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Beacon Street Girls Books: are they age-appropriate?
Published 11.26.2008 | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)
Beacon Street Girls Book Series
By Bossy
Beacon Street Girls is a young adult series about a group of 7th grade girls with seemingly different backgrounds and interests who form a secret girls’ club complete with a Bill of Rights meant to support and empower each other, and detailing such rules as, “we won’t be, like, obnoxious or anything.”
Utilizing the first-person perspective of each of its five main characters, there is a veritable potpourri of ethnicities and traits for young readers to identify with: the boy-crazy actress, the outspoken jock, the klutzy writer, the sensitive artist, and the savvy fashionista.
The first book in the series, Worst Enemies/Best Friends, takes place at the start of a new school year and tackles issues such as adolescent meanness and what it’s like to be the outsider. The message here is that things aren’t always as they seem, and we need to look deeper before drawing conclusions about people.
One troubling issue, however, is a book that conceptually espouses inclusiveness while touting the virtues of a secret club, which is itself a very exclusive concept. But perhaps this is the author’s way of supporting the notion that girls need to stick together, in which case the value of this series outweighs the concern.
The easy writing style and hipster tween voice, intermixed with things like lists and text messages, make this book appropriate for girls 9-13, but the Junior High vantage point and the book’s length (over 200 pages) seem especially suited to 11 and 12-year olds.
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The Hotspot originally started out as a monthly-or-so feature written by our favorite storytellers. Usually products or services were highlighted that tickled us. Over the past year delightful innovations and introductions in the maternity and parenting space have increased, and we feel we need a space to share our discoveries with you. Daily news stories on parenting also inspire us to communicate with you. As such, the Hotspot is now the Alpha Mom daily blog. Finally!
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Comments (2):
Mom on the Run said:
I was worried about the books as well. It looked like a Babysitter's Club book. However, I read the back cover and felt that the themes were worth exploring. My 10-year-old loves the books. She wants to use her Borders gift card to purchase more of the series. I wrote a post on my blog about my daughter's experiences with the books and reading in general: http://writingmylifeoneblogatatime.blogspot.com/2008/12/books-for-preteen-girls-and-reluctant.html
Posted on December 14, 2008 01:37
Katelyn said:
This book series is excellent. I personally have read the series so far and its main ages are 12 and up. I am a christian, and based on my beliefs, i didnt see anything wrong with it. It taught morals without going in 'too' deep, its very interesting and never gets boring. There is some minor things like flirting and very little 'cute boys', but like i said, its for ages 12 and up, so they are mature enough to take it in and not say "look mommy i cant believe she said OMG!". Nothing is wrong with the book series its very good!
Posted on December 20, 2008 21:09