Wild Girls Mother-Daughter Book Club
Since 2008 I have run a monthly book club for girls 9-12 and their moms at indie bookstore Books Inc. in San Francisco's Laurel Village. Here is a year's worth of our most recent picks. Why not listen in?
Hello, Universe
By Erin Entrada Kelly
Narrated by Ramon de Ocampo & Amielynn Abellera / 5 hours 17 minutes
Winner of the Newbery Medal
"A charming, intriguingly plotted novel." —Washington Post
Acclaimed and award-winning author Erin Entrada Kelly's Hello, Universe is a funny and poignant neighborhood story about unexpected friendships.
Told from four intertwining points of view—two boys and two girls—the novel celebrates bravery, being different, and... Read More »
Orphan Island
By Laurel Snyder
Narrated by Kim Mai Guest / 7 hours 46 minutes
A National Book Award Longlist title!
"A wondrous book, wise and wild and deeply true." —Kelly Barnhill, Newbery Medal-winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon
"This is one of those books that haunts you long after you read it. Thought-provoking and magical." —Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series
In the tradition of modern-day... Read More »
The Science of Breakable Things
By Tae Keller
Narrated by Jennifer Kim / 5 hours 12 minutes
Natalie's uplifting story of using the scientific process to "save" her mother from depression is what Booklist calls "a winning story full of heart and action."
Eggs are breakable. Hope is not.
When Natalie's science teacher suggests that she enter an egg drop competition, Natalie thinks that this might be the perfect solution to all of her... Read More »
Out of Left Field
The Gordon Family Saga: Book #3
By Ellen Klages
Narrated by Julie Dretzin / 7 hours 29 minutes
A story about the fight for equal rights in America's favorite arena: the baseball field!
Ten-year-old Katy Gordon loves baseball, and she's good at it, too. She tries out for the 1958 Little League season in the disguise of a boy, and she gets in easily. But when the coach finds out she's a girl, he forbids her from playing. "Since the beginning... Read More »
Amal Unbound
By Aisha Saeed
Narrated by Priya Ayyar / 4 hours 36 minutes
"Saeed's timely and stirring middle-grade debut is a celebration of resistance and justice."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
The compelling story of a girl's fight to regain her life and dreams after being forced into indentured servitude.
Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal's Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she's busy... Read More »
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
Nevermoor: Book #1
By Jessica Townsend
Narrated by Gemma Whelan / 11 hours
#1 in Bestselling Children's Audiobooks
"From the moment the clock strikes midnight on her eleventh birthday, Morrigan Crow's life is forfeit. Born on Eventide, the most unlucky day of the year, she's lived her short life as a cursed child — neglected and blamed for every misfortune of those around her. But when eccentric benefactor Jupiter North whisks her away from certain doom and brings her to the mysterious and magical city of Nevermoor, she gets a second chance at life. The safety of the Wundrous Society awaits her, but first she has to earn her place in a series of trials — ones that will test the limits of her bravery, wit, and compassion. Jessica Townsend has created an enchanting world with a delightfully feisty protagonist, and Gemma Whelan's narration brings the characters to life, packing even more personality into a cast that's already bursting at the seams with charm. Step boldly into the world of Nevermoor, you won't regret it."
Darcy, Mysterious Galaxy Books
The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary
By Laura Shovan
Narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross, Kevin R. Free, Jessica Almasy, Jill Frutkin, Cherise Boothe, Rachel Botchan, Stina Nielsen & Ramon De Ocampo / 3 hours 14 minutes
Eighteen kids, one year of poems, one school set to close. Two yellow bulldozers crouched outside, ready to eat the building in one greedy gulp. But look out, bulldozers. Ms. Hill's fifth-grade class has plans for you. They're going to speak up and work together to save their school. Laura Shovan's engaging novel is a time capsule of one class's... Read More »
Unicorn Power!
Lumberjanes: Book #1
By Mariko Tamaki
Narrated by Amanda Leigh Cobb / 4 hours 15 minutes
Based on the bestselling, cult-favorite graphic novels, this series of middle-grade novels follows the five campers on totally new, action-packed adventures Welcome to Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types. The five scouts of Roanoke cabin-Jo, April, Molly, Mal, and Ripley-love their summers at camp.... Read More »
By Hena Khan
Narrated by Soneela Nankani / 4 hours 20 minutes
"Amina's anxieties are entirely relatable, but it's her sweet-hearted nature that makes her such a winning protagonist." -Entertainment Weekly A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family's vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school after tragedy strikes her community in this sweet and moving middle grade... Read More »
Cloud and Wallfish
By Anne Nesbet
Narrated by Will Ropp / 7 hours 54 minutes
Slip behind the Iron Curtain into a world of smoke, secrets, and lies in this stunning novel where someone is always listening and nothing is as it seems.
Noah Keller has a pretty normal life, until one wild afternoon when his parents pick him up from school and head straight for the airport, telling him on the ride that his name isn't really... Read More »
By Holly Goldberg Sloan
Narrated by Tara Sands / 6 hours 33 minutes
In this heartwarming and funny middle-grade novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s, Julia grows into herself while playing a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz
Julia is very short for her age, but by the end of the summer run of The Wizard of Oz, she'll realize how big she is inside, where it counts. She hasn't ever thought... Read More »
By Melissa Savage
The search for Bigfoot gets juicy in this funny and touching story that's perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo's Flora & Ulysses and the movie Smallfoot!
Lemonade Liberty Witt's mama always told her: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But Lem can't possibly make lemonade out of her new life in Willow Creek, California—the Bigfoot... Read More »