Mostly Because I Miss Those Days

                I was volunteering at the library the other night and was given the assignment to find some missing books.  As I was searching the shelves I came across Heather Vogel Fredrick’s book – Pies & Prejudice from The Mother Daughter Book Club series. I grabbed it for the series title.  One of the books that Jaime and I had read at the library mother daughter book club was Pie by Sara Weeks (here). I did not see it as a play on words from the title “Pride and Prejudice” until later nor a book series.  Nor do I understand why something in the Juvenile section would have such a tiny font.  I have seen bigger fonts in the young adult.  So for the most part I have been reading with a magnifying glass.  That is getting tiresome.  Thus I may not finish.

            I was also reminded of the Beehive Award when reading that this particular book is an Oregon award finalist.  Jaime also loved reading and voting on Beehive books. The characters in this book are older than Jaime and targeted youth of the book club as the reading material suggestion was made for ages 8 to 12.  Jaime and I both LOVED the book club.  For me it was an opportunity to read together and explore the pages in a creative way.  Though I’m sure she enjoyed reading with me she also enjoyed getting together with girls near her age and engaging in some kind of craft.  It was fun and meaningful all at the same time.

            The characters in the book have just started high school – I’m guessing their freshman year.  But nowadays it’s hard to know what age starts at which school as the age groups are different across the nation.  I had gone to sixth grade my last year at the elementary school where I had started kindergarten.  My mom had gone to a school that went from 1^st to 6^th grade and completed her 7^th and 8^th at a school that went from first to 8^th. I was in my last year of junior high as a ninth grader and hadn’t been referred to as a freshman.  Jaime started 6^th grade at Middle School – the equivalent of my junior high and completed four years of high school as freshman to senior.

            The book club takes place not in the library but in each of their homes.  Thus far I have only been introduced to three characters – each telling a chapter in first person.  I do like that.  Thus far I haven’t relived any of the nostalgia I had with Jaime.  I don’t really expect to but did think it would be fun to try.  Mother Daughter high schoolers . . . I guess it's possible.  

            If I don’t finish the book it will be because of the font size more than anything.  But I may take up reading books that are targeted to the 8-12 year old to act as a guide for the librarian who would like to start some kind of book club here.  I’d like to see that event unfold.  I don’t know if it will though.  Happy to see that it is still a part some libraries across the nation.