Overview

A guide to using book clubs to open up dialogue about and explore issues facing young girls today

Mother-daughter book clubs are a great way to encourage your child’s reading and for girls and moms to bond with each other while also socializing with friends, but they can do much more than that, suggests educational psychologist and parenting coach Lori Day. They can create a safe and empowering haven where girls can openly discuss, question, and navigate some of the challenges of girlhood today. In Her Next Chapter, Day draws from experiences in her own club and her more than 25 years in education to offer a unique, timely, and inspiring take on mother-daughter book clubs. She provides clear, succinct overviews of eight of the biggest challenges facing girls and young women today, giving mothers the information they need to moderate thoughtful conversations, while weaving in all the carefully chosen book, movie, and media recommendations; plentiful discussion questions and prompts; and suggested related activities that guide and extend discussions and make clubs fun. It outlines precisely how mothers can work together, using the magic of books, to build girls’ confidence and lessen the negative impact of media on self-image. Also included are relevant quotes and experiences from a wide range of mothers, a list of further resources, and chapter-closing reflections from Day’s now-adult daughter, Charlotte, who shares memories about what the club did for her as a child and observations on today’s girl culture.

Reviews

"From personal experience, I can tell you that mother-daughter book clubs can help you navigate the daunting challenges of raising confident and mighty girls. This comprehensive guide, rich with discussion ideas and book, film, and media recommendations, will inspire more mothers to start their own book clubs. It's been years since I started a mother-daughter book club for my eldest daughter, and this book made me wish I could start over and do it again with my daughters." —Lesli Rotenberg, General Manager, Children's Media, PBS

"The wisdom and common sense of Lori Day is a much needed point of view for our society. I wish that she had written Her Next Chapter ten years ago, so I would have had her insight when my daughter was four! Mother-Daughter book clubs are such a great step in the right direction!"—Brenda Chapman, Writer/Director, Disney/Pixar's Brave

“Filled with practical advice, inspired reading lists and thoughtful analysis of the challenges girls face, this book is an indispensable guide for anyone who cares about raising girls to be leaders. [. . .] This books also offers a treasure trove of inspiring heroines… representing all the different forms that female leadership can take in our modern world. . . . Role models for girls abound in Lori Day's delightful book.” —June Cohen, Executive Producer of TED Media

“Her Next Chapter is a smart and incisive guide for mothers raising daughters in today's toxic media culture, where hypersexualization and gender stereotypes are the norm. . . . Through Her Next Chapter, Day empowers mothers and daughters to decode and ultimately transcend these destructive media messages, so that girls can grow up armed with confidence. A must read for moms!” —Elena Rossinni, Writer/Producer/Director The Illusionists

"Looking for a wonderful way to bond with your daughter? Look no further than Her Next Chapter. Using mother-daughter book clubs as the backdrop, Her Next Chapter provides tools and strategies for discussing the issues today's girls face, while promoting media literacy and empowerment. What more could you ask for from a book?" —Jennifer L. Hartstein, PsyD, Author, Princess Recovery: A How-to Guide to Raising Strong, Empowered Girls Who Will Create Their Own Happily Ever Afters

“[Day] strike(s) back at pop culture’s vapid values with simple, sage suggestions that any parent can use to flip the message and get the dialogue going in a healthier direction.” —ShapingYouth.org

Author Biography

Lori Day, MEd, is an educational psychologist, a consultant, and a parenting coach with Lori Day Consulting. She has worked in the field of education for more than 25 years, serving in varied roles in public and private schools and at the college level. She is a contributing blogger at the Huffington Post and several other websites, writing about parenting, education, gender, popular culture, and media. She lives in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Charlotte Kugler, Lori Day’s daughter, is a student at Mount Holyoke College. She lives in South Hadley, Massachusetts.