I’m not truly ready to give up summer, but my daughter goes back to school tomorrow, Portland’s weather has definitely turned a touch cool, and I’ll soon be volunteering at school again. I’ve had fun offering up so many great books to give away to readers these past few months. For this final feature, I’ve chosen one for the younger set. Just be sure to comment by midnight (PDT) this Friday, September 10 for your chance to win a copy. Here’s my review:

Horrid Henry is back and he’s up to mischief again. This time he’s trying to win a year’s worth of treats from a local ice cream parlor, getting into trouble on a boring rainy day, giving makeovers, and listening to his favorite author in Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman.

Author Francesca Simon and illustrator Tony Ross have again brought Henry to life with all his impish ways and devilish plots that somehow don’t work out the way he planned. Once again, young readers should delight in this chapter book. And I could certainly identify with Henry’s desire to listen to his favorite author read from her work. Horrid Henry is lots of fun.

Amanada Howells, author of The Summer of Skinny Dipping, is giving away three signed copies of her book at her blog now through Labor Day. I recently wrote a review of The Summer of Skinny Dipping, and I think many of my readers would enjoy winning a copy. Just visit Amanda’s site before Monday evening to get your comment in.

I couldn’t think of a better book to give away near the end of August than Mitali Perkins’ Monsoon Summer. This story of a young girl’s journey of discovery during one summer with her family in India is sure to enchant. The copy I have to give away is signed by the author. Comment here by midnight (PDT), Friday, August 27 for your chance to win. (Giveaway closed. Congratulations to Julie H. on winning her copy.) Here’s my review:

When fifteen-year-old Jazz Gardner discovers she’s going to spend the summer in India with her family she is not happy about it at all. She has a thriving business in San Francisco with her best friend Steve, and she can’t imagine leaving either one for three months. She’s certain one of the other girls from school will make a move while she’s gone and claim Steve’s heart before she even tells him how much he means to her.

When she arrives in the town where her mother was born and adopted from the orphanage, she’s determined not to get involved in helping out in any way. All she wants to do is pass the time while she counts the days until she goes home. But her encounters with the people, and a little bit of monsoon madness, just may convince her she’s got something to contribute after all.

Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins is a great book for mother-daughter book clubs. Jazz is an independent girl whose parents are very much involved in her life. She constantly compares herself to her mother, and often feels she’s lacking. This book can generate great discussions on finding and believing in your own strengths, working to help others, trusting people and having the courage to say what you’re feeling. Perkins has an excellent mother-daughter book club discussion guide at her website, http://www.mitaliperkins.com/mother_daughter_book_club.html. Here’s just one of the questions that may provoke great discussion:

“What’s the most risky thing you’ve tried when it comes to helping someone else? Did it work?” I highly recommend Monsoon Summer for book clubs with girls aged 10 and up.

The Last Song is debuting today on Blu-ray and DVD. To celebrate, Touchstone Home Entertainment is giving away copies of the new release plus the book by Nicholas Sparks to two readers at Mother Daughter Book Club.com. Here are the details:

The Last Song Blu-ray™ Hi-Def Combo Pack contest
Comment by midnight (PDT), Friday, August 20 for your chance to win The Last Song Blu-ray™ Hi-Def Combo Pack and two copies of The Last Song book by Nicholas Sparks! (Giveaway closed. Congratulations to April and Devika on winning.)

The Last Song, a coming of age love story from best-selling novelist and screenwriter Nicholas Sparks (Dear John and The Notebook) is now available on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def Combo Pack and DVD from Touchstone Home Entertainment.  Starring Miley Cyrus, Greg Kinnear and Liam Hemsworth. Bonus features include filmmaker commentary, making of the Miley Cyrus music video “When I Look At You,” deleted scenes, set tour and alternate opening sequence.

Two winners will be chosen. They will each receive one copy of the Blu-ray™ Hi-Def Combo Pack and DVD plus two copies of the book, one for a mom and one for her daughter.

This week I’m giving away a copy of Just Between Us: A No-Stress, No-Rules Journal for Girls and Their Moms by  Meredith and Sofie Jacobs. Comment here by midnight (PDT), Friday, August 20 for your chance to win a copy. (Giveaway closed. Congratulations to Linda for winning her copy.) Here’s my review:

I strongly believe mother-daughter book clubs are a great way to get moms and daughters talking about all kinds of topics. This includes sharing fun stories as well as having conversations about topics that may be awkward if they were brought up out of the blue, but are easier broach when talking about something you read.

Now comes a new tool for the two generations to communicate about many different issues. It’s called Just Between Us: a No-stress, No-rules Journal for Girls and Their Moms by mother-daughter team Meredith and Sofie Jacobs. I’ve seen more one-sided journals that grandparents or parents fill out to help their children find out more about their lives growing up, but this is the first time I’ve seen an interactive journal for two.

Some pages are labeled for the mother to fill in, like the one with the questions, “What I wanted to be when I grew up” and “What really happened when I grew up and why.” The daughter’s corresponding page asks for her to write about three things she might want to be when she grows up and why.

The topics cover so much—school, family, careers, personal likes and dislikes—and there are also plenty of pages where either or both journalers can write about whatever they’d like to talk about. Just Between Us could be fun as an activity for the moms and daughters on their own, or as part of a book group. As part of book group, you may want to define in advance which pages you’ll share in a meeting. That way everyone will know that some pages may contain public thoughts while others will be kept private. I recommend Just Between Us for girls aged nine and up and their moms.

Even after I finished this book the stories of several generations of mothers and daughters stuck with me for a long time. Some of these mothers certainly made some big mistakes, but I think what struck me was the commonality that they all wanted to do what was right for their daughters even if they didn’t know how. This week I’ll be giving away a copy of Blue Plate Special by Michelle D. Kwasney to someone who comments on this post by midnight (PDT), Friday, August 13. (Giveaway closed, congratulations to Allison for winning.) If you can say a few words about mothers and daughters and their relationships I’d love to hear your thoughts. As a reminder, here’s my review:

Blue Plate Special by Michelle D. Kwasney is at its heart a story of mothers and daughters. In this case, there are three generations of mothers and daughters who all make mistakes but ultimately struggle to do the best they can.

Each of the storytellers, Madeline, Desiree and Ariel has a distinct voice. Madeline is super-responsible, and she takes care of her alcoholic mother. But she’s extremely overweight, and she fights to stay above water in a vast sea of loneliness. Desiree is happy with her school and social life, but at home her mother is too depressed to pay much attention to her. Desiree can’t rely on her mother to protect her. Ariel’s got a good relationship with her mother, but she’s in danger of falling under the control of a boy who wants to monopolize every minute of her time for himself.

Each story is told from the point of view of the girls when they were 16, and seeing the continuity between generations is both painful and hopeful. Can these women and girls escape their pasts and their present circumstances and find a way to be stronger and support each other?

Blue Plate Special should provide great discussions for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 14 and older. Issues to talk about include finding a feeling of self-worth, what is the difference between being loved and being controlled by someone, and overcoming obstacles to provide a safe, loving environment for your children. This book gets stronger as it goes along. The stories are very simple, but very powerful, I highly recommend it.

Check the author’s website, http://www.michelledkwasney.com/, to read the first three chapters, which introduce each of the three characters, or listen to an audio excerpt. The downloadable discussion guide also has great questions, including this one that would be interesting in a mother-daughter book club:

“It’s hard for us to imagine what our mothers and grandmothers were like as teenagers. If you had the chance to travel back in time and meet your mom or grandma when they were your age, would you do it? What questions would you ask them?”

This week I’m giving away another book that’s fun for younger readers. It’s called Noonie’s Masterpiece by Lisa Railsback. Read my review below, then comment here by midnight (PDT) this Friday, August 6 for your chance to win.

Noonie is sure that she will someday be a famous artist. She knows many well-known artists go through periods where they focus on color, and she herself has been through a blue period. This came after her mom died while she was in kindergarten and her dad’s job as an archeologist took him to locations around the world while she stayed home with her Aunt Sophie, Uncle Ralph, and her younger cousin Junior.

Now Noonie is in her purple period, and she’s sure her latest efforts will make her famous. Noonie’s Masterpiece by Lisa Railsback with art by Sarajo Frieden is a delightful book about what makes a family. Noonie gets into lots of trouble as she dismisses everything in her life except her art. Her creativity is spent trying to coax her dad back home and trying to avoid math.

Noonie is always looking through her book of masterpieces, and as she talks about famous artists in recent history, the reader learns about them too. Mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 7 through 12 could have a lot of fun finding photos of the famous pieces of art Noonie talks about and discussing why they may be considered great. Other topics to discuss include how art fits with more traditional school subjects like math and literature, coping with the loss of a parent, and finding what’s special inside each of us. The illustrations are fun to look at, too, and they help make Noonie’s Masterpiece a great book for younger girls looking for a step up from an early reader chapter book. Additional resources, including a discussion guide, a chapter excerpt and a video can be found at http://www.chroniclebooks.com/noonie/.

If you’ve read my recent reviews, you’ll know I’m quite taken with Tortilla Sun, a new book by Jennifer Cervantes. It’s a great book for middle grade readers and their moms, and you can even learn how to make tortillas, thanks to a recipe at the back of the book and a helpful video with the author and her daughters. So I’m making Tortilla Sun this week’s book to give away. Read my review, and look for the other resources listed at the bottom to watch the video, read the first chapter or download discussion questions.

Comment on this post by midnight (PDT), Friday, July 30 and be entered to win your copy. (Giveaway closed. Congratulations to the winner, Carol.)

The fun continues here at Mother Daughter Book Club.com with the Summer Blast Giveaway. This week I’m offering Tombstone Tea by Joanne Dahme. (Please note: giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Brenda for winning a copy.) Here’s my review:

Jessie is acting on a dare when she shows up at the Laurel Hill Cemetery one night. Her instructions are to spend a whole night while wandering the cemetery and collecting rubbings from the gravestones of 10 residents. Desperate to make friends in her new high school, Jessie has agreed to the task despite her misgivings.

Almost immediately she runs into Paul, a boy who seems to be near her age and who says he works as a night caretaker at Laurel Hill. He offers to help her. While collecting rubbings Jessie meets what Paul call “actors” playing the parts of inhabitants of certain graves. Jessie thinks they’re doing a great job until she finds out they’re not actors, they’re really the spirits of the people they claim to be. Most are friendly, but Jenny is not, and Jessie has to escape with Paul’s help.

Undeterred, Jessie is back the next day, and she begins to volunteer at the cemetery during daylight hours on a regular basis. As she helps to revive the Tombstone Tea Laurel Hill held years before, she also works to find a way to reconcile Jenny with her daughter in the hopes that her spirit can move on.

Tombstone Tea by Joanne Dahme has plenty of action to give you the creeps, it does take place in a cemetery and spirits are some of the main characters, but it’s not so spooky that it’s likely to keep you awake at night. Jessie is a strong character, and while sometimes I worried for her, I really liked her growing confidence and her ability to turn a strange situation into a purpose. Mother-daughter book clubs members will be able to talk about spiritualism, beliefs about what happens to you after you die, the history in cemeteries, and courage. I recommend it for groups with girls aged 11 to 14.

This week’s Summer Blast Giveaway will be sending a copy of Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French to a lucky reader who comments. Here’s my review:

Twelve-year-old Julian Carter-Li has no idea that adventure will soon find him. All he knows is that his mother is on a grant-paid trip to China that should enhance her career as a photographer, while she’s gone he has to stay with his mean-spirited aunt and uncle since no one else is available to take care of him, and he may have to spend his entire summer shuttling from one undesirable camp after another.

He is resigned to his fate until he inadvertently reads an email intended for his uncle that launches a relationship with a girl named Robin who lives on a farm in California’s redwood country. Before he knows it, Julian is working against his uncle’s company to save a grove of old-growth redwood trees from the saw, and he’s taking extreme-for-him measures to get the attention of anyone who may have the power to save the trees. All while learning about farm life and personal responsibility.

Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French combines eco-adventure with common childhood fantasies: to live in a tree house far above the rest of the world and to make grown-ups pay attention to what a kid has to say. While there’s no doubt the story take a pro-environment stance, it’s not preachy in getting a message across. Instead we see Julian, Robin and their friends Danny and Ariel learn how they can make a difference to something they feel is very important. And though the ending may have a touch of the stuff of fairy tales, I found Operation Redwood to be a delightful and fun adventure to read. I recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs with girls nine to twelve.

Just leave a comment here by midnight (PDT) this Friday, July 9 for your chance to win.