Thanks to an almost insurmountable amount of reviews of The Daring Book for Girls on the blogosphere and in mainstream media, unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’d be surprised if you hadn’t heard about this new Harper Collins title by Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz.

Under much scrutiny from women everywhere (thanks the the surprisingly popular The Daring Book for Boys), these ladies have put together one of my (and our bloggers’) favorite new books. Pop it on your wish list and buy a bunch and give them out as gifts. This book hits a homerun.

Our first group of bloggers gushed about the book and our next group felt the same way. Of course, the bloggers loved the blue glittery cover (who wouldn’t?) or as one blogger described “a textbook-style, old-school hardback with fancy inside cover designs, silver-sparkle lettering and the sort of heft that makes me swoon.”

Of course the sparkly title doesn’t fully represent the contents of the book. “This is not all home-ec stuff like how to make a quilt, or how to darn socks, although these are useful skills. No, this is indeed “daring,” so includes chapters like “The Ultimate Scooter” and “How to Be a Spy,” along with a section about women spies from the Revolutionary War to World War II.” Another blogger was also surprised at the content: “I wasn’t sure quite what to expect but enjoyed the combination of trip down memory lane, reference source for information on interesting women and provider of new ideas to try with my own girls.”

And like our other bloggers, a few didn’t have a chance to read it from cover to cover, thanks to their own daughter’s claiming rights to it. “…truth be told, I haven’t had much chance to read it, as it is currently in the clutches of my ten year-old, its pages already dog-eared and stained with smudges of Halloween candy.”

Bloggers comment on a variety of positives about the book, from its multicultural tone to its unashamed embrace of the girly side of girls, to it bringing up personal memories.

Favorite parts of the book included the following:

- the highlights of powerful, important female role models

- the lemon powered clock (as noted by one bloggers’ two daughters)

- hand clapping games

- classic games and songs

Amidst the criticism of how having books directed at boys and at girls is divisive, our bloggers had much to share. “This book celebrates being a girl, and has something for every type of girl out there: the athlete, the brain, the outdoorsy, the style-maven.” Additionally, one blogger (and mother of four boys) shared a list of gender neutral activities found in the book. The same blogger added that it’s important for boys to learn about women’s history. Said one mom (of two boys), “What do I want to teach my boys (and maybe, someday, girl) as they grow up? How to be a spy? A short history of women inventors? How to write a thank you letter? Yes, yes, and YES.”

Another added the following:

In the Daring Book for Girls, Buchanan and Peskowitz navigate this [gender specific book] tough territory well, with activities that are both gender specific (Let’s face it, most boys would not be interested in “Princesses Today” or “How to Tie a Sari”) and gender-neutral (Hiking, How to make a lemon-powered clock, How to make your own handlebar scooter.)

And interesting criticism of the book, however, was that the graphics and some of the content were a bit old-fashioned, which is great for nostalgic moms, but not so much for the young tweens who are “bombarded with such sophisticated visuals these days to look beyond first impressions. Even when I showed my nine-year-old the section on ’sleep-outs (which she’s been wanting to do) she had a hard time getting past the vintage silhouette illustrations.” This blogger enjoyed the book, but concluded that it seemed aimed at moms wanting to enjoy something with their kids and not the other way around.

But criticism aside, every single blogger recommended this book. That might just be a PBN record. So, go grab a copy for yourself and enjoy it this holiday season. It seems like a fitting book to share with your family, girls AND boys alike.