Mother Daughter Book Club Series – Z's Review

 Books: Mother Daughter Book Club Series

Author: Heather Vogel Frederick

Recommended Age: About 9 or 10+

Rating: *****

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Reviews: Mother Daughter Book Club is an amazing book series which starts out with four middle school girls who's moms come together to start a book club for them and their daughters! The four girls have totally different personalities and barely have anything in common. For example Cassidy Sloane is a complete jock; she would rather watch baseball and play hockey than go to a book club, while Emma Hawthorne has read practically every book on earth and is a great writer. Megan Wong is the fashion designer; Megan would rather be sketching clothes or shopping at the mall than be reading, while Jessica Delaney (Jess) would rather be with her goat at her farm or would be playing with her dogs. Since these girls are so different, they had a shaky start but a few months later they became best friends!

The young members in the Mother Daughter Book Club grow up in each of the books. Like in the first book they start out in middle school with best friends and bullies but then in the last book they're in high school! Personally I think that this series is very hard to put down! I mean I couldn't stop reading after I started! 

 When you read these books you will realize the debacle and the blessings of life while the members of the Mother Daughter Book Club make and lose friends and enemies, create adventures, and dream big and achieve. 

 Each Mother Daughter Book Club book has notes and talks about another book which is usually a classic!

 
Mother Daughter Book Club(1) is about Jess, Cassidy, Megan, and Emma starting Middle school and going through changes of life while reading “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott.

 Much Ado About Anne(2) is about taking new chances, going on adventures, and creating friends out of enemies. In Much Ado About Anne, the girls in the book club are reading “Anne of Green Gables” by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Dear Pen Pal(3)is about huge changes, friendships, and big opportunities. In Dear Pen Pal, the members of the Mother Daughter Book Club join other girls in a different country to meet new friends and read “Daddy Long Legs” by Jean Webster.

Pies and Prejudice(4) is about leaving friends, meeting new people, and helping others. In Pies and Prejudice the members of the Mother Daughter Book Club in Concord, MA,  plus Emma and her Mom who unexpectedly had to move to England read “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austin.          

Home for the Holidays(5 and my favorite book!)is about injuries, love, confusion, friendship, Humor, and tough choices and changes. In Home for the Holidays, no member's vacation goes truly as planned as they read the “Betsy-Tacy” series by Maud Hart Lovelace.

Wish You Were Eyre(6)is about fashion, visitors, friends, competitions, weddings, enemies,  teammates, and dreams come true. In Wish You Were Eyre, the members of the Mother Daughter Book club read “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë.

Thanks so much for reading this and if you ever want to read the Mother Daughter Book Club series or check out any of Heather Vogel Frederick's books please go to her website http://heathervogelfrederick.com/books.html! Thanks so much guys, bye! :)

Sprinkles and Secrets- by Lisa Schroeder- Z's Review

Sprinkles and Secrets is a book about a 12 year old girl named Sophie, her best friend Isabel, the friends she makes and the challenges she overcomes. Sprinkles and Secrets is a book that fills you up with happiness and joy, a few parts of the book might make you sad though. 

I realized, Sophie’s life & friends and I, have a huge similarity; we are both in middle school! That means we are probably going through the same phases of life. 

Sophie's life long dream job was to become an actress and she believed with her charming personality that might become a reality. When Sophie finally gets an opportunity to be on TV , she's jumps with joy.  But later Sophie realizes she has to audition for Beatrice's Brownies, a competing company to her best friend Isabel's cupcake store "It's Raining Cupcakes". 

Sophie decides to not tell Isabel the truth about her audition but later realizes that if she wants Isabel to stay her best friend for life, she would have to tell the truth sooner or later!

With the help of Sophie's loving family, loyal friends, and acting skills can Sophie be in Beatrice's Brownie ad, not hurt Isabel's feelings and help raise money for Isabel's family's cupcake shop?  Read and enjoy.

This book has couple of delicious recipes too. I made the Monster Cookies recipe which turned out yum.

 

 

Monster Cookies-  From 'Sprinkles and Secrets'

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter or margarine
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tblsp Karo Syrup( we substituted honey)
4 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup M&Ms
1 cup chocolate chips

With a Mixer, beat together sugars, butter and peanut butter. Add the eggs, vanilla and karo syrup
 (or honey), and mix well. Gradually add in the rolled oats, flour, and baking soda, and mix until well blended. Stir in the M&M’s and chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for at least 3 hours (can even be overnight) to help cookies mound up better. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350, and use a teaspoon to drop on to  ungreased baking sheets. Bake about 12 minutes until a light golden brown.

                 “Like Sprinkles On a Cupcake, Secrets Can Be Difficult to Contain”

                           –    Lisa Schroeder, Author of 'Sprinkles and Secrets'