I have often checked The Children’s Book Review for recommendations when I’m looking for something to read. So I was thrilled when Nicki Richesin asked if I would contribute my family’s five favorites for a new monthly column by mom bloggers. Richesin regularly writes reviews for the site herself, and I have previously interviewed her and reviewed her own book about mothers and daughters as well as one about fathers and daughters.

To see what my family members and I recommend as our all time favorites, check out the column Five Family Favorites with Cindy Hudson at The Children’s Book Review.

March is Women’s History Month, which makes it a great time to read about women who have made an impact on history. Here are a few of my suggestions:

For readers aged 10 to 14

• Cleopatra Rules! The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen by Vicky Shecter-this book may be chock full of facts, but it’s anything but dry. The information it presents is interesting as well as informative.
• Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl-a fictional tale with real life events woven into it about aviatrix Beryl Markham and her childhood in Africa.
• Rebel in a Dress Series: Cowgirls and Adventurers by Sylvia Branzei, illustrated by Melissa Sweet-find out about women who pushed the boundaries of the times they lived in.
• Women Making America by Heidi Hemming and Julie Hemming Savage-lots of interesting information about women throughout different periods of American history. Fun to read and to keep on hand for school assignments.
• Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipovic-this recounting of the war in Sarajevo by an 11-year-old diarist provides a glimpse into her personal experience with recent history.

For adults and young readers aged 15 and over

• A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary-a memoir from the beloved children’s author.
• In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez-this is a gripping, fictional recounting of the Mirabel sisters during Trujillo’s iron-fisted rule in the Dominican Republic.
• The Painter from Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein-a fascinating tale about the painter Pan Yuliang, who defied conventions for women in China of her time.
• The Queen’s Daughter by Susan Coventry-a story about Princess Joan, daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry 11, and sister to Richard the Lionheart.
• The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees-a fictional account of a possible romance in the famous author’s life.

My husband and I have always given our daughters little gifts for Valentine’s Day. With none of the stress of Christmas, this has become a holiday where we focus on books, chocolate and flowers. What could be better to lift anyone’s spirits in February?

Here are a few of my favorite books that look at love between family members, friends and boyfriends/girlfriends in two different age groups. Where a review is available, you’ll find a live link on the book title.

For 9 to 13 years and up
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Dewey the Library Cat by Vicki
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Granny Torelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech
Masterpiece by Elise Broach
The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo
With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo
Savvy by Ingrid Law
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

For 14 and up
A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee
The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman
Doggirl by Robin Brande
Getting the Girl by Marcus Zusak
How I Stole Johnny Depp’s Alien Girlfriend by Gary Ghislain
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson
Lips Touch, Three Times by Laini Taylor and Jim DiBartolo
Dear Big V by Ellen Leroe
Heart With Joy by Steve Cushman

Book challenges can be a lot of fun. They provide motivation to keep you reading, introduce you to new books, and let you share your selections with a group of like-minded readers. Currently there’s a great one going on at The Books for Walls Project called the Cuddle Up and Read Challenge. How can you not like the idea of cuddling up to read? Especially in February. (See more challenges here: www.booksforwallsproject.org/2010/04/challenges-how-you-dear-reader-can.)

There are lots of other great resources to check out at The Books for Walls Project site, so you can stay a minute to explore while you’re there. I particularly like the page listing favorite libraries. And I like the whimsical tone of the whole site. I’ll post my favorites for this challenge there, bu I’m also listing them here.

Books to Cuddle Up and Read

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
• A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Books to Read Aloud While Cuddled Up

I’m fond of reading books out loud that will make you laugh. Here are some of my favorites:

• A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
• Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce
• Boy by Roald Dahl
• The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
• Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

Favorite Place to Cuddle Up and Read

I like to sit on the couch with a goose-down blanket on my lap and a cup of tea nearby.

New Moon Girls has just released its list for the Second Annual Girls Choice Book Awards. The books on this list were all chosen by girls as some of their favorites. There are newer titles as well as older ones, in categories of fiction, nonfiction, fantasy and myster.

So see the list and learn more about New Moon Girls, click here.

Daughters, which is affiliated with New Moon Girls, also offers some excellent articles this month on parent-daughter relationships, including one I wrote about how mother-daughter book clubs promote bonding between moms and daughters. It’s called Book Club Bonding: Fun for All Ages!

There’s also an article by SuEllen Hamkins and Renée Schultz about the Mother-Daughter Project.

Dan Chapman talks about how dads can support each other and be involved in their daughters’ lives, in Doing a Good Job Better.

Also Donna Renner and Amy Lynch give ideas for what you can do if your daughter doesn’t communicate with you the way she used to in an article titled, If She is Silent.

Both New Moon Girls and Daughters provide excellent resources to parents of girls of all ages as well as for girls themselves. Check out Daughters and sign up for free enews at Daughters.com. Subscribe to New Moon Girls and help keep this media outlet supporting girls going strong. New Moon.com.

Books are some of my favorite things to wrap and give as presents. Here are a few of my picks from 2011, as well as suggestions for who would appreciate unwrapping them.

For Ages 9 to 12 and Up

• Quest of the Warrior Sheep by Christine and Christopher Russell-for the family that likes to laugh out loud while reading together
• With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo-for someone who believes in championing lost causes and lost people
• Trauma Queen by Barbara Dee-for preteens who believe their moms embarrass them
• The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami-for readers who like to travel
• Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney-for readers who love to pull for the underdog
• Dewey the Library Cat by Vicki Myron-for animal lovers
• OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy-for anyone who loves a good debate and a look at religious beliefs
• Circle of Secrets by Kimberley Griffiths Little-for those who love a little mystery

For Teens

• The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman-for anyone who likes to read about navigating high school relationships
• The Year We Were Famous by Carole Estby Dagg-for readers who love historical fiction coupled with a few women’s rights issues
• Spinning Out by David Stahler, Jr.-for anyone who’s ever wondered how to help a friend who needs it
• Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick-for someone who champions misfits
• Unforgettable by Loretta Ellsworth-for those who don’t want to hide their special abilities
• Doggirl by Robin Brande-for theater geeks, dog lovers and those looking to come out of their shell
• Purple Daze by Sherry Shahan-for anyone looking for a good dose of the 1960s, the war in Vietnam, a little poetry, and ideas of how world events affected teens then
• Sparrow Road by Sheila O’Connor-for artists and those who believe family extends beyond the people you’re related to

For Adults

• Letters from Home by Kristina McMorris-for anyone who loves historical fiction about the home front during World War II
• 15 Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect with Your Kids by Rebecca P. Cohen-for parents looking for ways to be more active with their kids
• Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course on Getting His Kid Into College by Andrew Ferguson-for parents who have children in high school
• Boomerang Kids: A Revealing Look at Why So Many of Our Kids Are Failing on Their Own, and How Parents Can Help by Carl Pickhardt-for parents whose kids are leaving the nest
• The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks by Kathleen Flinn-for anyone who feels less than confident in the kitchen, as well as those who need a boost to their cooking routines
• In the Place of Justice: A Story of Punishment and Redemption by Wilbert Rideau-for someone interested in the criminal justice system and one man’s journey through it
• The Writer’s Workout: 366 Tips, Tasks and Techniques from Your Writing Career Coach by Christina Katz—for writers who want to get more from their writing lives

If you’re looking for non-book ideas to give to people who love to read, check out my Gift Ideas for Book Lovers from last December.

Last week, I offered up a few tips on how to get a family reading group going. Today, I’m recommending a few titles in three age brackets that are good books to read out loud in your family. November is National Family Literacy month, which is a good time to think about adding more reading time into your family time. To help get you started, I’m giving away a signed copy of Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs each Friday of the month. See this previous post to enter by leaving a comment.

Here are the titles I recommend. Many of them are classics that children will be exposed to for the first time, and some of them are new. In addition to telling a good story, most of these books are also laugh-out-loud funny.

Ages 2 to 4

At this age, children love to have the same books read to them over and over. They often memorize the words in picture books , which lets them “read” pages themselves. Here are a few new books mixed in with a few classics that you won’t mind reading and enjoying often.

• More Bears! By Kenn Nesbitt and Troy Cummings
• If I Could Keep You Little by Marianne Richmond
• My Name Is Not Isabella and My Name is Not Alexander by Jennifer Fosberry and Mike Litwin
• Go, Dog. Go! By P. D. Eastman
• Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
• Before You Were Born by Jennifer Davis and Laura Cornell
• Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
• If you Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond

Ages 5 to 8

At this age kids can understand a lot more than they can read on their own. They like stories about friendship and family.

• The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
• The BFG by Roald Dahl
• Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
• The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
• The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
• The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
• Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
• Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Ages 9 to 12

Reading with your kids when they are this age is particularly rewarding. They may be spending less time with you and more time with their friends, so reading together is a good way to connect on a regular basis.

• A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
• Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
• Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce
• Boy by Roald Dahl
• Dewey the Library Cat: A True Story by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
• Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech
• The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
• The Quest of the Warrior Sheep by Christine and Christopher Russell

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The Cybils award winners have been announced, and I’m surprised to see that I haven’t read one book on the list. I read a lot for reviewing on this website and for my book clubs, and it’s always exciting to learn about titles I’m not familiar with.

Cybils stands for Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards. The judges all blog about books regularly, and for this competition they take on a whole bunch of books looking for literary merit plus kid appeal.

To see the whole list of winners, visit the Cybils website.

So many great mother-daughter book club reads debuted this year. Here are just a few you may want to check out. Click on the title for a link to my review.

For middle-grade readers and their moms (ages nine to 13)

The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Nissa’s Place by A. LaFaye

The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Rocky Road by Rose Kent

This Is Me From Now On by Barbara Dee

Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes

The Year of Goodbyes by Debbie Levy

For high school readers and their moms (ages 14 and up)

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

Blue Plate Special by Michelle D. Kwasney

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar

The Julian Game by Adele Griffin

Poetry Speaks Who I Am edited by Elise Paschen

And for all you moms who are in book clubs with your adults friends too, here are a few titles you may be interested in reading:

Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo by Vanessa Woods

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees

My Teenage Werewolf: A Mother, A Daughter, A Journey Through the Thicket of Adolescence by Lauren Kessler

Book Bundlz website is a great place for book clubs to check out for all kinds of information. Here’s an article I wrote for them about 12 Great Books for Mother-Daughter Book Clubs. There are four categories of readers so look for the one matching your group.