The Granny Diaries: An Insider's Guide for New Grandmothers (Hardcover)

by Adair Lara (Author), Patricia Storms (Illustrator) "I was in the labor and delivery room at Kaiser Foundation Hospital on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco..." (more)
Key Phrases: San Francisco

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This delightful guide gives new grandmas clear direction on how to navigate foreign territory. Celebrated columnist Adair Lara advises on how to choose a decent name (Oopsie? Boopsie?). She outlines how to give advice without getting a Dr. Sears guide chucked at the head. She offers wise counsel on how to stay on the parents' good side (hint: don't say anything, ever). Hilarious in its blunt truisms, The Granny Diaries steers around the shoals of grandma sentimentality. And yet, having fallen madly in love with her own grandchildren, Adair affirms that the years after the big G truly are golden.

About the Author
Adair Lara was an award-winning columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle for 12 years, and is the author of several books. She lives three blocks from her grandchildren in San Francisco.

Patricia Storms is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist in Toronto.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (December 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811857328
• ISBN-13: 978-0811857321
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #168,228 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #37 in	Books > Parenting & Families > Family Relationships > Grandparenting
  #97 in	Books > Parenting & Families > Humor

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for any grandparent, February 28, 2008

By	James Leigh "Grandpa" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

Adair Lara's new book, about bravely facing up to grandparenthood, would appeal to any reader who is curious about entering this new phase of life. How do you deal with the fact that your own child, whom you still think of as your little girl or boy, is about to become a parent?
Devoted readers of Adair's columns in the San Francisco Chronicle will expect her comments to be thoughtful, poignant and humorous, and they will not be disappointed. She writes with an intimate, personal style, an objective point of view, and a sense of humor that is subtle and bewitching. Don't be surprised if you read this book in one sitting, even if you are not a grandparent; in fact, it's a great read for anyone, of any age. If you don't know Adair Lara's writing, you are missing something priceless. - Grandpa in California

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss this! Think family saved from disfunction with humor!, February 19, 2008

By	bravo (san francisco, california United States) - See all my reviews

This little book has way more to offer than is represented by the illustrations. It looks really cute , but it is far more profound than that. Beneath the ever delirious humor the author is famous for in her column in the SF Chronicle are life lessons .This is an introduction to the minefield of current grand-parenting. It is told sensitively and through personal experience by a NEW AGE grandmother who hikes, rides bikes , wears jeans and has a career. This is an introduction to a new era and still touches thoughtfully on the miracle of a child with a new baby to love and how that child's parents learn to see their child as a grown up. Multiple sets of grandparents learn how they can fit into that new family. Adair doesn't miss a thing in this gem. It's required reading for moms, dads and grandparents. GREAT mother's day gift.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A new father's mother, August 22, 2008

By	Cam Jared (AL) - See all my reviews

The Granny Diaries is a great book with great advice for new grandparents. I couldn't put it down and finished it in one reading. However, when I got to the part about the "Other Grandmother" meaning the mother of the father of the new baby I was very disappointed in the way that grandparent was treated. If you are the new grandmother of a child born to a daughter then you will like this book from beginning to end but if you are the new grandmother of a child born to a son and you also happen to be a mother of only sons then you may be as hurt as I was when you realize that the author does not believe that you will ever be as important in the life of your grandchild as the mother of the child's mother. I cannot imagine anything more precious than seeing your sons become fathers. I have two sons and they have just had sons 5 days apart. I am a very proud grandmother and already love those two boys and can't wait to be part of their lives. This book is supposed to be funny and I realize that the author is being humorous about the "other grandmother" but should have been more sensitive to their feelings. If that chapter in the book had been a little more sensitive I would have given this book 5 stars.