Review: The Daring Book for Girls

The Daring Book for Girls, by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz is a collection of instructions for girls of all ages on everything from telling ghost stories to changing a tire, from making a tree swing to reading tide charts. If you have any girls on your list this Christmas, you’ll want to pick up a copy. You’ve probably seen the gorgeous volume on bookstore shelves. It’s vibrant blue cover with vintage font title in silver glitter holds inside the secrets every girl must learn, at whatever age she can.

My seven-year-old daughter has been begging me for the book since it arrived and as I look over the many pages I have marked as my favorite, I find her notes as well. She has attached a purple post-it to page 11, where she has been practicing her cursive writing. And we loved learning the correct words to Miss Mary Mack. What I love the most is that the authors have snuck in some very good *gasp* educational sections in between all the fun. There are several sections on notable women in history and a wonderful list of books to change your life.

Many of the instructions in The Daring Book for Girls brought back fond memories of girlhood. For example, I’d always heard of other girls playing mysterious games at slumber parties, but I never had the chance to play Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board. Now I do, plus I learned about the history of levitation. The book teaches young girls valuable skills as well. The section on building a campfire is followed immediately by a collection of campfire songs. And the instructions on writing letters is more important than ever in our world of text message shorthand. The other day my kids asked me what the stock market was. Now I can answer intelligently simply by turning to page 226 and reading the section title Finance: Interest, Stocks and Bonds. How cool is that?

Perhaps what struck me the most were instructions for things I not only wished I’d learned earlier, but I’m still learning! I know I will be referencing How to Negotiate a Salary, and Public Speaking again.

Find out more here or by watching video of the authors' appearance on The Today Show.