The Mother-Daughter Book Club

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Just the read to jump-start your own book club.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there's not much to object to in this book. There are some examples of mean-girl attitudes and actions, but they lead to discussion and resolution of the feelings behind the aggression.

  • While there is a lot of mean-girl behavior, there are great examples of friendship, forgiveness, and open dialog between parents and their children.
  • Loud arguments between friends and a hockey player is injured.
  • Nothing risque here; just middle school crushes and first-dance magic.
  • Mild name calling like "goat girl" and "heifer."
  • The novel is set in Concord, Mass. so there are references to famous authors who have lived there and town lore.

What's the story?

Megan, Emma, Jess, and Cassidy can think of a million other things they'd rather do than be in a book club with their mothers, or with one another for that matter. But then a funny thing happens. As they explore the four girls of Little Women they learn more about themselves, their families, and one another. Will it be enough to counter all the other crazy things going on in their lives including crushes, secret dreams, real-life family drama, and all the drama of middle school?


Is it any good?

 

THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB is a stand-out novel because author Heather Frederick gives an authentic voice to her young characters. The four main girls -- Megan, Cassidy, Emma, and Jess -- with similarities to the March sisters in Little Women (the book they're reading), really develop as characters throughout the book. Megan especially. A classic mean girl, she torments several of the other girls and plays cruel pranks on them. When one prank goes too far she is forced to face the girls, their mothers, and the reasons behind her actions. The result is a very moving scene that gives great insight into why mean girls behave the way they do.

The active role that parents play in this novel is wonderful. They are engaged in and aware of what is going on in their kids' lives. This is a refreshing change to the more common narrative of absent or oblivious parents. Parents and kids should read this book together, not because of any questionable material, but because it has something for everyone. This is the type of book that can change the dialog in a mother-daughter relationship.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about ways to spend more time together. Besides starting a book club, what hobbies or activities can families do together to help build better relationships? How did the book club help with the girls' relationships with their parents? How did it help with their relationships with each other?


This review was written by Terreece Clarke
Teen, 15 years old
March 23, 2011
 
Super cute, perfect book for any age!
Such a cute book! I read it when I was 10 and my sister read it when she was 9. Super cute and conveys positive messages about staying true to yourself, and opening your mind to new friends.

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Teen, 14 years old
June 29, 2011
 
Great Books!
This is the first of the books. I've read all four of the books and they're all great! I don't know which one is my favorite!? My favorite is probably there eighth grade year, the third book, Dear Penpal. But they're all great and I hope she keeps coming out with more! There's four characters and I think we you can relate to each in some way or another

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Kid, 11 years old
March 23, 2011
 
A fantastic book!!
Such a good book!! I've read it lots of times!! Emma, Cassidy, Megan, and Jess are fantastic role models!! I think girls 9+ would love this book!!! It has positive messages about all the characters. Even Megan one of the girls who turned super bratty. Some of the parts are sad. When it tells about Jess' mother leaving the family to go to New York City for a T.V. show she wanted to be on. It is a very nice book! I love reading it!!!!

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Kid, 12 years old
April 14, 2011
 
Great Series
This is one of the best books i have ever read!

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Teen, 15 years old
November 23, 2008
 
Loved the book
Awsome book anyone should read it!

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Teen, 14 years old
November 18, 2008
 
great book!
this is a super sweet, fun book for tween girls! there is no sex, language, or suggestive content, and the story is very fun! 5 stars!

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Teen, 15 years old
September 5, 2011
 
Super sweet and fun read
We bought the book for my younger sis, but I enjoyed it myself. Great for tween and even some teens. Sweet read on how 4 girls come together, now I'm going to read little women. Hopefully getting the other books of this cute series.

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Teen, 14 years old
March 30, 2009
 
I loved it!
It was the best book ever! I told every one about it and they loved it to. Now we are having a book club and using this book. We love it!

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Teen, 15 years old
February 18, 2009
 
LOVE IT!!!
I am reccomending it to ALL of my friends! YOu should DEFINITELY read it!!

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Kid, 12 years old
December 21, 2010
 
A Pretty Good Book
This is a relitively good book. I really like how there are characters that you can relate to, for me, it would be either Jess or Cassidy. It has tomboys, girly girls, but this book is NOT a boys book. I was even on the brink, since I'm a tomboy. It wasn't a book where when I finished it, I couldn't stop talking for an hour, but it was still a very good book. I liked how all of the girls had very different backgrounds, and how one book club brought them all together.

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This review was written by Terreece Clarke
Author:Heather Vogel Frederick
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Coming of Age
Publisher:Aladdin
Publication date:April 27, 2007
Number of pages:256
Hardcover price:$16.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):9 - 12

This review was written by Terreece Clarke
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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