Wednesday, August 15, 2007

The Mother-Daughter Book Club

I just finished reading The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick. What a great book! From the book jacket: "What begins as a mom-imposed ritual of reading Little Women soon helps four unlikely friends navigate the drama of middle school. From stolen journals, to secret crushes, to a fashion-fiasco first dance, the girls are up to their Wellie boots in drama. They can't help but wonder: What would Jo march do?" Frederick tells the story in four different voices -- Megan, the popular girl; Cassidy, the tomboy/hockey player; Emma the reader/aspiring writer; and Jess, the farm girl/actress. I'm not usually a fan of stories with too many different viewpoints, but it really works in this book. And, it makes me want to start my own mother-daughter book club with my two girls!

Frederick includes "Fun Facts about Louisa (May Alcott)" throughout the book. Here are some facts that I found particularly interesting:

  1. Louisa kept a "mood pillow" shaped like a sausage on the parlor sofa. When she was in a good mood, she stood it on end. When she wasn't, she placed it flat, and her family gave her some space.
  2. In addition to books for young people, Louisa also wrote for adults. Sometimes she wrote under pseudonyms, include Flora Fairfield, Tribulation Periwinkle, and A.M. Barnard, under which alias she published what she called "blood and thunder" thrillers.

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