Although this book is over 20 years old, it has timeless wisdom that will help you think about how to create optimal experiences in your life.  
My personal theory is that doing and learning Math can inspire the zone and can help people experience a flow event.  This book recommends that happiness can be experienced most by people who are  autotelic or purposeful.  Check out the  TED Talk and/or read the  TED Talk Transcript.

Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi's Facebook page

                                              Great Leaps

Great Leaps Reading, Language and Math Intervention Programs are designed to help students achieve and surpass grade level.  While most students will use calculators in high school and beyond, knowing Math facts helps people learn and enjoy Math more.
" This book is the cornerstone skill to mathematics. It teaches 0-9 tables to automaticity."
Great Leaps Math Intervention

Samples of Math and Reading Interventions   Great Leaps Reading Intervention

Tested: The Movie

The high school admissions process in NYC is often more complex than the college admissions process. There are 8 high schools that depend on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) given to about 30,000 8th graders in NYC every Fall.  The movie profiles a dozen students during their 8th grade through the testing and admission process of New York City high school selection.  
PASSNYC is an organization that "aims to identify talented underserved students within New York City's underperforming school districts in order to increase the diversity of students taking the SHSAT." Some of PASSNYC's partners that help students learn the content needed for the exam are: Admission Squad, ESPI, and the  DREAM program for SHSAT Prep.
The  2016-2017 SHSAT Handbook from NYC DOE  contains two sample exams although the SHSAT will be modified for the Fall 2017 exam .   Here is a link to find out more:  About the Film Tested