School
Third-grader Ellen finds camaraderie with the new girl in town. Ellen and Austine have adventures around town and in school while developing their friendship and meeting the challenges of this age.
A misunderstanding threatens their friendship, and for some time the girls do not speak. This is realistically portrayed and serves as a good discussion point for how to handle these common but hurtful squabbles.
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This is an awesome book that addresses an unfortunate event that most girls will experience in one way or another: verbal bullying. Peggy and Maddie fall into mistreating a girl in school and continue the pattern. The story is presented simply and realistically (and enhanced by lovely illustrations), making this topic approachable for a range of ages.
This story examines verbal bullying, fear of speaking against it, guilt over participating on any level, and having the courage to do the right, if not easy, thing. It is useful for analyzing the behaviors of others in hopes of giving our daughters the tools to avoid these situations themselves.
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Self-conscious, 13-year-old Marcy deals with a poor self-image, a tyrannical father, and an enabling mother. Her life begins to change with the arrival of a new English teacher, Ms. Finney, who challenges her ideas about everything. When Ms. Finney is suspended, Marcy finds herself in a new position at school and at home in which she can no longer sink into the shadows.
One thing I like about this book is how Marcy learns about having the courage to stand up for what you believe in. Her process of acquiring this knowledge is quite overt, and conversations about it are blunt, which makes it easy to see. You can dig the groovy 70’s lingo, too.
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Margaret moves with her family from NYC to New Jersey, in part, she suspects, to separate her from her grandmother’s influence. The story focuses on Margaret anticipating puberty and her struggles with trying to choose a religion since she has been raised as “nothing.”
Both Margaret’s sixth grade year and her girls’ club focus on eagerness to grow up and make grown-up decisions. As I read this book, it made me think how important it is to give our kids the tools to make good decisions before they need to make them. In the story, Margaret feels pressure to identify the right religion, learns not to make assumptions about people, and feels pressure to leave childhood.
Click for Discussion Questions![Image of "B" Is for Betsy](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CHCaVHWsL._SL75_.jpg ""B" Is for Betsy")
In one of Beverly Cleary’s books, Ramona references a Betsy book. So I went looking and I think this is the series she meant. B is for Betsy is an old fashioned book originally published in 1939. It is a sweet, delightful, idyllic tale of a little girl’s first school experience.
This story centers around Betsy, aged around 5 or 6, who is in first grade. The delight of new experiences, like the children watching tadpoles become frogs and doing classroom projects, forms the majority of the book. We also meet Betsy’s friend Ellen, who clearly does not have as many things as Betsy but who does have other things that Betsy does not, which evens out their status.
The story is presented in a way that presumes life at this age is simple, innocent, and black and white.
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