Costco Connection - November 2007

^bob^oe^kat

Girls just

wanna have

fun

A new book helps girls rediscover no-tech adventures in a high-tech world

By Stephanie E. Ponder

IT’S EASY TO MUSE about how kids have changed since we were children. Kids today are part of the first generation to grow up in an age of MP3 players, cell phones, video games and Andrea countless other gadgets. For Buchanan two Philadelphia-based authors, Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz, the question isn’t how to get back to a more idyllic time, but instead how to lure kids—particularly girls— away from those high-tech Miriam objects. Their answer: The Peskowitz Daring Book for Girls.

The two friends—both of whom are classically trained musicians, have written books on motherhood and have preteen daughters—had read The Dangerous Book for Boys and wondered why there wasn’t such a volume for girls. The Dangerous Book for Boys, which was a huge success in the UK before being released here earlier this year, is part mini-encyclopedia and part handbook. It offers chapters on building a workbench, making cloth fireproof and understanding grammar.

For Buchanan and Peskowitz, writing a palatable girls’ version required finding the right tone. “We didn’t want it to be too girly, like it was from Victorian England,” says Peskowitz. “We wanted it to reflect the whole range of what girls do now.”

From its inception, Buchanan and Peskowitz knew that The Daring Book for Girls wouldn’t be just a bit of nostalgia wrapped in a pretty cover. Yes, kids and the world have changed, but certainly not all for the worst. Both authors marvel at the positive changes in the world—especially those relating to girls. For example, while working on the chapter about basketball, they realized that the Women’s National Basketball Association has been around for 10 years—having been formed

two decades after the authors were school-age girls in the 1970s.

“What was really amazing is the feeling that we get to not just comment on but, a little bit, influence the shaping of contemporary girls’ world right now,” Buchanan tells The Connection.

Peskowitz adds, “We hope girls will feel that the world is a big place where they can have fun.”

They began compiling ideas for the contents by watching their girls—what they do and how they play with their friends. They also heard from many peers about games and activities they loved when they were growing up.

Buchanan says, “We wanted to include things that we knew our daughters would enjoy and that we were interested in as kids.”

While the marketing materials say the book is ideal for readers from 8 to 80 years old, the authors agree that 8 to 14 is the target age range. They also make it clear that th ey didn’t write for the youngest readers—a f act that’s apparent with chapters such as “Bill of Rights,” “Modern

Women Leaders” and “How to

Negotiate a Salary.”

Signed book
giveaway

COSTCO HAS 50 SIGNED copies of
The Daring Book for Girls by An drea
Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz to
give away. To enter, print your name,
membership number, address and
daytime phone number on a postcard or
letter and send it to: Daring Girls,
The Costco Connection, P.O. Box 34088,
Seattle, WA 98124-1088. Or send an
e-mail to giveaway@costco.com, with
“Daring Girls” in the subject line.

ISTOCK

The Costco Connection The Daring Book for Girls and The Dangerous Book for Boys are available in most Costco warehouses and at costco.com.

But that’s not to say The Daring Book for Girls is overly serious. It offers instruction on playing hand-clap games, setting up a lemonade stand and making a tree swing.

Another element of fun is the book’s random order. In the same way that a girl’s day might include reading, going outside to play,

doing homework and having a conversation
with someone, the chapters easily flow from
double-dutch jump rope to female pirates to
making a sit-upon, all in the space of fewer
than 20 pages. Even so, those chapters are buff-
e red with others dedicated to educa-
t ional and action-oriented topics.
“ I think we wanted it to reflect
t he way most of us live life,”
s ays Peskowitz. “We didn’t want
i t to feel that there was pressure
a ttached. This is not a textbook;
i t’s about having fun.” C

No purchase is necessary.

O pen to legal residents of the U .S. (except Puerto Rico) who are age 18 o r older at the time of entry and who are current Costco members. One entry per household. Entries must be received or postmarked by December 3, 2007. Winners will be randomly selected and notified by mail on or before January 3, 2008. The value of the prize is $24.95. Void where prohibited. Winners are responsible for all applicable federal, state and local taxes. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Employees of Costco or HarperCollins and their families are not eligible.