Mackenzie Blue: Pre-Teen Carrie Bradshaw

The Mackenzie Blue series by Tina Wells are chick-lit for pre-teens. The books are also funny and engaging, contemporary in style and traditional in moral lessons offered: be true to yourself, be good to your friends, offer kindness to everyone. Twelve-year old Blue Mackenzie is the star of the series, a privileged seventh-grader with material possessions aplenty, including gadgets galore and a closet overflowing with cool teen clothes. She goes to parties, hangs out at the mall, surfs the internet, and yet still manages to perform well in school, excel at her extracurriculars, and still have time to bond with mom (who lives to provide tons of food to family and friends) and dad (who works in the fashion industry, makes tons of money, and brings home great goodies). Mackenzie might just grow up to be the Carrie Bradshaw of tomorrow, with her funky clothing style, her love of writing, and her taste for the better things in life.

I only have sons and I can say my boys would not be interested in reading the Mackenzie Blues books, not even my youngest who is into Project Runway and wants his own cell phone so that he can start texting his friends (just under ten, he has a good three or four years to go before he’s getting one). These books are girls-only books, and only for girls between the ages of nine and twelve. That said, these books are fun enough to attract even the most hesitant of readers, engaging enough to hold the attention of more seasoned book buffs, and if you can get past the plugs for iPods and Starbucks and The Jonas Brothers, even a mother can find something to like in Mackenzie Blue.