Book Thirtyfive: My Teenage Werewolf

My Teenage Werewolf, Lauren Kessler



I know, I know, I am kind of jumping the gun with this one. My daughter will not be a teenager for, oh, more than 12 years. And yet when I saw this on the shelf at the library I couldn't resist. I am fascinated by the mother-daughter dynamic and this seemed like it would be a great, personal exploration of that often fraught relationship. And it did not disappoint. Essentially, Lauren Kessler immerses herself in her 12-(and then 13) year-old daughter's life for a year and half in order to better understand their relationship and to also just try to better their relationship. It's a nicely personal story, but also one meant to be relatable. Ms. Kessler really tries to get into all areas of her daughter, Lizzie's life, from following her around at school, to going to her summer camp, joining her in her online life, and trying to understand her relationships with friends and boyfriends. It's quite touching and sweet, and also just flat-out informative. And sure, kind of scary, thinking about the kinds of things young teenage girls put their mothers through. (I had always wanted a daughter, but this book honestly has me wondering why I wished for that so much. What was I thinking?) But I have at least a few years to get ready for all of that drama. For now I will focus on getting my daughter to sleep through the night and worrying about trivialities like diapers and bouncy chairs and fussing.