THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB BY HEATHER VOGEL FREDERICK

Sara Tin-U R1 Literacy

WARNING: PLEASE DON’T

LET THE STUPID TITLE

SCARE YOU AWAY

THE MOTHER DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB SERIES

SUMMARYThis series is about four normal

girls’ daily lives, and the issues they deal with. The Mother-Daughter Book Club sounds like a horrible idea to all four girls, and the most wonderful thing in the world to the mothers, but the club brings four very different girls together, and their bond grows stronger every book. As they grow older, they experience things like dating, mean girls, and making new friends. Note: There is actually a fifth girl, but if I talk about her in detail, it will ruin the book! I can only say that she is the leader of a clique and her name is Rebecca “Becca” Chadwick.

CASSIDY ANN SLOANEThe daughter of Clementine Sloane.

She is a major tomboy that loves sports (hockey in particular) and deals with many family issues throughout the series. Her father is deceased. She often hear remarks about how different she looks from her mother who is a former model and gets teased about it. She never lets any taunting affect her and stands up for herself and her friends. She doesn’t always do so well in school.

JESSICA “JESS” DELANEYThe daughter of Shannon Delaney.

Her family has a farm (Half-Moon Farm), and she is often teased about smelling bad and is called “Goat Girl” . She has a talent of singing and is extremely smart. In the first book, she deals with the fact that her mother is away pursuing her dream job, and misses her a lot. She has two little brothers who she has to look after often. Her best friend is Emma Hawthorne.

MEGAN ROSE WONGThe daughter of Lily Wong. She is an

Asian-American girl, and loves fashion. She is always drawing in her sketchbook. Her family is rich because her father created a computer gadget. She is often embarrassed of her mother who always presents gross, healthy snacks for book club meetings and tends to go over board about saving the Earth. She is part of “Fab Four” in the first book, a clique. She used to be best friends in Emma in fourth grade until she got rich and moved away.

EMMA JANE HAWTHORNEThe daughter of Phoebe Hawthorne.

She is a book worm. She has read practically every book in existence and loves to write. She wishes to become a writer like her father. She is often teased about her weight, sometimes being called, “Porky the Poet”. She usually lets all these taunts get to her, unlike Cassidy.

CHARACTERS- THE MOTHERSo Clementine Sloane- Cassidy’s mother, she is a former

super model and is very tall. She is scared of Cassidy playing hockey, as she thinks it’s dangerous and that she will lose her daughter, since she already lost her husband.

o Shannon Delaney- Jess’s mother, she is an actress and auditioned for a show in New York, and got the role. She does not appear in book club meetings in the first book, but sends gifts. Her family misses her very much.

o Lily Wong- Megan’s mother, she wants to save the Earth, and donates to many charities, and is a health freak, and a vegetarian. She wants Megan to be an environmental lawyer.

o Phoebe Hawthorne- Emma’s mother, she is a librarian, she was the one who came up with the whole idea of having a mother-daughter book club. She loves Jane Austen, and even named her children after the characters in her books.

I LOVE THIS SERIES!I love this series because it’s about normal

girls, not super natural girls who can fly or something, and each and every girl deals with real life problems. The family not having enough money, friends moving, not going to the same school, step family, being teased, and so much more. This series really captures the essence of middle school and high school girls. It feels like I can relate to each character about what their hardships. Also, the characters tend to relate things in their lives to the books their reading. I just love this series.

HOW THIS SERIES WORKSEach book is separate by four sections.

Each book represents a year, so the girls grow every book. The four sections are seasons, with the exception of Home for the Holidays, as that book is split by holidays. The series is told by four girls’ point of views on their life. Each chapter is introduced with a quote by the book they are currently reading. For example, in the first book, they read Little Women, so the chapter is introduced with a quote from Little Women. In the fifth book, Home for the Holidays, a new point of view from a different girl appears. (I won’t tell you who it is, or it will give things away! ;) )

EXCERPT- CASSIDY’S POINT OF VIEW (1ST BOOK)

I shrug my backpack onto the entry hall bench and glance over the grandfather clock opposite. It’s three fifteen. If I hustle, I can grab some ice time before our dumb book club. Right before the party.

My mother appears, carrying a platter of cupcakes. They’re covered with orange frosting and decorated with licorice to look like little jack-o-lanterns. “What do you think?” she asks. “They look radioactive,” I tell her, wrinkling my nose. It’s true. Nothing in nature is that shade of orange except maybe some rare fungus. Okay, so this excerpt sounds tacky and stupid, but this book is like a guilty pleasure. It’s kind of embarrassing, but you can’t help but love it.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOKYou should read this series because

you can relate yourself to these characters, and they’re not perfect, and they don’t have super powers. It’s nice to have a break from stuff like vampires or something and just have a series that greets you into a realistic world. The friendships are very strong, though they have some misunderstandings which is normal, and when you read the different point of views, you kind of “live” through them. Since the girls grow up each book, you feel like you’re growing up with them and you notice the change in them overtime.

MEGAN ROSE WONG “CHARACTER QUOTE”“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”-Coco Chanel

CASSIDY ANNE SLOANE “CHARACTER QUOTE”“The problem with winter sports is – follow me closely here – they generally take place in winter.”-Dave Berry

EMMA JANE HAWTHORNE “CHARACTER QUOTE”“Certain bookworms eat books. Eat them, swear in them, spill things on them.”-Tara Bray Smith

JESSICA “JESS” DELANEY “CHARACTER QUOTE”“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”Albert Einstein

THANKS FOR WATCHING!