Giveaway!!! "Pies & Prejudice:The Mother-Daughter Book Club" by Heather Vogel Frederick

Published by:  Simon & Schuster

Pages: 371 

Plus: Bookgroup Questions, Author's Notes

and an Excerpt/Preview of her next

Mother-Daughter Book Club book!

GIVEAWAY !!!

Heather is giving a copy of her book to the

winner drawn from entries by Feb. 29th

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Good luck to everyone!

Summary of the Book:

From School Library Journal

Gr 6-9–Fans of the series will not be disappointed with this installment. With four effervescent heroines, several budding romances, an ambitious cooking venture, and a hefty pinch of drama, Pies has instant teen appeal, even more so if readers are Anglophiles. When Emma's family announces they are moving to England for a year, the book club selects Pride & Prejudice in honor of their adventure and keeps up regular meetings via webcam. Austen fans will appreciate the character nods: Emma deflects the advances of a Mr. Collins-like oaf, Megan falls for the amiable Simon Berkeley (aka Mr. Bingley), and Cassidy spends much energy detesting Tristan Berkeley, the obvious but nonetheless enjoyable Mr. Darcy character. For teens who may not recognize these parallels, the author makes them clear with quotes at the head of each chapter, as well as pointed comparisons made by the characters themselves. With interesting facts about Austen interspersed throughout, and a visit to relevant sites in England incorporated, this book makes an excellent introduction to one of the most masterful–and popular–writers of all time. Don't be surprised if 12-year-olds start checking out Pride & Prejudice after reading this teen-tailored adaptation.

The Dame's Review :

I was taken back to my youthful days of reading Nancy Drew novels when I picked up "The Mother-Daughter Book Club: Pies & Prejudice," not because it's written in an old-fashioned manner at all, but because it's so refreshingly written for girls.  You can feel the wholesomeness of the characters lift right off the page, and that's such a wonderful quality, too.  It's nostalgic for me as a grandmother.  And it must be perfectly delightful for girls of 6-9th grades.  A valuable commodity in today's world.  I understand this is one of the last books dealing with the four teen aged friends in the Mother-Daughter Book Club, and it's been an amazingly popular series. I can see why after reading this fine book. Perhaps Ms Frederick will graduate the girls to a young adult level along with their readers!

Heather Vogel Frederick grew up in New England and spent her middle school years in Concord, Massachusetts, the town where the Mother-Daughter Book Club stories take place.  Concord is a small town with a great deal of history attached to it.  Concord Academy for girls, a very prestigious and historical school, is located there...a prep school  Caroline Kennedy supposedly attended as a girl.  The town is known for its close community and healthy New England ways, as well as its intellectual inhabitants living just outside of Boston.  Interesting fodder for her Book Club girls and moms!

Ms Frederick is obviously an accomplished writer, including the "Patience Goodspeed" books, and she currently lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two sons.  Before she became a prolific and beloved writer, she was a journalist.  I'm sure she was fabulous at that job, as well!

What impresses me about Heather's writing is her ability to impart a wholly positive attitude through her four young girls as they surmount the inevitable crises in their lives.  Surviving school and personal situations is never easy, but these girls and the handling of their personal relationships provides a firm guiding light for middle school readers.  I enjoyed her showing how teen aged girls think and speak their truth.  Really humorous passages!

The only critique I would have is that at times I felt they were a bit too juvenile for their supposed ages in their boy-girl relationships.  There was a Pollyana attitude that sometimes took over scenes.  Difficult to keep the delicate balance all the time of teen agers vs preteen audiences!  For the most part though, my earlier evaluation stands.

While this story is great fun and may guide young readers toward a love for Jane Austen's novel, it also serves to remind us that friendships are very special in our lives.  It shows girls that people may not always be what they appear to be on first impression.  And, it supports the ultimate joys of reading! 

If you're thinking of or are already in a mother-daughter book club, I highly recommend this book.  Recently, I received a couple of notes from women wondering if I had suggestions for  their groups.  It's difficult to know what book may appeal to which levels these days.  Heather Vogel Frederick's books in this series will absolutely appeal to the middle school aged group, I think.   You'll find her books and many, many reviews on Amazon.com

4 stars

I thought this video on YouTube was interesting in someone's unauthorized casting of the four friends in the Book Club:  :]

What books influenced you as a young reader?

Deborah/TheBookishDame