The Daring Book for Girls

January 28, 2008
Kadushin, whose lush voice brought the heroine of Stephenie Meyers's Twilight
series to life, does her best to inject some intrigue and mystery into this mile-wide, inch-deep compendium of random facts billed as a “manual for everything that girls need to know,” a selection from the bestselling book. Alas, the audio version, replete with time lines, 14 variations of how to play tag and sesquipedalian vocabulary words, sorely lacks dynamism. The brief histories of famous women—Joan of Arc, Marie Curie, Salome—make for more engaging listening than material about how to change a tire or administer first aid. Listeners might find themselves wishing for something akin to the screen selection feature on a DVD, so that if they need information on, say, what constitutes a foul in tetherball, they could get to it without having to wade through the section on women who have earned patents for various inventions. Without such an index, the listener is reduced to writing down the information Kadushin relays, which raises the question: isn't this available in book form? Simultaneous release with the Collins hardcover.

This delightful potpourri for "'tween" girls offers a variety of topics. There are lessons on games of tag, hopscotch, slumber parties, making stink bombs, performing CPR, and changing a tire. Lively role models abound. In particular, the authors cite Jo March from LITTLE WOMEN, who said she could never be friends with a girl who didn't climb trees or jump fences. Other influential women who are discussed include Joan of Arc, Salome, Cleopatra, Amelia Earhart, Abigail Adams, Florence Nightingale, as well as Civil War and Revolutionary spies. Ilyana Kadushin shows her versatility with a lively delivery that is frequently characterized by a "big sister" tone. M.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine