Mother Daughter Book Club #25

Summary: The book club is about to get a makeover....

Even if Megan would rather be at the mall, Cassidy is late for hockey practice, Emma's already read every book in existence, and Jess is missing her mother too much to care, the new book club is scheduled to meet every month.

But what begins as a mom-imposed ritual of reading Little Women soon helps four unlikely friends navigate the drama of middle school. From stolen journals, to secret crushes, to a fashion-fiasco first dance, the girls are up to their Wellie boots in drama. They can't help but wonder: What would Jo March do? -- Simon and Schuster

Yesterday afternoon, the Tweeny Bookworms met to discuss THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB by Heather Vogel Frederick. All of the girls seemed to like (or even love) the book, and I was very surprised by how anxious they were to talk about it. I really think THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB was a wonderful books to discuss with middle grade girls because all of them were able to relate to it on some level. We had some really great discussion about mean girls and how to handle their actions, as well as how terrific it is to have friends that are different from you.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the meeting was when we called the author, Heather Vogel Frederick. This was the girls' first author chat but I have a feeling it won't be the last. Ms. Frederick opened up the discussion by talking about her career as a writer, how (and when) she knew that she wanted to write books, and how The Mother-Daughter Book Club series got started. Then she opened it up for questions. I would have sworn that the girls would have been to shy to ask questions, but I would have been very wrong! Almost every girl asked at least one question! And the quality of the questions was outstanding -- keep in mind these girls are 10 and 11. For example, one girl asked her if she was inspired by books that she's read, one asked her for her favorite authors, and one asked her for advice for young writers.

I can't rave enough about how wonderful Ms. Frederick was with the girls. I will never cease to be amazed by how nice authors are to take time from their busy lives to talk to book groups about their books. I think the girls (and the moms) will always treasure the opportunity to talk with a real live author! And personally, I was thrilled to learn that there will be a fifth book in the series where the girls read The Betsy-Tacy books!

Next month, we are reading THE NAKED MOLE-RAT LETTERS by Mary Amato. I am not familiar with the book, but when it was announced, Booking Daughter and her friend went nuts! They both read it in 5th grade and loved it. Since I respect their opinion on books, I have to say that I'm looking forward to this one!

The description isn't too detailed, but it's just enough to make me curious. It sounds like there might be the potential for some great discussion.

Summary: When her father begins a long-distance romance with a zookeeper from Washington, D.C., twelve-year-old Frankie attempts to sabotage the relationship.-- Holiday House