100 Books for Girls to Grow On [Paperback]

Shireen Dodson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 1998

An Inspiring Approach to Reading

From A Tree Grows in Brooklyn to Ramona the Pest to Wringer, here are 100 great books guaranteed to stir the imagination, spark conversation, and lead the way to adventure.

In 100 Books for Girls to Grow On, Shireen Dodson, author of the acclaimed The Mother-Daughter Book Club, offers a selection of both new and classic titles. Each book has been handpicked because it is a joy to read, because it inspires mother-daughter dialogue, and because it encourages creativity beyond the book experience.

Included are brief plot summaries for each book, as well as thought-provoking discussion questions, inspired field trip ideas, fun crafts and activities, and biographies of the authors.

Let books become a springboard for encouraging your daughter's imagination. Ideas inside include:

• Design and draw colorful dresses like Wanda Petronski, heroine of Eleanore Estes' The Hundred Dresses.

• Take your cue from Harriet the Spy and create your own stories from overheard snippets of conversation.

• While reading Caddie Woodlawn, pull out a map and trace Caddie's mother's journey from Boston to the Wisconsin frontier.

You don't need to form a book club to use and enjoy 100 Books for Girls to Grow On. Shireen Dodson offers stimulating ideas that will spark your daughter's creativity and nurture a love for books.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

In this companion to The Mother-Daughter Book Club (HarperCollins, 1997), Dodson provides annotations for books she believes will be successful in that forum. She also presents information about the authors, discussion questions, and ideas for crafts and field trips. Bibliographic citations and reading levels are not included. The annotations frequently convey more of Dodsons personal insights than facts about the books, and upon occasion miss the mark. For example, when discussing Philip Pullmans The Golden Compass, the author states: I was really intrigued by the whole concept of daemons, which seem to serve a similar function as blankies or stuffed animals. The fact that children are rendered spectrelike after the removal of their daemons would seem to contradict this conclusion. Other inconsistencies that mar the book are suggestions that 9- to 12-year-old girls watch the graphic film Amistad but wait until they are older to see Mutiny on the Bounty, and that children who are ready to tackle Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird will also enjoy painting pumpkins. Fans of the first book may take to this presentation, but Kathleen Odeans Great Books for Girls (Ballantine, 1997) and Alison Cooper-Mullins Once upon a Heroine (Contemporary Bks., 1998) provide a greater range of titles and more succinct annotations.Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Let's give a most enthusiastic welcome to 100 Books for Girls to Grow On. It will draw girls away from television and rock music back to the enchantments of reading where they will develop their intellects and give free reign to their imaginations." -- Dr. Ellen S. Silber Director, Marymount Institute for the Education of Women and Girls

"What a book! Should be on the bookshelf (or bedside table) of anyone who wants to inspire girls to explore themselves, their dreams and their world. By including discussion questions, activities and field trips, Shireen makes it easy to bring these great books to life. I already have a list of seven new books I want to read as a result!" -- Nancy GruverFounder, New Moon: The Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1 edition (August 19, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060957182
• ISBN-13: 978-0060957186
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,087,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! A highly recommended parenting and reading tool., July 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: 100 Books for Girls to Grow On (Paperback)

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this great book. My eight year old daughter and I read Caddie Woodlawn together. We then used Shireen Dodson's very thoughtful discussion questions. The result was a highly satisfying coversation between my daughter and me, and a more memorable reading experience than either of us had imagined possible. This book will inspire mothers and daughters to read books and talk about them, and in the process learn more about themselves and each other. 100 Books for Girls to Grow On is an inspired idea, lovingly executed, and sure to be a hit with mothers and daughters everywhere.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes girls need encouragement to read!, November 3, 2001

By 

Rizzo (Nowhere) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: 100 Books for Girls to Grow On (Paperback)

Because of the success of the mother-daughter book club, author Shireen Dodson was prompted to write a book titled "The Mother-Daughter Book Club." But here, she compiled a great number of suggested readings for young girls. And, included are questions to provide discussion, analyze characters motives, actions, etc.

The author feels that good discussion questions broaden reading experience. She believes these discussions with your daughter give her an outlet to listen to mother's opinions, morals and values. This way mother isn't preaching and lecturing rather just discussing things. It keeps lines of communication open tremendously! This approach to your children is valuable!

She also provides an average reading time and the pages. She says the books range for girls ages 9 to 13, some for younger and some for older than 13 years old.

Included is a small blurb about the authors, some author's titles listed a few times. Themes are listed for each book, whether it is cultural, race, freedom, choice, sacrifice, friendship, relationships, identity, self esteem, family, responsibility, etc. After each blurb are suggested activities pertaining to specific books.

And, the author, Dodson, suggests other books that girls might like. For each book listed, she recommends books of similar likeness. The other suggested readings are not necessarily included in her 100 list, which is great because these titles are also referenced in the index. That's what makes this segment wonderful, more books are suggested

This is a wonderful reference as motivation to read!....MzRizz

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars helpful aid in mother-daughter discussion group, February 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 100 Books for Girls to Grow On (Paperback)

We started our mother-daughter book discussion group 1 year ago and have found this recent publication to be extremely helpful. We pass the book amoung the members to aid in the next month's selection. The discussion questions are great and the activities help us get a start.