No Manure in The Secret Sister's Club

If you know me, you know I'm not a farm girl. I'm all for drinking milk, but milking a cow is a little too intimate for me. The same goes for collecting eggs from the chickens. That's why reading books is so great. We can enjoy all the wonderful things about farming without stepping in manure or being chased by an angry rooster. (You can tell I speak from experience, can't you?)

Last month, I met Monique Bucheger, who writes the Ginnie West Adventures. She gave me her book, The Secret Sisters Club to review. It's a middle grade reader about a 12-year-old girl named Ginnie. Ginnie lives on a farm with her widowed father, her twin brother, and some extended family members. She's the quintessential tomboy, who loves to ride her horse.

The plot revolves around Ginnie's plan to get her father together with her best friend's mother. Complications arise when Ginnie realizes that even though she wants a sister, she doesn't want a new mother. In an attempt to get to know her real mother, who died when she was three, Ginnie starts to read her mother's journals. This is one part that I think a lot of middle grade girls will love. The journal entries are just revealing enough to fascinate middle grade readers while still remaining pretty tame by adult standards.

Monique does a great job with Ginnie's character. I could tell she's had a lot of experience with middle-grade girls. Even though Ginnie's a tomboy, she is all girl, meaning she's got some major drama going on. I think a lot of girls will relate to her. At the same time, parents will be thankful that Ginnie still maintains a healthy respect for her father and other authority figures (most of the time at least.)