Precious Girls Club review and giveaway

Win this book! To find out how, keep reading....

In a world where little girls dresses are getting skimpier and bling-ier, and the characters marketed to them resemble mindless fashion plates (can you say Bratz??) it's great to have a series of characters and books that celebrates girls for the precious beings that they are. We recently received a copy of Operation Kindness, which is the second book in the Precious Girls Club Series, along with an adorable plush pet from the Precious Girls Club store. The Pea already has a copy of the first book, A Little Bit of Faith , which she enjoyed reading, so it was no surprise that she loved the second one as well. I think she likes it because she can really identify with the characters. I like how the series tackles issues that young girls face -- dealing with mean girls, wanting new, cool clothes, finding new friends, and so on --and celebrates some core values like honesty, thankfulness, kindness and helping others.

(Be aware, however, that this is a Christian series, so you'll find lots of references to God , i.e. "God wants us to be thankful for what we have", "God gives people second chances, so, why shouldn't you?", references to prayer and other Christian traditions. So even though the series teaches good morals, families of other faiths may not be comfortable with these books.)

The book has another bonus: it comes with a secret code that girls can use to get a free Premium Membership trial to the Precious Girls Club online, http://www.preciousgirlsclub.com/, a fun site where girls can enter the world of the Precious Girls Club characters by creating their own characters. They can decorate their rooms, explore our town, socialize, play games and even shop "virtually" using the points they earn on the site. PGC games reinforce such virtues as helpfulness, kindness, responsibility, loving and caring. In addition to points, many activities award "virtual" virtue charms. Precious Girls who earn all five virtue charms are awarded a pair of angel wings and the ability to fly - good for a limited-time and only online, of course! Basic membership is free, and Premium Rainbow membership (with lots of added features) is $3.95 per month (or free for a limited time when you enter the special web access code found in an official Precious Girls Club product like a book or plush toy or figurine).



A unique feature of the PGC online site is how they encourage parent involvement. parents can participate in their daughters' online activities by sending email from the "real" world to their daughter's "virtual laptop" in her Precious Girls Club room, or awarding her Precious Points when she does something nice in the real world. It all reinforces the PCG values-based message!



Giveaway time! Thanks to Mom Select and the Precious Girls Club, I've got ten special online web access codes for a trial premium Rainbow membership to the Precious Girls Club online. The first ten people to comment will get a web access code -- just make sure you include your email address so I can email you the code. And one lucky reader will be given a copy of Operation Kindness, the second book in the Precious Girls Club series!



To enter, simply visit the Precious Girls Club online site, then come back here and leave me a comment, telling me what you think of it. Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you. For an extra entry, tweet this contest and leave me a separate comment with a link to your tweet. Here's a tweet you can copy and paste:



Precious Girls Club giveaway from @bonggafinds http://www.bonggafinds.com/


This giveaway ends at midnight PST on July 12, 2009.; I will draw a winner at random on July 13 and post the winner's name on the same day. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!