The Perfect Gift for a Book Lover: The Book a Month Club
Gifts are always so challenging for tweens and teens. For my daughter's twelfth birthday, my mother-in-law gave her the best gift ever: a Book a Month Club. So there's no program to subscribe to in order to automate this, but I think that makes it even better.
Here's how it works: each month on her birthday, she texts her grandma a book title. Since Grandma has Amazon Prime, she hops right over and orders it. The book arrives at our home in a couple of days, and my daughter is off savoring a new title.
Her Mid-Year Book List Selection
Since it's been six months since her birthday, I thought I'd share her first six picks.
1st Pick: The Penderwicks
Her grandma was very generous. When my daughter picked the first book in the series, Grandma sent the 4 book boxed set. These stories are sweet and easy to read. If you're looking for a nostalgic tale of simple summers in the country, these stories are perfect.
2nd Pick: Creative Doodling and Beyond
Creative Doodling and Beyond was the perfect second pick as she was still reading through her boxed set that came the last month. Not only is this book beautiful, it's also fun and interactive for young girls looking to master their doodling skills. It includes lettering and other creative embilishments to inspire beautiful doodles. We both highly recommend this one!
3rd Pick: Nancy Drew Mystery Stories Books 1-4
The third choice also brought a series of books. Since she loves reading, her t-shirt totally sums up her life devouring book series. In the past few months, she had been interested in reading the Nancy Drew books. Although we'd picked up a couple at used book sales, she still didn't have the first of the series. I loved reading these when I was young, and now she's loving them too!
4th Pick: The Golden Braid
We took a risk on the 4th pick with an unknown author. The risk was well worth it. The Golden Braid is an excellent retelling of the old Rapunzel tale, written by a Christian author. Fans of Once Upon a Time will love these books.
5th Pick: The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest
Since she loved the last pick, she went with another of Melanie Dickerson's books: The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest. This tale is a mash up of Swan Lake and Robin Hood. I love how creatively the story is crafted. It definitely satisfies the romantic in me, while really developing beautiful characters that navigate difficult ideas - everything a good fairy tale ought to do.
6th Pick: The Beautiful Pretender
Weaving familiar plots of fairy tales into medieval settings, Melanie Dickerson does an amazing job in The Beautiful Pretender. I love how these stories have engaged my daughter's imagination while encouraging her heart with virtue and character.
7th Pick: The Healer's Apprentice
Melanie Dickerson has really satisfied my daughter's love of fairy tales. Seeing that she's picked four in a row, I can say that these are worth reading. The Healer's Apprentice loosely follows the story of Sleeping Beauty. It's always fun to read an old story re-imagined in a fresh way.
I can't wait to see what she'll pick next! If you're looking for a great gift idea for the book lover in your life, a book of the month club might just be a fun way to show them love all year long!
Betsy Strauss is an unexpected homeschooler, mother of three, who is in a relationship with a sweet man for life. She loves reading books, drinking coffee, and learning anything with her kids.