I don’t know what I like better — The Daring Book for Girls or the fact that it’s written by two women I greatly admire, Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz.
Written as a sequel, of sorts, to last year’s The Dangerous Book for Boys, The Daring Book for Girls is a compendium of activities and information to help today’s girls rediscover that there are ways to have fun besides shopping at the mall, watching Hannah Montana or IM’ing their friends.
As the mother of a seven-year-old daughter, I was thrilled when I learned that the founders of MotherTalk would be writing this book and couldn’t wait to see what it would have in store.
When it arrived, PunditGirl and I were both very excited because it’s just got so much STUFF! Where to begin? There was so much to take in after I was done ooh-ing and aah-ing over the beautiful teal cover with the sparkly silver letters (yes, that did appeal to the “girl” in me!)
How to make a lemon-powered clock (really!)? Reading the chapters on women who were pirates and spies (even a female Chinese pirate for PunditGirl)? How to make a tree swing or check out the list of books “that will change your life?”
Aimed at the “tween” girl market, it is perfect for that age group, billing itself as the book “for every girl with an independent spirit and a nose for trouble.”
If you’re the parent of a daughter who could use a little nudging to take off the headphones and get a little fresh air, then this book is just what the doctor (or Santa) ordered. There are so many great craft ideas and topics to spark the imagination of a girl it’s hard to know where to start.
Since the book’s release, some commenters have questioned whether this type of book can really have an impact on the way our daughters are socialized today — can we really hope that a book that is an homage to our childhoods in the 1970s will be the tonic that will drag our girls out from behind the laptops and forsake the sassy outfits?
Can it really get our girls away from the world of Libby Lu parties, Bratz Dolls, and questionable Halloween outfits?
Is it too much to take the feminist optimism we had as girls of the MS. generation and help our daughters discover that they can do “boy” things, too? I think it’s imperative. At seven, PunditGirl is already succumbing to the phenomenon of boys having too much sway on her budding self-esteem. If a few of the activities in this book can help boost her already waning self-confidence, then I’m going to go for it.
Perhaps it is too much to expect that one book can start a new feminist wave for our daughters of the 21st Century. But if we don’t start somewhere, who will?
As a parent, I can’t be responsible for reclaiming the girlhoods of all the “tweens” in America by making them turn off the Disney Channel and sit down to make a quill pen or learn about Queens of the Ancient World. But I can start with one excited second-grader and I’m planning on doing just that.
What I can do is take one PunditGirl, who is chomping at the bit to dig into the activities in The Daring Book for Girls, and help her discover things she never thought she could do. And I can make sure other moms know about it, too.
Also, make sure to check out all the other reviews this month and next month at MotherTalk on The Daring Book for Girls!
November 9th, 2007 at 10:10 am
Thanks for the review, PM. I’ve been looking for a book for my tween nieces for Christmas. I think I’ve found it!
November 9th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Thanks for the review! I trust your opinion so am now interested in getting this book. I’m leery of these books, of gimmicks, big words, little matter…that sort of thing. But if it is worthy, we will get it. I try to keep us above that “throw like a girl” water.
Julie
Using My Words
November 12th, 2007 at 12:33 am
I finally got to flip the one for boys this weekend – I like it. I think I could get a kick out the one for girls too – for myself
November 12th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
I think that putting that much pressure on one book is wrong. I do think that having a book so chock full of activities just might help girls and their parents take a few hours to discover a new skill. And really, even if they still do LibbyLu *gag* and all that other stuff, maybe the time spent figuring out a family code will allow that young woman to trust her parents when issues arise.