Read the Classics this Summer

If your mother-daughter book club doesn’t meet in the summer, this may be a good time for you to pick up a classic, either to read on your own or for a book club meeting scheduled for the fall. For most clubs, this is the one time of year you can devote to reading longer novels, and there may even be more time for moms and daughters to read a book together. This can be an advantage since many classics were written long ago and may not be as easy for young readers to grasp. Most titles will be readily available on the shelves of your library, where you’ll find yourself anyway if you’ve signed up for a summer reading program.

Here are some thoughts for classics in different age groups:

Younger readers
Caddie Woodlawn–Carol Ryrie Brink
Charlotte’s Web–E. B. White
Little House on the Prairie–Laura Ingalls Wilder
Matilda–Roald Dahl
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle–Betty MacDonald
The Boxcar Children–Edith Nesbitt
The Indian in the Cupboard–Lynne Reid Banks
The Secret Garden–Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Trumpet of the Swan–E. B. White
The Wizard of Oz–L. Frank Baum

Middle Readers
A Wrinkle in Time–Madeleine L’Engle
Anne of Green Gables–L. M Montgomery
Little Women–Louisa May Alcott
Peter Pan–J. M. Barrie
The Call of the Wild–Jack London
The Hobbit–J. R. R. Tolkein
The Jungle Book–Rudyard Kipling
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe–C. S. Lewis
To Kill a Mockingbird–Harper Lee
Treasure Island–Robert Louis Stevenson

Older Readers
A Tale of Two Cities–Charles Dickens
David Copperfield–Charles Dickens
Dracula–Bram Stoker
Huckleberry Finn–Mark Twain
Jane Eyre–Charlotte Bronte
Pride and Prejudice–Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility–Jane Austen
The Count of Monte Cristo–Alexandre Dumas
The Hunchback of Notre Dame–Victor Hugo
Wuthering Heights–Emily Bronte

Summer Reading Suggestions

The end of the school year always brings a wild flurry of activity. The last choir concert, the last track meet, the volunteer appreciation breakfast, and so many other last minute things thrown into the schedule it’s overwhelming.

But looming in the background is the promise of lazy summer days lying in a hammock and reading. Not that I ever seem to achieve that, but it’s an ideal to strive for. My daughters on the other hand, seem to get that hammock time in at least once a week.

I’m compiling my list of recommended summer reading, and I’d like to hear from any of you who have suggestions. I’ll publish a list with everyone’s recommendations in early June.

Already I know Frank Cottrell Boyce’s new book Cosmic will be on my list, and I can’t wait for it to come out. And my two book club selections will take me into the beginning of summer. I’ll be reading The Adoration of Jenna Fox with Catherine, who’s just finishing 8th grade, and This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff with Madeleine, who’s finishing her junior year in high school.

What’s on your list? Leave a comment here or drop me a note at info@motherdaughterbookclub.com.

Newbery Club

 A librarian I know who leads a book club for kids at her school recently told me about a Newbery Club that several schools in the district participate in. Here’s what she had to say:

“There are over 10 schools where we collaborate and all lead Newbery Clubs. We love getting together as adults and discussing/reviewing books. We then bring them to the students who narrow down the selection and begin reading and also blogging between schools about the books. It is my favorite program I participate/manage.

“Their favorites this year were:

• The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart - fabulous mystery, long read but the kids loved it. Enjoyed the surprises.
• The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt - my favorite, laughed all the way through. Historical fiction. I was thrilled to see this win the Newbery Honor.
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - impressive visual book, won the Caldecott recently.
• Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass - very interesting realistic fiction book, enjoyed the adventures and discussions that came from this one.
• Peak by Roland Smith - excellent adventure. The boys liked this one quite a bit, girls almost as much. This led to reading Into Thin Air which is a great biography.”

Thanks to Deborah Alvarez for the recommendations. This also sounds like a good way for mother-daughter book clubs to pick books. Particularly since there are so many titles to choose from. To check out what’s on the list, visit the American Library Association’s Newbery Medal Home Page.

New Page with List of Books for Boys Posted

I posted the list of books recommended for boys as well as girls to read on their own or with a group. Many of these books are timeless, and classics as well as new books are on the list.

I’ve listed them by recommended age group. If you’d like to see something added to the list write in to let me know.

Good Books for Boys

Recently, I’ve been asked several times if I have recommendations for good books for boys to read. Many of the books read in Mother Daughter Book Clubs are appropriate for boys too. A few that come to mind right away are Framed and Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce, The Book Thief and I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak, and Boy and Going Solo by Roald Dahl.

I’m working on creating a new listing of Good Books for Boys here and on MotherDaughterBookClub.com. It will go up next week, so if you have recommendations you’d like to see on the list, send them in to me and I’ll include them.

Back to School

The kids are back in school, book club meetings are on the calendar again, and class reading assignments are being made. Fall may be a particularly difficult time for girls to find time to read book club books, because of all the new obligations that usually come when school starts. Sports, homework and music lessons often top the list of activities that keep everyone running during the week and on weekends.

If this is a problem for the girls in your club, check out the class reading assignment list, particularly if everyone in the club goes to the same school. Many of the books assigned in class are classics that are easy to get at the library. If your meeting is held before her book is due, she’ll have the advantage of having a group discussion on it already before she’s tested on what she learned.

Another option is to choose a light-hearted book that’s fun to read. My youngest daughter’s group just read All American Girl by Meg Cabot. Many girls will relate to the everyday problems Samantha has while they have fun thinking about how their lives would change if they did something heroic. Time spent reading it makes a great break from homework.

Read of full review of this book at MotherDaughterBookClub.com. Other selections that make fun, light reads include A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck, Boy by Roald Dahl, Flipped by Wendelin Van Drannen, The Princess Diaries, by Meg Cabot, and Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. These books have lots to think about and discuss during book club meetings, but reading them won’t feel like an extra assignment to your daughters.

If you have other suggestions for the list, send them along for future posting.

Books for Younger Readers

I’ve added a new category of books for 2nd - 3rd grade readers at MotherDaughterBookClub.com. Recently I’ve been getting feedback that many groups are starting at younger ages than before. There’s certainly no shortage of great literature aimed at younger readers, and starting when your daughter is in second or third grade is a great way to establish a group that can weather the ups and downs that may come in middle school.

One of my favorite books of all time is on this list: The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White. I read it to each of my girls when they were younger, and we were all charmed by the story of Louis who so wanted to be independent and make his own way in life. It’s also the reason we had to ride on a Swan Boat on the lake at Boston Common when we visited some years ago. I highly recommend the book for group or individual reading.

If you have other recommendations for 2nd and 3rd grade readers, please send them in so I can add them to the list.

New List - Historical Fiction

There’s so much great historical fiction for children and young adults these days that it’s difficult to keep this list manageable.

Here are some of the favorites listed by book clubs, and I’ll post a complete list on the Reading Lists page here, as well as at MotherDaughterBookClub.com where you can also find reviews of many of the books. Check out Powells.com to purchase any of these titles.

4th - 5th Grade Readers

• Bat 6 - Virginia Euwer Wollf
• Boston Jane - Jennifer Holm
• Our Only May Amelia - Jennifer Holm
• Walk Across the Sea - Susan Fletcher
• Caddie Woodlawn - Carol Ryrie Brink

5th - 8th Grade Readers

• A Year Down Yonder - Richard Peck
• A Long Way from Chicago - Richard Peck
• Petey - Ben Michaelson
• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi

9th - 12th Grade Readers

• A Lesson Before Dying - Ernest J. Gaines
• In the Time of the Butterflies - Julia Alvarez
• Night - Elie Wiesel
• The Crucible - Arthur Miller
• The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
• The River Between Us - Richard Peck
• The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
• To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
• Wild Life - Molly Gloss

Great Book About Books

There’s a new addition to my reference shelf that’s been really helpful when I or my daughters want to look for a new book to read. It’s called 500 Great Books for TEENS by Anita Silvey. I love the easy way books are categorized here. Age recommendations come right under the book title so I can easily see that The Whale Rider is best for 12 - 14-year olds while Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods is probably more suited to older teens.

And the categories are great! I can look for humorous books, classics, mysteries and thrillers, war and conflict books and many more classifications that will help suit the mood for the type of book my daughters and I are looking for.

Silvey’s done a nice job, too, with the extras at the end. I can look up books that take place in certain states or countries or at a certain historical times. My daughters and I are actually psyched about checking off the books on the lists we’ve already read then adding more as we read more.

I haven’t looked at Silvey’s book for younger kids called 100 Best Books for Children, but if it’s anything like this one, I expect it to be a great resource for your club.

Check out New Reviews on Petey and The House of the Scorpion!

I’ve just posted new reviews to motherdaughterbookclub.com. Look for Petey by Ben Mikaelsen and The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. Both of the reviews are from daughters in mother daughter book clubs so check them out!

You’ll also find updated reading lists on the Web site as well as the new category: “Books to Make You Laugh Out Loud.” You’ll find these on both the “Favorites” and “Reading Lists” pages.

Petey introduced the daughters in our club to the world of cerebral palsy, and helped them see how difficult it is for people suffering with this disease to communicate to other people. Several girls and moms expressed that it helped them to address fears they had of not knowing what to do when they encountered people with cerebral palsy.

The House of the Scorpion was a surprise favorite by many members of my mother daughter book club when we read it. Few of us thought of ourselves as science fiction readers, but the story of this futuristic state between the United States and Mexico where clones and drones are treated as animals sucked us in and kept us rapt until the last page. We had a great discussion on the morality of cloning humans and the corrupting influence of drugs and drug money. I recommend it for both generations, ages 12 and up.