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The Mother-Daughter Book Club #3
Dear Pen Pal
For the mother-daughter book club, everything changes in eighth grade.
Could the book club break up? When Jess is offered an anonymous scholarship to a prestigious boarding school, she's not sure that leaving home -- and her friends -- is what she wants to do. Meanwhile Megan's grandmother comes for a long visit and turns everything in the Wong household upside down; Emma crusades against her middle school's new uniforms; and Cassidy fi nds out there's a big change ahead for her family.
Inspired by Jess's unexpected opportunity, the book club decides to read Jean Webster's classic Daddy-Long-Legs , and there's an added twist this year when they become pen pals with the girls in a book club in Wyoming. There's plenty to write to their new friends about, from a prank-filled slumber party to a not-so-secret puppy -- and even a surprise fi rst kiss.
In this third book in the beloved Mother-Daughter Book Club series, the girls learn that as long as they have one another -- and a good book -- they're ready for whatever eighth grade has in store!
Could the book club break up? When Jess is offered an anonymous scholarship to a prestigious boarding school, she's not sure that leaving home -- and her friends -- is what she wants to do. Meanwhile Megan's grandmother comes for a long visit and turns everything in the Wong household upside down; Emma crusades against her middle school's new uniforms; and Cassidy fi nds out there's a big change ahead for her family.
Inspired by Jess's unexpected opportunity, the book club decides to read Jean Webster's classic Daddy-Long-Legs , and there's an added twist this year when they become pen pals with the girls in a book club in Wyoming. There's plenty to write to their new friends about, from a prank-filled slumber party to a not-so-secret puppy -- and even a surprise fi rst kiss.
In this third book in the beloved Mother-Daughter Book Club series, the girls learn that as long as they have one another -- and a good book -- they're ready for whatever eighth grade has in store!
416 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 390 reviews
April 29, 2019
i just love the mother daughter book club, ok? no further comment
January 26, 2020
I actually finished Dear Pen Pal, the third instalment of Heather Vogel Frederick's The Mother-Daughter Book Club series (and where the club is discussing Jean Webster and especially her novels Daddy Longlegs and its sequel Dear Enemy) a couple of years ago, and then promptly forgot to review it (perhaps because while definitely to a small extent enjoyable, the novel is also and once more rather too stereotypical in many ways, with especially Lily Wong again being presented as a very intensely one-dimensional stock and cardboard like eponymous vegan "activist" character, although I do have to admit that she does become just a trifle more developed, nuanced and human by the end of Dear Pen Pal). But I guess my main reading appreciation challenges with this particular story, with Dear Pen Pal and, to be fair, with the entire The Mother-Daughter Book Club series so far, are for all intents and purposes that the plot lines do seem to simply and mostly move and meander from one potential and often standardly overused issue of young adult, of school-time concern and disaster to another, always framed with and by classic and conventional bully and bullying worries. And yes indeed, even the main underlying thematics of Dear Pen Pal, the newly mandated school uniforms and the students' rejection of and their fight against this dress code is really almost laughably standard and thus massively run-of-the-mill for me (as it is a much too commonly used theme in school-based children's literature).
However, I would likely have considered a low three star (and not a one star) rating for Dear Pen Pal if the voices of the narrators had matured a bit from the first and second books (and they really have NOT and in fact, I almost think they are sounding LESS mature and LESS developed than especially in book two of the series where the club was reading and discussing L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series, and where particularly Megan and Cassidy were developing strong independent points of view), and more importantly, if the book club's sojourn in Wyoming had been a little less woefully and frustratingly massively predictable. For personally, I knew almost right at the beginning of the trail ride "chapter" that there would be a serious weather related issue endangering some of the riders and that Savannah (whose very presence in Wyoming also feels more than a bit contrived and artificial) would of course end up being the one rescuing Jess and the others, or rather that she would be the one person to take the rooster along to find the lost riders, as this is such a standard and ridiculously overused scenario in stories involving riding camps and the like to be groan worthy (not Savannah using Lefty the rooster to find the riders, bien sûr, but the entire scenario of the riders out in the storm and the one usually unheroic and under appreciated person showing his or her true colours and heroism by locating them, by figuring out how and where to find them).
Now my criticisms notwithstanding, I have actually mildly and to a certain level enjoyed much of Dear Pen Pal (and I do appreciate the added historical information on author Jean Webster and the fact that Heather Vogel Frederick has decided to include the fact that the latter died in childbirth). But I am just not really at all wowed by Dear Pen Pal in and of itself on a personal reading joy and even on an academic and logistic level (and because the multiple points of view and narration really do still feel not all that strongly conceptualised, not individual enough and the storylines themselves even with their attractive theme of a mother-daughter book club often tend to seem rather standardly and mundanely teen girls issue heavy, I kind of am not even all that keen continuing on with the series and am only actually still considering it because I happen to own the entire set and perfectionist I want to finish what I have started).
And finally, I guess what has been chafing more and more with regard to The Mother-Daughter Book Club series as a whole, as an entity (and is the real reason, why upon reflection, I am ranking Dear Pen Pal with one and not with two stars) is that ALL of the books chosen as club reads (and generally, usually by the mothers, the parents) have been standard girls' literature classics. And while I personally actually and totally love the titles selected so far (and would have equally adored them as a teenager, when I was the same age as Meghan, Cassidy, Emma and Jess), I cannot help but wonder why there has not been at least ONE novel chosen that would appeal to Cassidy and her love of and for sports (if she is supposed to read and appreciate standard and classic girls' reading fare, which she does, in fact, end up doing, there should also be somewhat of a compromise presented and at least one book chosen that has sports as a main theme, as that would be the fair and the just way to proceed). Sorry, but I just cannot help but think that especially Cassidy often and continuously appears to get shafted and ignored with regard to her personal wants and desires, and this sorry fact really is beginning to massively and totally infuriate me as the series progresses (for there really is no sense of compromise with regard to the book choices, and what the mothers collectively choose, is seemingly read, with not much if any debate allowed).
However, I would likely have considered a low three star (and not a one star) rating for Dear Pen Pal if the voices of the narrators had matured a bit from the first and second books (and they really have NOT and in fact, I almost think they are sounding LESS mature and LESS developed than especially in book two of the series where the club was reading and discussing L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series, and where particularly Megan and Cassidy were developing strong independent points of view), and more importantly, if the book club's sojourn in Wyoming had been a little less woefully and frustratingly massively predictable. For personally, I knew almost right at the beginning of the trail ride "chapter" that there would be a serious weather related issue endangering some of the riders and that Savannah (whose very presence in Wyoming also feels more than a bit contrived and artificial) would of course end up being the one rescuing Jess and the others, or rather that she would be the one person to take the rooster along to find the lost riders, as this is such a standard and ridiculously overused scenario in stories involving riding camps and the like to be groan worthy (not Savannah using Lefty the rooster to find the riders, bien sûr, but the entire scenario of the riders out in the storm and the one usually unheroic and under appreciated person showing his or her true colours and heroism by locating them, by figuring out how and where to find them).
Now my criticisms notwithstanding, I have actually mildly and to a certain level enjoyed much of Dear Pen Pal (and I do appreciate the added historical information on author Jean Webster and the fact that Heather Vogel Frederick has decided to include the fact that the latter died in childbirth). But I am just not really at all wowed by Dear Pen Pal in and of itself on a personal reading joy and even on an academic and logistic level (and because the multiple points of view and narration really do still feel not all that strongly conceptualised, not individual enough and the storylines themselves even with their attractive theme of a mother-daughter book club often tend to seem rather standardly and mundanely teen girls issue heavy, I kind of am not even all that keen continuing on with the series and am only actually still considering it because I happen to own the entire set and perfectionist I want to finish what I have started).
And finally, I guess what has been chafing more and more with regard to The Mother-Daughter Book Club series as a whole, as an entity (and is the real reason, why upon reflection, I am ranking Dear Pen Pal with one and not with two stars) is that ALL of the books chosen as club reads (and generally, usually by the mothers, the parents) have been standard girls' literature classics. And while I personally actually and totally love the titles selected so far (and would have equally adored them as a teenager, when I was the same age as Meghan, Cassidy, Emma and Jess), I cannot help but wonder why there has not been at least ONE novel chosen that would appeal to Cassidy and her love of and for sports (if she is supposed to read and appreciate standard and classic girls' reading fare, which she does, in fact, end up doing, there should also be somewhat of a compromise presented and at least one book chosen that has sports as a main theme, as that would be the fair and the just way to proceed). Sorry, but I just cannot help but think that especially Cassidy often and continuously appears to get shafted and ignored with regard to her personal wants and desires, and this sorry fact really is beginning to massively and totally infuriate me as the series progresses (for there really is no sense of compromise with regard to the book choices, and what the mothers collectively choose, is seemingly read, with not much if any debate allowed).
September 24, 2020
rating: 1.4
A mother-daughter book club. Pen Pals. Daddy Long Legs. An attractive book cover. This held promise. And then it disappointed. Big time.
Maybe it's because I started with the third book in the series. Maybe that's why I couldn't keep the girls straight. Jess goes to boarding school. And someone likes someone else's brother. And someone likes sports. And ... the characters just aren't very well-developed. And the mothers are identified using the last name so we're supposed to remember which girl goes with which mother. And then the pen pals ... there's another set of names. And add to that the names of kids from the public school and the boarding school and it overwhelms.
The plot is a series of incidents, many of them predictable or stereotypical. (E.g, Asian women are petite and excellent cooks. Vegan food is awful. School uniforms are ugly.) Too much emphasis on clothes. Detailed lists of food served. Lots of angst.
The writing is not at all sophisticated. Maybe that's intentional given that each chapter is from the POV of one of the girls. But a little more editing would have helped. E.g., this is the second-to-last sentence:
At least it's a beginning, anyway.
This is a series about a book club with a focus on a particular book. But honestly, all references to the book could be removed with minimal effect on the story. That was disappointing. I did like the biographical info about Jean Webster. E.g., Mark Twain was her great-uncle.
Would I have liked this as a tween? Maybe. But, I must admit that I quit after 140 pages, and I don't intend to read any other books in this series. (Not even volume 1.)
A mother-daughter book club. Pen Pals. Daddy Long Legs. An attractive book cover. This held promise. And then it disappointed. Big time.
Maybe it's because I started with the third book in the series. Maybe that's why I couldn't keep the girls straight. Jess goes to boarding school. And someone likes someone else's brother. And someone likes sports. And ... the characters just aren't very well-developed. And the mothers are identified using the last name so we're supposed to remember which girl goes with which mother. And then the pen pals ... there's another set of names. And add to that the names of kids from the public school and the boarding school and it overwhelms.
The plot is a series of incidents, many of them predictable or stereotypical. (E.g, Asian women are petite and excellent cooks. Vegan food is awful. School uniforms are ugly.) Too much emphasis on clothes. Detailed lists of food served. Lots of angst.
The writing is not at all sophisticated. Maybe that's intentional given that each chapter is from the POV of one of the girls. But a little more editing would have helped. E.g., this is the second-to-last sentence:
At least it's a beginning, anyway.
This is a series about a book club with a focus on a particular book. But honestly, all references to the book could be removed with minimal effect on the story. That was disappointing. I did like the biographical info about Jean Webster. E.g., Mark Twain was her great-uncle.
Would I have liked this as a tween? Maybe. But, I must admit that I quit after 140 pages, and I don't intend to read any other books in this series. (Not even volume 1.)
June 13, 2023
this book was so cute! i just got all of the rest of the books in the series! i’m so excited to read them all!
the only thing i didn’t love about this book was some of the characters… they were a bit annoying, but besides that it was fun!
the only thing i didn’t love about this book was some of the characters… they were a bit annoying, but besides that it was fun!
January 25, 2019
This is one of my favorite books in the series! (read it before!) I can't really tell anything about it because you have to read the first book.
March 9, 2011
REVIEW
It’s no secret that I loved the first book in The Mother Daughter Book Club series. You can read my review (with a perfect score to match) here. Now I will gush about how much I loved the next two books.
I enjoyed reading about Emma, Jess, Cassidy, and Megan during their seventh and eighth grade years at school. With the addition of stuck-up Becca, there is plenty of drama to go around.
Much Ado About Anne is based on the classic Anne of Green Gables. In this book, the girls are trying to save Jess’s family’s farm, Half Moon Farm. Emma grows in confidence, Jess worries about the farm, Cassidy struggles to accept her mom’s new boyfriend, and Megan designs new fashions while being pulled away by Becca. There is even a glamorous fashion show with beautiful outfits – hello Girlie Meter!
Dear Pen Pal is based on Daddy-Long-Legs. In this book, everything is a mess and everyone’s life seems to be in turmoil. I like how Frederick takes on real-life issues. The biggest change has to do with Jess, who is sent to off to a boarding school, and the girls realize just how strong their friendship is.
An additional cast of characters are introduced when the girls become pen pals with a book club in Wyoming. They have more in common than they ever expected.
What is in store for the book club next? I am reading Book 4, Pies and Prejudice, to find out!
RATING
5 Plot
5 Characters
5 Attention Grabbing
5 Girlie Meter
5 Ending
25 TOTAL
It’s no secret that I loved the first book in The Mother Daughter Book Club series. You can read my review (with a perfect score to match) here. Now I will gush about how much I loved the next two books.
I enjoyed reading about Emma, Jess, Cassidy, and Megan during their seventh and eighth grade years at school. With the addition of stuck-up Becca, there is plenty of drama to go around.
Much Ado About Anne is based on the classic Anne of Green Gables. In this book, the girls are trying to save Jess’s family’s farm, Half Moon Farm. Emma grows in confidence, Jess worries about the farm, Cassidy struggles to accept her mom’s new boyfriend, and Megan designs new fashions while being pulled away by Becca. There is even a glamorous fashion show with beautiful outfits – hello Girlie Meter!
Dear Pen Pal is based on Daddy-Long-Legs. In this book, everything is a mess and everyone’s life seems to be in turmoil. I like how Frederick takes on real-life issues. The biggest change has to do with Jess, who is sent to off to a boarding school, and the girls realize just how strong their friendship is.
An additional cast of characters are introduced when the girls become pen pals with a book club in Wyoming. They have more in common than they ever expected.
What is in store for the book club next? I am reading Book 4, Pies and Prejudice, to find out!
RATING
5 Plot
5 Characters
5 Attention Grabbing
5 Girlie Meter
5 Ending
25 TOTAL
December 25, 2011
Really enjoyed this installment - the personalities of each of the girls is emerging more (except for Becca, of course, but then we don't hear from her). I wasn't sure how much I would like this one because I haven't read any of Jean Webster's books, but I'm headed to the bookstore tomorrow in search of Daddy-Long-Legs which sounds wonderful (digression - oh, how I wish I had had a Miss Sparrow to point me toward good books. I only found Betsy's Wedding by accident and I completely missed Anne of Green Gables (only read as an adult), Jean Webster and others I know I would have adored.)
Perfect book for Christmas Eve and Day!
Perfect book for Christmas Eve and Day!
November 11, 2015
The Mother Daughter Book Club are back for the girl's 8th grade year and Jess is not going to be together with the girls at Walden Middle School as she has been accepted on Scholarship to go to Colonial Academy in Town which is a boarding school. Jess and the girls are upset about it, but at least they get to see each other on weekends. Plus when the book club in start a pen pal exchange with a book club in Wyoming from an idea they read from the book Daddy-Longlegs, the girls think it is okay. Will they all survive their year in the book club and will Jess survive her year at Colonial Academy when her room-mate is as mean as Becca Chadwick once had been? Read on and find out for yourself.
This is book 3 of the mother daughter book club and it was a pretty good read. Definitely look for this book and the rest of this series at your local library and wherever books are sold.
This is book 3 of the mother daughter book club and it was a pretty good read. Definitely look for this book and the rest of this series at your local library and wherever books are sold.
December 23, 2021
Soo cute!! I want a pen pal!
January 30, 2020
These books are just good wholesome fun!
February 5, 2018
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this installment in the series.
November 25, 2023
This book is amazing my favorite out of the first three
Jess is offered a anonymous scholarship to a academy. Megan’s grand mother comes for a visit from hong kong gets Megan’s parents upset. Emma
Work against school uniforms and Cassidy is find a big change in her family over all this is a fantastic book book with hardworking and new friendships 🙂
Jess is offered a anonymous scholarship to a academy. Megan’s grand mother comes for a visit from hong kong gets Megan’s parents upset. Emma
Work against school uniforms and Cassidy is find a big change in her family over all this is a fantastic book book with hardworking and new friendships 🙂
January 18, 2010
Dear Pen Pal is the 3rd installment of The Mother-Daughter Book Club series. A group of girls and their mother have formed a reading group to discuss books that they read throughout the year. In Dear Pen Pal the group is reading Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster. This year the mother’s have paired the girls up with another Mother-Daughter book club group. This group is in Wyoming. The mother’s from both groups decide that the girls should become Pen-Pals. When the mother’s say Pen-Pals they do not mean IM’ing, or texting or e-mailing Pen-Pals. They mean actually sitting down and writing a letter and mailing snail mail Pen-Pals. You must read the first two books to be able to follow the characters.
Meet the girls:
Becca: Becca is the newest member of the group. The girls still cannot decide if she is a friend or an enemy. So they call her a “frenemy”. Becca’s mom has decided that this is the year that she is going to “improve herself” all of her outlandish outfits make quite an embarrassing situation for Becca. Becca’s pen pal is Zoe Winchester. Zoe’s mom is the mayor of their town. Will Becca and Zoe hit it off or are they too much alike to ever be friends?
Cassidy: Cassidy is a girl-jock. she loves sports. She is the first girl to be on the all-boys ice hockey team. Cassidy’s dad has passed away and her mother has recently re-married. To add to Cassidy’s disgruntlement with the situation her mother and step-dad inform her and the group that they are going to have a baby. Cassidy is not happy. Cassidy is paired up as a pen-pal to Winky Parker. Winky’s family own a Dude Ranch. Cassidy is not getting along with all of the changes in her life. Will this new little one soften her heart?
Jess: Jess’s family own a farm. They work hard and there isn’t much money to spare. Jess loves her home and loves her friends. Jess is given a scholarship to Colonial Academy. A very prestigious boarding school for girls. Jess doesn’t want to leave her friends at Walden Middle School. In order to please her family she agrees to go. She is placed in a room with Savannah, a senator’s daughter. Savannah is a typical priviledged girl and the girls do not get along. Jess is paired up as a pen pal with Madison Daniels. Jess’s mother figured since Jess loves to sing and Madison loves to play the guitar that the girls should have music as a common interest. Jess likes Emma’s brother Darcy. When Savannah asks Darcy to go to a dance with her the little bit of friendship that Jess felt towards her evaporates. Will the girls ever learn how to get along?
Emma: Emma loves to write. Emma loves to read. Walden Middle School has decided to make students wear uniforms this year. Will Emma find that the “Pen is mightier than the sword” and be able to change the faculties mind about uniforms? Emma has a boyfriend, Stewart is Becca’s brother. Will Emma be the first club member to be kissed? Emma is paired up as a pen pal with Bailey Jacobs. Bailey’s mother owns a bookstore. The girls are sure to get along!
Megan: This year Megan’s grandmother moves in with her and her family. Megan seems to get along better with her grandmother than she does with her own mother. Megan’s mother doesn’t understand Megan’s interest in fashion. Megan doesn’t understand why she is an only child. Why does her mother have to be so different? Megan is paired up as a pen-pal with Summer Williams. Summer sews quilts and Megan sews clothes, it should be the perfect match right?
So far I have enjoyed all three books in the Mother-Daughter Book Club series. I am looking forward to the next installment. All 3 books deal with friendship issues and with social issues. These novels are so refreshing from the novels that deal with drugs and sex. I know that middle schoolers are dealing with those issues too, but there are also kids that aren’t dealing with those darker issues of life. BUT they still are having to deal with acceptance among their peers, family issues, and other growing up issues. Life isn’t all rose-colored glasses, and neither are these novels.
Meet the girls:
Becca: Becca is the newest member of the group. The girls still cannot decide if she is a friend or an enemy. So they call her a “frenemy”. Becca’s mom has decided that this is the year that she is going to “improve herself” all of her outlandish outfits make quite an embarrassing situation for Becca. Becca’s pen pal is Zoe Winchester. Zoe’s mom is the mayor of their town. Will Becca and Zoe hit it off or are they too much alike to ever be friends?
Cassidy: Cassidy is a girl-jock. she loves sports. She is the first girl to be on the all-boys ice hockey team. Cassidy’s dad has passed away and her mother has recently re-married. To add to Cassidy’s disgruntlement with the situation her mother and step-dad inform her and the group that they are going to have a baby. Cassidy is not happy. Cassidy is paired up as a pen-pal to Winky Parker. Winky’s family own a Dude Ranch. Cassidy is not getting along with all of the changes in her life. Will this new little one soften her heart?
Jess: Jess’s family own a farm. They work hard and there isn’t much money to spare. Jess loves her home and loves her friends. Jess is given a scholarship to Colonial Academy. A very prestigious boarding school for girls. Jess doesn’t want to leave her friends at Walden Middle School. In order to please her family she agrees to go. She is placed in a room with Savannah, a senator’s daughter. Savannah is a typical priviledged girl and the girls do not get along. Jess is paired up as a pen pal with Madison Daniels. Jess’s mother figured since Jess loves to sing and Madison loves to play the guitar that the girls should have music as a common interest. Jess likes Emma’s brother Darcy. When Savannah asks Darcy to go to a dance with her the little bit of friendship that Jess felt towards her evaporates. Will the girls ever learn how to get along?
Emma: Emma loves to write. Emma loves to read. Walden Middle School has decided to make students wear uniforms this year. Will Emma find that the “Pen is mightier than the sword” and be able to change the faculties mind about uniforms? Emma has a boyfriend, Stewart is Becca’s brother. Will Emma be the first club member to be kissed? Emma is paired up as a pen pal with Bailey Jacobs. Bailey’s mother owns a bookstore. The girls are sure to get along!
Megan: This year Megan’s grandmother moves in with her and her family. Megan seems to get along better with her grandmother than she does with her own mother. Megan’s mother doesn’t understand Megan’s interest in fashion. Megan doesn’t understand why she is an only child. Why does her mother have to be so different? Megan is paired up as a pen-pal with Summer Williams. Summer sews quilts and Megan sews clothes, it should be the perfect match right?
So far I have enjoyed all three books in the Mother-Daughter Book Club series. I am looking forward to the next installment. All 3 books deal with friendship issues and with social issues. These novels are so refreshing from the novels that deal with drugs and sex. I know that middle schoolers are dealing with those issues too, but there are also kids that aren’t dealing with those darker issues of life. BUT they still are having to deal with acceptance among their peers, family issues, and other growing up issues. Life isn’t all rose-colored glasses, and neither are these novels.
November 8, 2024
the childhood nostalgia is strong in this one
January 11, 2012
I am starting to get used to the contemporary setting and often improbable situations of this series, and despite all of the criticism listed below, I find these books to be quite a lot of fun to read (though decidedly imperfect).
This book continues with many of the points that especially frustrate me. Specifically, the way Mrs. Wong and Mrs. Chadwick are portrayed. I really hope the author phases out all the health jokes regarding Mrs. Wong. By the third book I was hoping that would ease up a little. But it doesn't.
It also strikes me as a little repulsive that one of the main characters basically has a boyfriend…in middle school. I just think that's a bad idea all around. The relationship is pretty innocent thus far, but still.
These definitely aren't the most realistic of books. For example, every single girl just loves all the books they read. I think it would be interesting if at least one character really didn't get into Jean Webster's book. The author also steers clear of any mention of the abundant problems with Dear Enemy.
Like the previous books, I found the conclusion to be a little over-neat and saccharine. But I'm not sure if I would like it any other way. Despite the fact that I think just about every single character has significantly annoyed me at some point, I am starting to enjoy this series more.
This book continues with many of the points that especially frustrate me. Specifically, the way Mrs. Wong and Mrs. Chadwick are portrayed. I really hope the author phases out all the health jokes regarding Mrs. Wong. By the third book I was hoping that would ease up a little. But it doesn't.
It also strikes me as a little repulsive that one of the main characters basically has a boyfriend…in middle school. I just think that's a bad idea all around. The relationship is pretty innocent thus far, but still.
These definitely aren't the most realistic of books. For example, every single girl just loves all the books they read. I think it would be interesting if at least one character really didn't get into Jean Webster's book. The author also steers clear of any mention of the abundant problems with Dear Enemy.
Like the previous books, I found the conclusion to be a little over-neat and saccharine. But I'm not sure if I would like it any other way. Despite the fact that I think just about every single character has significantly annoyed me at some point, I am starting to enjoy this series more.
January 7, 2010
Emma, Jess, Megan and Cassidy are back for another year of reading in their mother-daughter book club in Heather Vogel Frederick’s new book, Dear Pen Pal. Cracking this third book in the mother-daughter book club series is like reconnecting with old friends. The girls are in eighth grade this year, and they’ve learned a lot about friendship and family relationships.
In their ever-evolving lives, as it is with most of us, just when they figure out how to handle one challenge, another pops up. This time the challenges include dealing with a mean-spirited boarding school roommate, changing family dynamics when new family members move in and others move out, and navigating relationships with boys.
The girls are reading Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster, and Frederick once again seamlessly weaves in storylines that somewhat match those of Webster’s classic. The girls and moms learn fun facts about Jean Webster as they gather for book club discussions. The book club members also connect with a pen pal club in Gopher Hole, Wyoming, and it’s fun to read little snippets about the lives of these new girls and their moms through their letters.
I can’t wait to see what the whole gang will be up to in the fourth book of the series when the girls start high school. I highly recommend this whole series for members of mother-daughter book clubs with girls who are 9 to 13.
In their ever-evolving lives, as it is with most of us, just when they figure out how to handle one challenge, another pops up. This time the challenges include dealing with a mean-spirited boarding school roommate, changing family dynamics when new family members move in and others move out, and navigating relationships with boys.
The girls are reading Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster, and Frederick once again seamlessly weaves in storylines that somewhat match those of Webster’s classic. The girls and moms learn fun facts about Jean Webster as they gather for book club discussions. The book club members also connect with a pen pal club in Gopher Hole, Wyoming, and it’s fun to read little snippets about the lives of these new girls and their moms through their letters.
I can’t wait to see what the whole gang will be up to in the fourth book of the series when the girls start high school. I highly recommend this whole series for members of mother-daughter book clubs with girls who are 9 to 13.
September 29, 2015
The book, "Dear Pen Pal" wasn't bad, but I didn't think it was really good either. In my opinion, I didn't think the plot was that original and I found that everything that happened was predictable. In all fairness though, I usually go for a book with lots of twists. Also, I found that a lot of details were skipped over. The author would just jump from week to month and then explained what happened in that period of time in just one sentence. For example, one of the characters in the book gets really mad and yells at another character and in the next chapter, the author just said that they resolved the problem but didn't explain how. I would have liked to see dialogue between them or just anything that gives be a better understanding. This wasn't the only time this type of thing happened, the author does this multiple times in the book. On the other hand, I did like that the author wrote chapters on different perspectives of characters in the story. It really gave me a better idea about what's happening in each of the characters lives and gives you an incite about the motives and thoughts of each main character. Overall, I wouldn't recommend you to read, "Dear Pen Pal," but I wouldn't say I hated the book either.
April 12, 2019
Well I’m officially emotionally invested in these people ... and now I love the Gopher Hole Gang too!!
How is Gigi not the greatest grandmother on earth?! Love her spunk and humor and charm and love for her family.
“A good cup of tea never hurts and usually helps is her motto.” Could not agree more! 😉
I love how Savannah became part of this group and was mature enough to know she was wrong and apologize to Jess.
Mrs Bergson is fun and love how she took Pip in.
“Change is the nature of life, Cassidy. Some of it’s good, like new babies being born and children growing up and leaving home and all the new adventures that both of those things bring. And sometimes change is more difficult - like when your dad died. But it’s nothing to fear. Good or bad, when we rise up to meet it, change can make us stronger. It’s what moves us farther along down the road ahead.”
Just a great third installment to this series. And I love their look into Daddy Long Legs and Jean Webster ... after reading the book “with them” I really enjoy their thoughts and the “fun (or not so fun) facts” about the author.
How is Gigi not the greatest grandmother on earth?! Love her spunk and humor and charm and love for her family.
“A good cup of tea never hurts and usually helps is her motto.” Could not agree more! 😉
I love how Savannah became part of this group and was mature enough to know she was wrong and apologize to Jess.
Mrs Bergson is fun and love how she took Pip in.
“Change is the nature of life, Cassidy. Some of it’s good, like new babies being born and children growing up and leaving home and all the new adventures that both of those things bring. And sometimes change is more difficult - like when your dad died. But it’s nothing to fear. Good or bad, when we rise up to meet it, change can make us stronger. It’s what moves us farther along down the road ahead.”
Just a great third installment to this series. And I love their look into Daddy Long Legs and Jean Webster ... after reading the book “with them” I really enjoy their thoughts and the “fun (or not so fun) facts” about the author.
March 4, 2011
You all knew this would be my choice didn't you??? I save these books to savor slowly instead of gulping down all at once. Sooooo good!!
I just finished MDBC #3 and loved it as much as I have the other 2. I wanted to go slowly, but instead I devoured it in practically one sitting. My only caveat is that, like Gigi, I like the movie 'Daddy Long-Legs" because I love Fred Astaire in all his musicals (even Finian's Rainbow which is probably the weakest of them all), and it never bothers me that he's so much older than Leslie Caron, or that they changed the orphan to be French, or any of the other reason people give for not liking the movie. Of course, I watched the movie long before I read the book which does make a difference. Now I've pulled the book "Daddy Long-Legs" off my bookshelf to re-read.
I just finished MDBC #3 and loved it as much as I have the other 2. I wanted to go slowly, but instead I devoured it in practically one sitting. My only caveat is that, like Gigi, I like the movie 'Daddy Long-Legs" because I love Fred Astaire in all his musicals (even Finian's Rainbow which is probably the weakest of them all), and it never bothers me that he's so much older than Leslie Caron, or that they changed the orphan to be French, or any of the other reason people give for not liking the movie. Of course, I watched the movie long before I read the book which does make a difference. Now I've pulled the book "Daddy Long-Legs" off my bookshelf to re-read.
October 9, 2011
Let's get this out of the way first: I don't like Jean Webster's books. The only one I've read in recent memory was DADDY-LONG-LEGS, and it didn't work for me. The fact that the girls all loved it, then, didn't exactly ring true, though I was not bothered by the girls being unanimous in their enjoyment of LITTLE WOMEN or ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.
I had a hard time keeping the voices straight in this one, and I couldn't tell one pen pal from the other, even after the real-life pen pals came on stage.
The situations seemed real enough, what with lots of conflict and even more drama. One roots for these girls to find their way. And the grandmothers, both "real" and adopted, are my favorite characters by a mile.
I had a hard time keeping the voices straight in this one, and I couldn't tell one pen pal from the other, even after the real-life pen pals came on stage.
The situations seemed real enough, what with lots of conflict and even more drama. One roots for these girls to find their way. And the grandmothers, both "real" and adopted, are my favorite characters by a mile.
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December 26, 2015Book #147 Read in 2015
Dear Pen Pal by Heather Vogel Frederick
I wish this series was around when I was in middle school and my mother was still alive; I think we would have enjoyed reading these books together. This is the third book in the series. A group of girls are friends and members of a mother/daughter book club. Each book focuses on a different group member but the chapters are told in alternating narration of all the girls. In this book, Cassidy's mother is having a baby, Megan's mother and grandmother are still fighting, Jess heads to a private school etc. These books focus on real issues faced by middle schoolers with the books that the book club is reading as a parallel story/backdrop. I enjoy these books.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
Dear Pen Pal by Heather Vogel Frederick
I wish this series was around when I was in middle school and my mother was still alive; I think we would have enjoyed reading these books together. This is the third book in the series. A group of girls are friends and members of a mother/daughter book club. Each book focuses on a different group member but the chapters are told in alternating narration of all the girls. In this book, Cassidy's mother is having a baby, Megan's mother and grandmother are still fighting, Jess heads to a private school etc. These books focus on real issues faced by middle schoolers with the books that the book club is reading as a parallel story/backdrop. I enjoy these books.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
January 18, 2010
The writing style pulls you in and keeps a firm grip, though the plot is slightly insipid.
July 19, 2013
Awful! I couldn't finish it.
July 9, 2020
Love this series -- so fun to read!!
September 22, 2018
Still loving this reread! The characters are getting older so the story is a bit more YA, which makes the plot a little more enjoyable!
May 22, 2017
I really enjoyed the first book in this series. I felt like the second one was a bit of a let down, written quickly and a bit sloppily. But this book completely made up for he second one!!! I had ordered books #2,3,and 4 off amazon and after reading Much Ado About Anne, I definitely wasn't looking forward to Dear Pen Pal, especially considering it had 406 pages. But as soon as I picked it up and started reading it, I couldn't put it down!! I definitely recommend this book, especially to all my friends :)
August 15, 2023
Dear Pen Pal is a cute coming-of-age tale with many of the typical growing pains that occur. Jess, Megan, Cassidy, and Emma (along with their mothers and assorted others) are members of the Mother-Daughter Book Club. Eighth grade comes with new challenges and a new frenemy for Jess. All of the girls face major life changes over the course of the book.
A cast of characters would have been very helpful - I kept forgetting each girl's family members and their details (especially for someone like me who hadn't read the first two books of the series: Mother-Daughter Book Club or Much Ado About Anne).
A cast of characters would have been very helpful - I kept forgetting each girl's family members and their details (especially for someone like me who hadn't read the first two books of the series: Mother-Daughter Book Club or Much Ado About Anne).
June 14, 2020
I loved this book so much! It is now officially on my favorites shelf, and has a 5 star rating! I listened to this book as an audiobook, and was holed up in my room for hours at a time because I couldn't stop listening to it!
I am super excited to read the next book, and would totally recommend!
I am super excited to read the next book, and would totally recommend!
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December 29, 2020Woah. A LOT happened in this one. Some transitions felt really abrupt, but we're not here to nitpick. The class trips and family matters (especially in the Wong and Sloane-Kinkaid households) were my favorite parts to read. So far, I think the series is getting better with each book!
September 8, 2017
3.5 stars
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