Book Review: My Teenage Werewolf by Lauren Kessler

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My Teenage Werewolf imageWorried that she was losing touch with her teen daughter, author Lauren Kessler did what few moms would be willing to do: immerse herself in middle school classrooms, locker rooms and cafeterias, taking notes all the while to turn into a nonfiction book. The result, My Teenage Werewolf: A Mother, A Daughter, A Journey Through the Thicket of Adolescence, is a revealing work that will both worry and give hope to moms everywhere.

My Teenage Werewolf’s universal appeal comes not only from Kessler’s personal experience, but also from research and information offered up by experts regarding the world teen girls currently inhabit.

Kessler also reveals her own flaws and insecurities, and she doesn’t elevate herself as the perfect mother who is trying to understand an imperfect daughter. Instead, through Kessler’s experience with her daughter and from the details she reveals of her strained relationship with her own mother, we see a sincere struggle to understand the complicated mother-daughter dynamic.

Kessler’s honesty, her wit, her insights, and her straightforward writing style combine to create a fascinating study of parenting today’s female adolescent. I highly recommend My Teenage Werewolf for any mother who has raised a teenage daughter, is raising one now, or knows that one is part of her future.

To find out more about My Teenage Werewolf, stop by tomorrow when author Lauren Kessler answers a few questions for Mother Daughter Book Club.com.

Book Review: Doodlebug by Karen Romano Young

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Doodlebug imageDodo (short for Doreen) renames herself Doodlebug when she starts drawing to pass the time during the family’s move from Los Angeles to San Francisco. She likes it so much, and she’s so good at it, that she keeps on doodling through her classes at her new school. It helps her make friends, but some of her teachers are not amused. Can she convince them that doodling helps her learn?

Doodlebug, a Novel in Doodles by Karen Romano Young explores how some children have different learning styles and ways of coping to help them through emotionally trying times. Doreen and her sister Maureen (or Momo), both have to figure out how to adjust to their new environment, and they have different styles of coping. Their parents are also adjusting to new jobs, and maybe not paying as much attention to their children as they need to while they do.

The illustrations, made to look like doodles, are a perfect companion to the story, which is indeed told through the doodles . They’re sophisticated enough so you know the author is also a talented illustrator, but they’re also simple enough for readers to feel that maybe their own doodles could create something important. It’s almost like journaling.

Doodlebug ends up being her own best advocate and learns a lot about addressing problems instead of ignoring them and hoping they will go away. I recommend Doodlebug for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged nine to 12.

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Book Review: Rocky Road by Rose Kent

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Rocky Road imageWho moves to Schenectady, New York with plans to open an ice cream shop in the middle of winter? That’s what twelve-year-old Tess is wondering as she’s on the way there from San Antonio, Texas. Tess and her little brother Jordan, who is deaf, have seen a lot of their mother’s pie-in-the-sky plans crash and burn, along with most of the family’s savings. So she’s sure this new venture will be a disaster, especially since her mother tends to have bouts of boundless energy followed by times when she’s too depressed to get out of bed in the morning. Tess feels like the whole family is on a rocky road, just like the name of her favorite flavor of ice cream.

In Rocky Road, Rose Kent has written a book that will produce much thoughtful discussion in mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged nine to 12. Tess is a cautious girl who’s rightfully afraid of what will happen to her family if the business doesn’t work. She counters her mother’s enthusiasm with a healthy dose of skepticism. But she also has to learn that expecting to fail can have negative consequences too. Tess, her mother and her brother all grow in surprising ways throughout the story, and they find unexpected strengths to help them find solutions to their problems.

Ma is also a great character: she’s enthusiastic, full of endearing aphorisms that you can almost hear spoken in a Texas twang. But she also has to learn her limitations and to trust in someone other than herself. Of course, Rocky Road will also have you hankering for a couple of scoops of your own favorite ice cream. You might even be inspired to serve some of the special ice cream concoctions listed in the back of the book at your book club meeting. As Ma would say, “Ice cream warms the heart, no matter what the weather.” I couldn’t agree more, and I couldn’t give Rocky Road a higher recommendation.

Book Review: Nonna’s Book of Mysteries by Mary Osborne

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Nonna's Book of Mysteries imageFlorence in the 1400s was a world center for painting and culture. But the guild tightly controlled who could be licensed as a master painter, and girls and women were not allowed on their list. Still, fourteen-year-old Emilia Serafini lives for her art, and she’s desperate to find a way out of the marriage her father has planned for her. So she turns for guidance to a book her mother gives her that has been handed down through generations in her family:  Manual to the Science of Alchemy.

But the book’s advice is not always easy to interpret, and sometimes Emilia doesn’t want to follow the advice she reads there. When she finds herself involved with a wealthy but unscrupulous businessman who covets the book, Emilia must call on all the magic she can muster from its pages to help her create the future she longs for.

In Nonna’s Book of Mysteries, author Mary Osborne paints a fascinating picture of Renaissance Italy and its thirst for beauty and knowledge. She includes enough historical details to bring the time period to life, but not so much that it overwhelms Emilia’s story. And Emilia is a great character who is rooted in her era with all the dreams of a girl far ahead of her time. Headstrong and determined, she also learns a lot about patience and tapping into wisdom passed down through the ages.

I also enjoyed reading about creating icons and frescoes and getting a taste for what life was like in a master artist’s studio of the period. Nonna’s Book of Mysteries is historical fiction at its best. I recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 14 and up.

Book Review: My Air Force Mom by Mary Lee

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My Air Force Mom imageMy Air Force Mom is a soft cover picture book by Mary Lee that helps young children get a glimpse of military life. The story is told through the eyes of eight-year-old Susie, whose mom is in the Air Force. Through Susie we learn about Air Force uniforms, the commissary, ID cards and other military customs, like saluting.

We also see that the military offers careers for women. My Air Force Mom is an easy way to introduce this branch of the military to children of civilians and those whose parents are serving our country.

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Postertex: A Fun Way To Show Your Love of a Book

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Postertext logoHere’s a website that lets book lovers hang their favorite books on their walls…sort of. It’s called Postertex. The brain child of Peter Kao, Postertex includes all the words of your favorite book designed around an image somehow related to the story. For instance, the words from the New Testament of the Bible wrap around the shape of a cross. The poster for Moby Dick shows an outline of a whale’s tail splashing down.

There are lots of titles to choose from, including some well-loved classics, such as The Wizard of Oz and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which features a profile of Alice along with the Cheshire Cat’s smile. I imagine these will make a great gift for book lovers you may know, and you may want to purchase your own favorites to display on the wall next to your own bookshelves.

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Book Review: Breakaway by Andrea Montalbano

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Breakaway imageLily was born to play soccer, or at least that’s how she felt the first time she kicked a soccer ball. She’s good at it too, the best on her team. But when she finds out the hard way that what she thinks is best for her isn’t always best for her team or her family and friends, she must work to earn back everyone’s trust.

Breakaway by Andrea Montalbano is a great book for any girl who loves to play soccer or even watch from the sidelines. Lily’s confidence in her ability to play the game is a good primer for girls to learn how to recognize their skills and use them. Her struggle to look outside herself and learn how to recognize what others have to offer will resonate with anyone who’s ever heard the phrase “there is no ‘I’ in the word team.” I recommend it for girls aged 9 to 12.

Dads Play a Role in Mother-Daughter Book Clubs Too

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With school about to start many of you may be thinking of starting a new mother-daughter book club or getting your established group going again after summer break. While making your plans, don’t forget about those important silent members of your group: dads.

Even though dads don’t usually participate in discussions, they can play an important role in helping make your book group successful. How so? Depending on the age of your daughter and whether or not you have other children dads can:

  • Entertain your other children and get their meals while you and your daughter attend a meeting.
  • Listen in as you read a book club choice, so your whole family can discuss the book.
  • Help you get ready when the meeting is hosted at your house, and help you clean up after everyone leaves.
  • Take charge of the household if you go away overnight with your group.

When dads get involved they also reap benefits, such as:

  • Having dad-only time with siblings when they plan a fun outing to a movie, a restaurant, or a local attraction.
  • Building a connection with their daughters when they ask about book club books and talk about some of the issues.
  • Expanding their social network by getting to know some of the other dads and siblings of book club members.

Over the years my husband has enjoyed his dad-only time with one daughter almost as much as I’ve enjoyed book group with the other. And we sometimes have great conversations about what’s going on in a book we’re reading. It’s helped us all feel connected in many ways.

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