Young Reading: Daughters have Mother's Day covered

Hi, I'm Kilby Young. Most people already know of me, because of my … "famous" mom. As you very well may know, she loves books. She's even been on TV talking about them! She's not the only one in the family, though, who loves to read. My sisters and I are very big on the books. We have a whole garage full of them! The little sister, Marlee, is currently into the Twilight books. I have to agree with her; they are pretty good. Today we've given our mother a break from her job so that the teens and the 'tween can take over (but only for a day, don't worry!).

THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB: Much Ado About Anne. By Heather Vogel Frederick. Simon & Schuster. Ages 9-12. 324 pages. $15.99.

The Mother-Daughter Book Club is back, this time reading Anne of Green Gables. The gang experiences many strange adventures in seventh grade this year. From new members of the book club to fashion shows and weddings, no rock is left unturned. Drama runs high as the girls develop new crushes and return to old friends. Saving Half Moon Farm brings the two groups together, but also tears them apart after a startling proposal.

Getting through their differences forever changes the book club. Like Anne Shirley in their book, the book club's world seems to be completely turned upside down. Will it be for the better?

ROOTS AND WINGS. By Many Ly. Random House. Ages 14 and up. 262 pages. $15.99.

Grace and her mother return to the Cambodian community in St. Petersburg after Grace's grandmother, Naree, dies. While on the trip, Grace uses the time to figure out a few mysteries that have perplexed her for years. Why did Grace's mother and Naree move to Pennsylvania (where they are the only Cambodians) before Grace's birth? Who is Grace's father, and why haven't they ever met?

Once in Florida, Grace feels oddly split. She feels at home with other Cambodians but cannot understand their culture, which was never introduced to her. Some members of the Cambodian community judge her ruthlessly because of a family history that Grace does not know. The more this occurs, the more Grace realizes how little she really knew her grandmother and how little she knows of her mother's background.

This is a deep and fantastic story of immigration, family ties and self-realization.

-- Reviewed by Hannah, 14, who averages reading three books a week and is a chicken-and-rice-soup junkie.

TALIA TALK. By Christine Hurley Deriso. Random House. Ages 10-13. 184 pages. $15.99.

For one thing, I can very much relate to Talia. She is a middle-school girl, with a "popular" mother. Her mother is on a morning talk show, and tells the world about Talia and embarrassing stories about her, such as when she used bubble gum to stick antlers on her head on Christmas; when she scored her first strike -- in the wrong bowling lane -- and much, much more. Except now, Talia can get revenge! She decides to join the school's pod cast/broadcast team; now it is time to get even with her mom by telling stories on her.

This book teaches lessons about friend drama and about letting go of certain things. For instance, Talia and her best friend Bridget get into their biggest fight ever. Bridget decides to give Talia the cold shoulder for days. Talia also learns to let go of what her mother says on her TV show. After all, there's really nobody she knows watching, right?

MOMMY CALLS ME MONKEYPANTS. By J.D. Lester. Random House. Ages 0-3. $7.99.

In this cute picture book, there are many animals: fireflies, pandas, frogs, kangaroos and many more. The pictures are extremely detailed. Even if I'm a little old for this book, I liked it very much. My favorite page is the panda page where it says, "Mommy calls me Sunggle-up ... we love a treetop cuddle." I suggest this book for any young child who likes rhyming and colorful pictures.

-- Reviewed by Kilby, 13, who loves cheering, tumbling and the Twilight series (but claims not to be overly obsessed, like some people).

MAMA'S KISS. By Jane Yolen. Chronicle. Ages 3-6. $14.99.

Mama's Kiss is a great book. I enjoyed reading this lovely book. This book is about a child whose mother kisses her, and the kiss runs away! It shows the kiss flying around different places. In the end, the kiss returns to the little girl. I think little kids could read this book by themselves.

If I were still the age to read this book, I would beg my mother to buy it for me!

FLIP, FLAP, FLY! A Book for Babies Everywhere. By Phyllis Root. Candlewick. Ages 3-6. $14.99.

The illustrations in Flip, Flap, Fly! are very well done. The book starts with animals and ends with a child. Each pair of animals has a mom and her baby. On each page, the mama animal is teaching her child to do what the animal does. For example, the fish page says, " ‘Swim!' blurps the baby fish. ‘Deep down dim.' So the mama helps the baby fish splish splash swim." I enjoyed reading this cute book.

MY MOM IS TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE. By Kate Feiffer. Simon & Schuster. Ages 4-8. $16.99.

The little girl in this book thinks her mom is trying to ruin her life. Emma thinks this because her mother kisses her in front of her friends and stops by her school in the middle of the day to bring her stuff. Also, her mother talks too loud, never lets her eat junk food and worries about everything. Emma plans to sneak out of her house when her mother isn't looking and ride her bike to get away.

As Emma thinks about her plan, she starts to worry about what could happen to her mom if Emma runs away. Her mom could drive after her and get stuck in mud. As Emma begins to consider her plan, she realizes no one will be at home to fix her meals or to read her stories. If she has a bad dream, no one will come to help her. Emma realizes that she loves her parents and that they aren't trying to ruin her life. They are trying to keep her safe.

-- Reviewed by Marlee, 11, who bought her own violin with her birthday money and loves competitive cheerleading.