Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Navigating the Waters - Middle Grade Books on Friendships and the Mystery of Boys


Imagine this scenario-a grade school recess and sixth grade girls who inhabit a particular spot that has been their traditional hangout, where they act out plays they write, have drawing contests, or just sit and talk. Enter sixth grade boys, who for reasons unknown have decided they now want the spot. What do the girls do? Their first strategy is to try to talk about boring things to drive the boys away. Some of these girls have been caught up in the urban farming trend that has hit the city, raising chickens, so they are wildly interested in all things poultry. Lots of chicken talk ensues about the cuteness of baby chicks and what to name them. Boys respond by telling disgusting stories about chickens and ways they can die. The situation devolves until leaf and mulch throwing at each other draws teachers. All are sent inside.

These kids are only months away from 7th grade and new schools, and there is a lot to learn about how to get along in that new world. This is an actual scenario that happened yesterday at my daughter’s school. (My) Nook is now filled with middle grade books about boys and friendships, because that’s what my daughter wants to read. She has picked them herself based on recommendations from her friends, because I am the clueless mom when it comes to these sorts of books. None of them deal with any of the serious issues Michael G-G talked about in his last post on Project Mayhem, but there’s a need for these lighter books as well, especially for those kids whose geeky parents *cough* are little help in giving advice on navigating a tween social scene.

BOYS ARE DOGS (Annabelle Unleashed series) by Leslie Margolis

Sixth grader Annabelle has moved from an all-girls Catholic school to a public middle school where the boys run through the halls like wild animals. It’s all bewildering and overwhelming to her, and she dreads going to school. She also has a new puppy, and in reading the book on training it, she decides that just maybe boys can be trained with the same techniques.

Now I know some of our male readers may be insulted by this premise, but the second book in the series is titled GIRLS ACTING CATTY, so females don’t escape completely. I remember an old 1960s movie based on the idea of dog training and romance, but I can’t remember the title. If anyone else does, please leave it in the comments. There is also a third book coming out in May in the Annabelle series, EVERYBODY BUGS OUT, and I'm sure it will appear on my ereader the day it does.

THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB series by Heather Vogel Frederick.

Four sixth grade girls with very different personalities become friends after their mothers form a book club to read classic books. LITTLE WOMEN is the choice in the first book, and details about it and Louisa May Alcott’s life are woven in to the story. There are five books in the series so far, and in each, the book club is the backdrop for the stories about the girls and their families, and their lives at school. These books remind me a little of some of the old English village life stories, like those by Miss Read, and could be the kid version of AND THE LADIES OF THE CLUB by Helen Hooven Santmyer.

If anyone has recommendations for other books like these, please let me know. And here’s a question-Did you read these sorts of books when you were that age? Did you learn anything about boys (or girls) from those books?

~ Dee Garretson

15 comments:

  1. Oy! I have a daughter in 4th grade with a crush on a cute blond skateboarder. I have no doubt these books will be showing up on our shelves all too soon. And actually, that first title is awesome. Especially since my daughter has a puppy...:P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The book is cute because there are excerpts from the puppy training book added in. :)

      Delete
    2. Boys will always respond to Pavlovian training--it's what makes the world go around. And those rules are hard to learn. Difficult to write about too. I'm currently blogging in character as a 7th grader--it's fun.

      Delete
  2. From your title, it looks like you're looking for books on friendship among boys. Or do you mean between boys and girls? The second book looks like it's just about friendship among girls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment, Jacqueline. I cahnged the title to more accurately reflect the post.

      Delete
  3. Great post! I need to try to read more GIRL MG lit. I have the Mother/Daughter Book Club but haven't read it yet.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Even having once (long ago) been a boy, I can confirm: they are a mystery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Matt, I take it that "they" means girls? If so, I concur. (Great post, Dee--The Mother-Daughter Book Club is by a Portland author, and they are great books. Also, I totally agree that there is room for light in MG; sorry I got oh-so-serious in my previous post.)

      Delete
    2. Good thing there is mystery, no matter which "they" we are talking about. And Michael, don't apologize! We should talk about all kinds of books.

      Delete
    3. For the record, I meant little boys are a mystery, but you're right, Mike, so are little girls!

      Delete
  5. I love how this post starts, too. The girls try to chase them away by boring them about chickens, and the boys retaliate with tales from the slaughterhous!!? I am so going to use that in my next MG novel!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've been wanting to read the Mother-Daughter Book Club ones - love how they include some of my favorite novels!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Boys are Dogs series sounds really interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I really love this post, Dee. I think a lot of series can grow an initially awkward MC say, for example, Percy Jackson, but I love these series that really tackle the awkward feelings themselves. I agree with Paul about the Boys are Dogs series. I'll have to check that out!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I don't remember reading books, or looking for books, when I was a kid to help me navigate the difficult path of growing up. But I can see where it is a good thing to have books like that out there. Good post, Dee.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for adding to the mayhem!