The Mother-Daughter Book Club
 The book is divided between seasons, and the point of view from each girl. The book starts off with Emma Hawthorne on the bus on her way to her first day in the 6th grade at Walden Middle School in [Concord, Massachusetts]. She gets made fun of by Becca Chadwick and Ashley Sanborn because of her hand-me-down skirt from a girl named Nicole Patterson (who is in the same grade as her brother, Darcy). Emma talks about how she hates the first day of school. She started hating the first day of school when she started fourth grade, when her former best friend Megan replaced her with three popular girls named Becca, Ashley, and Jen. She also explains that Megan became rich because her father created a "computer gizmo". Emma also recalls that Megan made "the most amazing clothes for our Barbie Dolls." As she enters the school, her brother Darcy helps her find her homeroom. She asks if her best friend, Jess, is there too, but isn't. She enters the class and is sitting across from Megan, and sitting next to Zach Norton, her crush. Emma also explains that Darcy calls Megan, Becca, Ashley, and Jen "the Fab Four", which they think is so cute because they have a crush on him and Zach Norton. When Emma gets home, she eats dinner with her family in their pink kitchen. She explains that her father does all the cooking, that her mother is a great cook and "she can boil water really well". She also explains that her mother is "a Jane Austen freak" or a "Austen Nut" and that her mother named her and her brother after characters in her favorite novels (Emma after Emma, and Darcy after Pride and Prejudice). Her mother tells her that she and a few mothers were talking at yoga club and that they decided to start a mother–daughter book club. Emma asks her mother who is going to be there but she refuses to tell her. That night she goes to the local library to have her first book club meeting. Megan texts her best friend Becca, "that she and her mother are in a book club and that she hates it," during book club, and Emma peeks at her hopefully. Her mother tells her that starting the club will look good on her application to the colonial academy, which Megan has no interest in, because she wants to be a fashion designer. She describes the future her mother wants for her and how frustrated she is that her mother does not approve of her dream. Megan describes that she and her mother are 100% different and that her mother likes to help causes. Megan and her mother are driving to the library for the meeting. She sees Zach Norton (she also has a crush on him) and exits the car, and acts a little ugly. She also sees Ethan MacDonald, and Third (his real name is Cranfield Bartlett III). She also sees Emma Hawthorne, whom she hates and in her mind she criticizes Emma's outfit, because she has no fashion sense( Megan loves fashion.). She and her mother, Emma, and Emma's mother enter the library. A few minutes later, in walks in Cassidy Sloane with her mother (a former, world famous model), Clementine. Megan compliments Cassidy in how she doesn't look anything like her mother and how much of a tomboy she is. Also, Jess walks in and Megan talks about what a weird-o she is and how she and her friends call her "Goat Girl" because she lives on an organic farm with many goats. She also describes how Jess's mother "ran away" from home to go to New York to audition for a soap opera called HeartBeats.Becca's mother enters the library and Megan states that no one likes Becca's mother. Becca's mother says that she's sorry that Megan couldn't come shopping with Becca, Ashley, and Jen and criticises the book club. Mrs. Hawthorne announces that the girls will be reading Little Women and the first book club meeting ends. Cassidy walks into her home after school and her mother greets her from the kitchen. Cassidy walks into the kitchen and sees her mother is making cupcakes for a Halloween party that her mother hosted without confronting Cassidy first. Cassidy's mother ask what she thinks of the cupcakes and Cassidy says they look radioactive. Because of this, Cassidy gets sent to her room. Meanwhile, she confronts her older sister, Courtney, who tells her that she should be nicer to her mother. She says that she must be having a hard time since her father's death. Cassidy ignores Courtney's comments and heads off to the ice rink. Skating for an hour calms her down and she bikes home. After the book club meeting at her house, Cassidy goes downstairs to the Halloween party. She is wearing her hockey uniform, so nobody can see her face. She overhears Becca, Megan, Ashley, and Jen gossiping about how she is nothing like her mom or sister which makes her mad. She teams up with Zach, Ethan, and Third to pull a prank on Becca, Megan, Ashley and Jen, who are known as the "Fab Four". She has Emma and Jess helping her and it is a success but Cassidy ends up getting in trouble. Emma tries to convince Jess to try out for the school play, Beauty and the Beast. Jess refuses because she is upset that her mother "ran away" to be an actress in a soap opera called HeartBeats. The girls watch the hockey try-outs, no one except them knowing that Cassidy is trying out for the boys' hockey team. Becca, Ashley, and Jen all make fun of Jess and Emma. Becca's mother and Megan appear with popcorn and soda. Emma's brother, Darcy, is trying out for the team, and so is Becca's brother, Stewart. Becca's mother scowls at Emma and Jess, being on their case since the Halloween prank. Cassidy got caught and is now grounded, but she didn't rat out Jess and Emma. Out of the blue, Becca grabs Emma's journal from her backpack and calls Zach Norton, Emma's crush, to come over and reads a poem out loud about that Emma wrote about him. Zach and Emma are both embarrassed. She rushes out of the stadium and Jess runs after her. They come back to Emma's house and they bake cookies for the book club meeting. Megan and her mother come in, while Cassidy's mother storms in furious. She says she received a call from Becca's mother saying that Cassidy made the boys' hockey team without her permission and that her spot on the team should've gone to someone else, and that Becca's mother claims it should have been her son's. Cassidy's mother tells her that hockey is dangerous and feels betrayed that everyone seemed to know about Cassidy trying out but her. Cassidy is also furious and tells her that she wishes she had a different mother and they both storm out. The book club meeting is canceled. Cassidy and her mother head to the middle school to pick up Jess from rehearsal. Jess got the part of Belle, but the Fab Four spreads rumors all around the school that the drama teacher gave her the part because her mother ran away because they were cast as dancing silverware. Cassidy also tells Jess to ignore them. Jess goes along with it. Cassidy and her mother go see a shrink or as Cassidy's mother would like to word it, family counselor. Clementine thinks that Cassidy's attitude towards her and other people is very disrespectful, and decides to put herself and Cassidy in counseling. The counselor talks to them both, saying that Clementine does not want her to play hockey because she is afraid that she will lose her like she lost her husband. Cassidy says that she will compromise with Clementine by having a better attitude and not talking back. In return, Clementine will let Cassidy play. They both agree by signing a contract but is not legally bound. Cassidy, Emma, Jess, and Megan leave the school, on their way to Megan's house for book club. Mrs. Wong brings out vegaterian cookies which Cassidy hates. Megan disappears and Mrs. Wong asks all the girls to look for Megan. They begin to search for Megan (Cassidy saying "It's hard to believe that only three people live here" because the Wongs' own a house that "looks like a museum"). They find Megan in her bedroom. Cassidy tells Megan to hurry up. Emma sees the old Barbie clothes that Megan made when she and Emma used to be friends. Megan is furious and snatches it away from her. They all go into the living room and have their book club meeting and all discussing their future careers. Mrs. Wong disagrees with Megan's chosen career as a fashion designer. Cassidy's mother still does not like the idea of Cassidy becoming a pro hockey player one day. Emma wants to become a writer and Jess wants to become a veterinarian. All of the mothers chip in for a Christmas Party and they should all dress up like the characters from Little Women. Cassidy says that she does not want to wear a dress, but Clementine pulls the contract out and immediately Cassidy is forced to agree. It is snowing hard outside and Mrs. Hawthorne plans to cancell the Christmas party because of the roads being blocked. Jess's father later comes by in a carriage drawn by his two horses, Led and Zep (which he named after Led Zeppelin). They pick up the Wongs and sing Christmas songs all the way to the Sloane's house. The girls all dress up in fancy dresses ( Cassidy wears sweatpants under hers) and they talk about who they are supposed to be. They all receive presents from Mrs. Delaney and Emma has Megan decorate a dress for her paper doll she received. She sees a true smile on Megan and starts thinking she might get her old friend back for Christmas, however her mother ruins this by suggesting to Megan to design a dress for Jess to wear for the play. Still envious that Jess got the part she wanted, Megan turns back into her old self again. It is almost time for the play and Jess becomes nervous. She stays in her room and talks to her mother who is on TV even though she can't hear her. Jess is upset that her mother could not be at her performance and wonders if her mother ever gets nervous when she is about to perform. After dinner at the Hawthorne's, Jess goes to school to prep for the play. Mrs. Sloane fixes her hair and makeup and Zach Norton, who plays Beast, gives her a red rose. The Fab Four whisper and call her "Goat Girl". On stage, Jess shines as she performs and loses all stage fright that she had before. In the middle of the show however, Jess's pet goat Sundance is let loose on the stage. This destroys the entire scene. Sundance runs away scared until Darcy hands her to Jess. They restart the scene after, Darcy and her dad put Sundance back into her crate. Megan is mad that she got into so much trouble for helping Becca with the goat stunt. She thinks that it was a silly prank and is angry that Zach is barely talking to her. The book club has an emergency meeting and decides that new rules should be made. All the girls sign the new rules. They decide not to kick Megan out as long as she makes it up to Jess. They decide that Megan can design a dress for Jess to wear to the Spring Fling Dance. By the end of the chapter, Megan realizes that she really does miss Emma and wants to have a better friendship with the other girls. They all celebrate by eating pie. Becca texts Megan but Megan decides not to answer her phone. Cassidy's team, the Concord Comets, are competing for the championship title against the Minutemen. Cassidy scores another point and ties up the game. After her water break, she is ready to win the game but ends up getting boarded by a Minuteman defenseman. Cassidy says she heard the coach telling the Minuteman to hurt her. Mrs. Sloane starts being "Queen Clementine" as Cassidy calls her,and ends up threatening the coach of the Minuteman in front of everybody and the Minuteman is out for the rest of the game. With only thirty seconds to go, Cassidy scores the final goal, and the Comets win the game. Cassidy sees the whole mother- daughter book club cheering for her, and her mother, who previously had been hiding her face because she was scared, is standing and cheering too. The chapter ends with the Comets winning and everyone cheering for Cassidy. Emma has a sleepover with Jess, Cassidy, and Megan. She says that Megan is still with the Fab Four but that they had started including her more ever since she apologized to Jess. The girls go to the Patriot's Day parade which is a historical event in Concord filled with a special breakfast and a Revolutionary War reenactment. At the breakfast, Jess's twin brothers, Ryan and Dylan bother Becca's older bother Stewart and make fun of him for being a redcoat. Becca yells at them and ends up pushing them. This makes Jess angry and she confronts Becca and tells her to leave her brothers alone. This surprise everyone since Jess is so quiet, and Cassidy and Emma back her up. Ashley and Jen back Becca up but Megan stays in the middle. Becca makes her choose and without hesitation she choose Emma's group. She throws her pancakes on Becca getting syrup in her hair. Everyone ends up in a food fight and the four girls laugh all the way back to Emma's house where they watch the parade. The girls go to Cassidy's house to get ready for the Spring dance. Megan makes Jess and herself a dress. Jess's mother sends them "goodies" that the cast of her TV show use. They all come downstairs in their outfits. Cassidy is wearing her sister's old dress decorated with roses. Megan's dress is ice blue and Jess's is a pretty pink. Emma is wearing a yellow dress which used to be Nicole Patterson's. She becomes upset since her dress is too formal for the dance. Megan improvises by fixing the sleeves and changing the length. This makes Emma happy again and everyone compliments Megan's talent at designing. At the dance, Zach Norton calls Jess "Beauty" (because of the play) and asks her to dance. This makes Emma jealous and she runs out of the gym, crying. Megan and Cassidy cheer her up and Jess tells Emma that she doesn't like Zach, and admits that she likes Emma's brother Darcy ever since he saved Jess's goat at the play. Cassidy tells Emma that Zach only likes Jess as a friend and that he is comfortable around her which is why he asked her to dance. They all go back to the gym. Cassidy dances with Zach, Jess with Ethan, Megan with Darcy, and Emma with Third. They didn't get exactly what they wanted, but it ended up fine. For the very first time, the mother- daughter book club is being held at Jess's home, Half Moon Farm. Jess watch her mom on TV and then spends some time in her "secret hiding place". When the book club starts, her dad ends up embarrassing her by almost having her and her friends dance the "Dance of the Maypole Maidens". Everyone tries not to laugh, and her dad is surprised since he read it in a magazine. Jess becomes upset and goes to her room, fuming about how her family is weird. Emma, Cassidy, and Megan all come upstairs and comfort her. Emma tells Jess that all parents humiliate their kids. Cassidy tells Jess people always point and stare since her mom is a supermodel and she doesn't look like her at all. Megan reminds Jess of the vegetarian cookies her mom served at the book club meeting. This makes Jess feel better and they all end up laughing about it. Dad comes and talks to Jess and explains how he is having a hard time raising the kids while their mother is away. He apologizes and they go back downstairs to finish the book club meeting. ===Emm ega assid es haracter he Daughter he Mother ther Family Member riends and Acquaintances=== *Zach Norton One of Cassidy's best friends, and a good friend to Jess as well. He is tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. Becca and Megan have a major crush on him, however, he does not like them at all. At a hockey game in the first book, Becca steals Emma's journal and reads a poem that Emma had written about him out loud to him and his friends. While Zach avoids Emma for a while, he eventually comes to like her as a friend. Zach plays Little League with Cassidy. *Ethan McDonald One of Cassidy's friends. Cassidy plays Little League with Ethan and Zach. He is nicknamed Tater. *Cranfield Bartlett III, or Third One of Cassidy's friends. Third plays hockey with Cassidy and is good friends with Zach and Ethan. *Ashley Sanborn One of Becca's wannabees and a part of the Fab Four. Ashley was afraid to stand up to Becca and does whatever Becca wants her to do. She is described as having black hair and deep tan skin which Cassidy becomes jealous of. Like both Becca and Megan, she loves fashion. *Jennifer, or Jen Webster One of Becca's wannabees and a part of the Fab Four. Like Ashley, Jen is afraid to stand up to Becca and does whatever Becca wants her to. She is friends with Megan, Ashley and Becca. She is an amazing artist. She plays a rather small role in the series. *Stewart Chadwick Becca's clumsy older brother. He plays on the local hockey team, since he is not nearly good enough to get on the Concord Comets, and because the local team "basically takes anybody that breathes." He enjoys hockey anyway. He is very similar to Emma because he likes poetry.