"Home for the Holidays" by Heather Vogel Frederick

First off, I don't get the title of this book. Megan and Becca go on a cruise, Emma and Jess go to a winter resort and Cassidy goes to California.While Christmas isn't the only holiday covered in this book, it is the biggest one and so I found it interesting that Home for the Holidays mainly focuses on plots that do not take place at home. But aside from that, I liked this book. The Mother-Daughter Book Club is currently reading the Betsy-Tacy books though some of the girls aren't as excited for this series as the others. Each girl has a lot going on in their lives and it seems like life might be getting in the way of their friendships. On top of that, when the girls exchange Secret Santa gifts no one gets gifts they would actually wants and this puts further strain on their friendships. Could this be the end of the club?

In some ways, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the earlier ones in the series. I don't know if it was because it has been awhile since I have visited this literary universe so some of the previous plots were fuzzy (this is common with my reading experiences) or if the story just wasn't quite as good (I plan on reading Wish You Were Eyre soon, so that will likely answer this for me). I think part of it came from getting so frustrated with the girls because of how they were acting. I didn't feel that they were being good friends and all of them seemed a little too self-absorbed. I did enjoy getting to go on their various holiday adventures and it is very interesting to see how the girls have grown up. And having read this book, I am interested in finally giving the Betsy-Tacy books a read (I am so behind with all of the books I want to read). Fans of the series will definitely want to add this to their collection.

*Special thanks to Catharine A. Ward for sending me this book as part of the Bookies Secret Santa last year!*

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"The Mother-Daughter Book Club" by Heather Vogel Frederick

Sadly I am going about this series the wrong way.  So far I have read book two, Much Ado About Anne and am in the middle of book four, Pies and Prejudice.  I am having a lot of fun with this series and look forward to getting copies of books one, The Mother-Daughter Book Club and three, Dear Pen Pal.  In addition, I’d like to read Home for the Holidays when it is released in October.

The series is a bit what you’d expect, based on its title.  Though I am not completely sure how it was formed (does it really make sense to review a series I have not completed?  Oh well….) it’s what I would think it would be about, four young girls are in a book club with their mothers and use the events taking place in the novels to help inspire them to solve the problems taking place in their lives.  The books are not just about the classic literature the girls are reading (so far I've encountered Anne of Green Gables and Pride and Prejudice).  Each girl has her own distinct personality; the jock, the fashionista, the farm girl, and the reader.  Though they are all different, this works for them.  Again, I don’t know much about the events of the first book, but during Much Ado About Anne, the girls are working to save Jess’ wonderfully named, Half-Moon Farm.  From their readings and personal skills the girls come up with a plan and put it into action.

This is a great book for late elementary/middle school readers who may not be ready for (or interested in) the vampire romances or intense topics currently popular for young adult readers.  I love that the girls in this series tackle their problems head on and while they involve the adults in their lives, they take control of their actions and work to get things done.  If I had to pick something to complain about, it would be the length of the chapters.  Though they don’t drag, I often find the individual chapters to take a long time to end and I seem to read these books in shorter spurts than normal.  However, I am enjoying reading and I will certainly be finishing this series!

Check out Heather Vogel Frederick's website!

Happy Reading! 

-Melly