Hi everyone! I’ve been soaking up the 2018 Olympics this week; I love the Olympics (summer or winter) so much! This week I’m loving all the incredible stories and cheering for Team USA!

Today I’m here with a review of the second book in the darling Mother Daughter Book Club series by Heather Vogel Frederick–Much Ado About Anne. This is as fun a read as the first book in the series. I’m reading about one of these books a month to balance out some of my heavier reading. Plus, I just enjoy the stories and lightness of the series.

Initial Thoughts:

• This was another quick read for me. I finished it in about 24 hours. Very easy to get invested in the story and an easy book to finish quickly.
• It was fun to read about the mother daughter book club reading Anne of Green Gables as I just read the full series last year for #AnneReadAlong2017. I loved all the references to that classic novel.

In Much Ado About Anne by Heather Vogel Frederick, the mother daughter book club is back with a few new faces in their group–Becca Chadwick and her mother. Goodreads summarizes, “This year the mothers have a big surprise in store for Emma, Jess, Cassidy, and Megan: They’ve invited snooty Becca Chadwick and her mother to join the book club! But there are bigger problems when Jess finds out that her family may have to give up Half Moon Farm. In a year filled with skating parties, a disastrous mother-daughter camping trip, and a high-stakes fashion show, the girls realize that it’s only through working together — Becca included — that they can save Half Moon Farm.”

The characters continue to be fun to read about as they grow and change in this book. They aren’t perfect and make plenty of mistakes. But they are trying to be better and I like that. I enjoyed Emma for her book loving ways and her blooming interest in Stuart. I loved Jess’s deep love for her home and determination to save it. I laughed at Cassidy most of the time–and rolled my eyes at her intensity and determination to see the worst in others at other points. I appreciated the realistic aspects of Megan’s character, her confusion about her friends and her anxiety about the fashion show. And the addition of Becca into the book club is a fun twist. She can be nasty and rude, but also hard working and fun.

The plot was quick paced and easy to get invested in. Like many middle grade fiction novels, this one (and the other in the series that I’ve read) are plot driven. That makes them easy to read quickly. I don’t want to give away too many plot twists here. But I will share a few thoughts. I liked the way the crisis at Half Moon Farm brought the girls together to work to save it. I also enjoyed the book club discussions in this book. Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite novels period (you’ve heard plenty about it if you’ve been here on my blog in the last year or so!). Because of my deep love for Anne and her story, hearing the book club discuss this book inspired me to hold a similar book club with my kids when they get older. How fun would that be?!

I continue to appreciate the positive messages that these books forward including the importance of good friends, working hard to achieve your dreams, and being willing to accept positive change in your life. Middle school is a tough time for anyone. I love the way these novels show the importance of good friends–friends who support you and push you to be your best self. All the girls have to grapple with the possibility of things not going how they want them to. And they each accept or reject those changes in different ways. I appreciate that the end of this book isn’t quite as idealized as the end of the first one. Not everyone gets what they want. But that is more realistic which I liked.

Overall, a fun, light novel that is a great way to break up some of my heavier reads lately. This is a series that’s very feel good. It’s not a stand out novel for me. I don’t finish it thinking “that’s the best book I’ve ever read” or even “that’s the best book I’ve read this month.” But I do finish these novels feeling positive and thinking “that was a good book.” I appreciate that there is a positive series out there that teaches young girls good values and celebrates the importance of books. I will definitely be continuing the series!

What are some of your favorite middle grade fiction novels?
What books would you read in a mother daughter book club?