Book Review: Trauma Queen by Barbara Dee

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Trauma Queen imageBarbara Dee’s last book, This Is Me From Now On, was one of my favorites from last year. So I was looking forward to reading her latest, Trauma Queen, about a girl and her mother and how they learn to understand important things about each other. Just as I had hoped, the book was a delight to read. Here’s my review:

Marigold feels she has more reason to be embarrassed of her mother than most teenaged girls. Her mom, Becca, is a performance artist who gets attention for doing what a lot of people consider weird. She’s also not shy about saying what she thinks about someone—and when she uses her performance art to parody Marigold’s best friend’s mom…well things don’t work out so well for Mari.

Now that the Baileys have moved to a new town, Mari hopes she can keep her mom out of the limelight and start living a normal life. Then Becca offers to teach an after-school improv group of Mari’s classmates, and she’s back to worrying about losing everything she’s built up again.

Trauma Queen by Barbara Dee is a funny and thoughtful look at what happens when the daughter is the responsible one in her family and she feels the need to mother her own mother. Becca is a free spirit, who doesn’t consider consequences before she acts. In response, Mari is super-organized and personally conservative. They each need to find a way to acknowledge and respect each other’s strengths without dismissing the things they don’t particularly like about each other.

There are so many issues for mother-daughter book clubs to explore when they read Trauma Queen, including getting along with family members even when your personalities are very different, respecting someone else’s choices although you disagree with them, ways moms embarrass their daughters, and more. I highly recommend it for groups with girls aged 9 to 12.

Publisher Simon and Schuster provided me with a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: Mothers and Daughters by Rae Meadows

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Mothers and Daghters imageMothers and Daughters by Rae Meadows is about three generations of women all trying to do the best they can as they raise their daughters. Each has a tale to tell of their relationships to their mothers, as well as how they relate to their own children.

Sam is the modern mother of an infant. She can’t bear to be separated from her daughter for even short times. She knows she can’t go back to the woman she was before her baby was born, even though there’s a part of her that longs to create art with her pottery wheel.

Sam’s mother is Iris, who tells her story from her retirement home in Florida, where she is spending her final days in a struggle with cancer. Iris remembers the hard life she spent growing up on a farm in Minnesota, and her mother, Violet, who never showed much affection.

Violet loved her daughter, but she harbored a secret about her past and the true place she was born and grew up. It’s left to Sam to puzzle out the story her grandmother never talked about, the details of which only the reader of the novel knows.

Mothers and Daughters examines so many emotions a woman can feel in relation to her children: protective, loving, helpless, powerless, inadequate, fierce and invincible. Each of the women profiled has to break away from their mothers and become independent. They each do it in their own way, influenced heavily by the times they live in. It touches on the story of the Orphan Trains that took children away from their lives in New York City to farms in the heartland, and the shame these children often took with them as they went. It’s a powerful book that captures the joys as well as the heartaches of being either a mother or a daughter.

Book Review: A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary

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A Girl from Yamhill imageBeverly Cleary is known and loved for her books that appeal to young readers. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and The Mouse and the Motorcycle are just two of the titles that have remained popular through multiple generations.

In her memoir, A Girl from Yamhill, Cleary talks about her early life, first on a farm in Yamhill, Oregon, then in Portland. Cleary was an only child, and her stories of small town life are punctuated by the adults she spent most of her time with—her parents, her grandparents, and the characters that lived in the town of Yamhill.

In Portland, Cleary enters grade school and finally has other children to play with. Her tales of growing up in the 1920s, then living through the early years of The Great Depression, are full of rich details that are sure to fascinate both young (ages 12 and up) readers and adults about this time in the past.

Cleary’s memories of school and teachers should provide great conversations between moms and daughters about what education was like in the early part of the last century, versus what parents today experienced, compared to what current students encounter. Cleary’s relationship with her parents is also good for discussion as a look at how parents communicated with children then and now.

A Girl from Yamhill is not a thrilling read; instead it’s a delightful meander through the people and times that were important to Cleary. It’s also a revealing look at lifestyle differences between her era and ours, and it gives insight into events that sparked her desire to be a writer. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs.

In honor of Cleary’s 95th birthday, the New York Times Book Review featured an article on her writing and her life that talks about her enduring legacy as a writer. Here’s the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/books/review/profile-of-beverly-cleary.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

 

 

Book Review: A Song for My Mother by Kat Martin

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A Song for My Mother imageWhen Marly Hanson ran away from home as a teen to get married, she thought she’d never return. But when her young daughter finishes treatment for brain cancer and asks to meet her grandmother, Marly can’t turn her down, even if it means confronting the past she hoped to forget. She’s determined to keep her distance with her mother, but as she sees her mom through the eyes of others, Marly finds she wants to know more. She also finds herself becoming attached to the very things she rejected when she was younger.

A Song For My Mother by Kat Martin is a story of love in many forms: between mothers and daughters, between spouses, and between friends. It explores how to bridge a gap created with an emotional break and over the distance of years. Through the story, author Martin encourages readers to question their assumptions about painful actions others take, and strive for understanding as well as consider the possibility of forgiveness. There’s also a bit of romance added to the mix.

Even though the topics, like spousal abuse and cancer are tough ones, A Song For My Mother will also charm you with its descriptions of small town life in Dreyerville, and the thoughtful people who live there. It’s an idyllic place that will have you wishing you had grown up in a small town or wondering why you ever moved away if you did.

Publisher Vanguard Press provided me with a copy of this book for review.

Author Barbara Dee Shares Her Perspective on Internet Safety for Kids

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Barbara Dee photo

Barbara Dee

The other day Zoey’s mom’s sent me an email.

A couple of weeks earlier, her daughter had begun emailing me about my second book, SOLVING ZOE:  “Hi I just finished reading probably the best book in the world called Solving Zoe it’s actually kind of funny because my name is Zoey with a Y.”

When I emailed Zoey back, she replied immediately, asking about my next book, TRAUMA QUEEN, describing her dog, inviting me to speak at her school. (Although she warned me, “Don’t get your hopes up because I will have to ask my principal if it’s OK.”). She also asked where I’d be signing books next, so she could meet me, and she told me the name of her town. It wasn’t nearby, so I told her that if she couldn’t make it to the TRAUMA QUEEN launch party, or to any of the book festivals I’d be attending this spring, I’d be happy to mail her a signed bookplate.

And then I paused. “Before you send me your address,” I wrote her, “PLEASE, PLEASE ask your parents first!!! Never give out your address to anyone online unless your parents say it’s okay. Okay?”

I waited uncomfortably for her reply, because if she emailed back with her home address, how would I know if she’d gotten permission? I wouldn’t—unless her mom wrote to me herself. (Which a few have in the past.)

For a tween author, it can be tricky having direct contact with readers. You want to be chatty, accessible, and kid-friendly. After all, it’s why kids are writing to you in the first place!

But I’m not a twelve-year-old kid. I used to be a teacher. I’m also a mom of three teenagers whose internet activity I worry about. So when tween readers email me their personal information (everything from where they live to where they go to school, their ages, the names and health of family members, even home phone numbers!), I think I have the responsibility to say something.

Obviously, authors aren’t bad guys, and if a kid is handing over personal info to their favorite author, there’s no risk. What I worry about is kids getting a little too comfortable sharing personal info with strangers. I think it’s part of my job to remind them about internet safety. But of course—and here’s the tricky part– I need to do it in a way that maintains the precious author/tween reader relationship. I can’t sound like a teacher. Or (especially!) a mom.

That’s why I was so delighted to hear from Zoey’s mom: “I have been monitoring the emails & just love it… My husband & I believe this is the “stuff” that make young people want to be “someone” (like an author )  I hope her many emails aren’t bothering you.”

No, Zoey’s Mom, they aren’t. I promise you, authors LOVE to hear from enthusiastic readers! We also love to encourage kids to be whatever kind of “someone” they want to be. Thank you for supporting Zoey’s passion for reading and writing. And thank you also for monitoring her emails to adults you don’t know personally. It means that authors—and I hope Zoey is writing to many others!– don’t have to worry about her safety online.

Until she becomes a teenager, but that’s another whole story.

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Book Review: 15 Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect With Your Kids by Rebecca Cohen

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15 Minutes Outside imageGoing outside everyday with your kids is easier than you think, and there are lots of good reasons to do so. That’s the premise of a new book by gardening and outdoor lifestyle expert Rebecca P. Cohen. Frustrated that the demands of her business and daily life kept her from spending as much time with her two young sons as she wanted, Cohen made a commitment that she would spend at least 15 minutes outside with them every day.

Even when the weather was extremely cold or very hot, Cohen stuck to the plan, and she found that her family’s new outdoor-oriented lifestyle was healthy not just for the kids, but for her and her husband as well. Cohen writes, “With some fresh air and movement, I feel grounded, active, and strong, yet relaxed.”

Using her own experience, Cohen gathered a list of ideas and tips to help you put them into action in her book, 15 Minutes Outside: 365 Ways to Get Out of the House and Connect With Your Kids. The recommendations you’ll find there are inspiring in many ways. While some may not work for your area, like riding public transportation to an outing, some are simple enough for almost everyone, like going outside to enjoy the sunset or having a picnic lunch. After reading about Cohen’s experience you’re sure to be motivated to come up with ideas for your own family.

While you’ll certainly find that many of the activities work best for younger children, you can also adapt many of them to appeal to your older kids as well. Check out more ideas on Cohen’s website. There you can watch TV episodes Cohen has produced with ideas for getting out of the house, and you can view other products she has created, like her curiosity cards, great for taking along on a walk to help engage your kids with the world around them.

Book Review: Zita the Space Girl by Ben Hatke

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Zita the Spacegirl imageWhen Zita finds a gadget in what appears to be a crashed meteorite site, she can’t resist pushing the button. When she does, a creature with octopus-like limbs reaches through a tear in the sky and grabs her friend Joesph. Zita runs away, but soon she realizes that she must follow Joseph and try to bring him back.

So she pushes the button again and steps into a fantastical world of strange creatures, some friendly, some not. Zita discovers that this world is about to be destroyed by an asteroid, and those in charge think Joseph can save them.

With lots of spunk and daring, Zita tackles all sorts of challenges as she sets out on a quest to save Joseph. The friends she makes along the way just may be able to help her save the magical world she explores from destruction too.

Zita the Spacegirl, written and illustrated by Ben Hatke, is a fast-paced space adventure graphic novel. Zita is irresistible as she makes new friends and fearlessly searches for Joseph. Detailed yet simple illustrations bring all the fantastical creatures to life and give them personality. This is the first in a series that should delight readers aged 7 to 10.

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Book Review: Under the Green Hill by Laura L. Sullivan

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Under the Green Hill imageWhen the Morgan children, Rowan, Meg, Silly and James, are shipped off to spend the summer in England with an elderly aunt they’ve never met, they aren’t exactly thrilled. But when they arrive at the Rookery, the castle fills their minds with thoughts of exploring and discovering secret passageways.

Those fantasies soon pale when they discover that their family is part of an ancient pact connecting them to the fairies who live under the green hill. When they realize that one of them must act as champion to the fairy queen in a coming battle, they all decide to do what they can to help out.

Under the Green Hill by Laura L. Sullivan paints a richly detailed picture of fairies and other fantasy creatures who live just out of sight of normal humans. They can’t be trusted, and they like to play tricks on people to get their way. The natural world depends on their guardianship, as they depend on the guardianship of certain humans.

While the story is mostly about the four Morgan children and their adventures, it focuses mainly on Meg, who at 14 is growing more self-confident and leaving the shadow of her older brother Rowan. Meg is responsible, and she’s teased for being very like an old woman, but she can’t help seeing the consequences of all of their actions. She’s also strangely attracted to a bad boy who is along with them named Finn.

Under the Green Hill is a delightful fantasy that mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 10 and up should enjoy reading and discussing. It’s beautifully written and group members should enjoy talking about the fairy world, English castles, and the personalities of each of the children.

At the author’s request, publisher Henry Holt Books for Young Readers provided me with a copy of the book to review.

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