~ MMGM PHILANTHROPARTIES NON-FICTION FEATURE ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE

MONDAY NON-FICTION FEATURE ~

--  'PHILANTHROPARTIES!'  --

AUTHOR LULU CERONE

~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight & Review~

 LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS 

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:

Why just party when you can party with a purpose?

Seventeen-year-old Lulu Cerone shows teens how to bring social activism into their daily lives—and have fun while doing it—with this colorful DIY party planning guide perfect for every socially- conscious kid!

PhilanthroParties are 'parties with a purpose.' In 2010, then ten-year-old Lulu Cerone was deeply affected by the earthquake in Haiti. She set out to raise money for Haitian relief by selling lemonade, but she upped the ante on the classic lemonade stand: she got her entire class to participate, boys against girls. Their lemonade 'war' raised $4,000!

Now seventeen, Lulu is bringing her message of social activism to kids and teens around the world, showing them how to have fun while taking action, giving back, and generally having an impact on the world and the communities they live in.

Having a birthday? Invite your guests to bring a toy to donate to a local charity instead of presents. Earth Day coming up? Host a Guerrilla Gardening party where guests make seed bombs with native flowers and throw them all around their neighborhoods for some drought resistant greenery and color. Want to have a movie night? Invite friends over for National Popcorn Day. Watch movies, snack on some wildly delicious popcorn, but give the party a philanthropic twist by asking everyone to bring old DVDs and Blu-rays to donate for soldiers overseas.

This creative DIY guide gives readers what they need to know—from inspiration to how-tos—to incorporate philanthropy into one’s social life. It includes party ideas and plans, event checklists, recipes, crafts, personal stories, and brief profiles of causes readers should know about. Organized by month of the year, the book features thirty-six PhilanthroParty concepts paired with vibrant photography and colorful design, to get kids started.

Whether they are in their schools or in their communities, individually or in groups, kids and teens can make a difference and inspire others to do the same. 

MY THOUGHTS:

This book is amazing!

And what's even more amazing is that the author is now an eighteen-year old young woman from Southern California who has been organizing charity fundraisers since she was ten years old.

The subtitle of the book is 'A Party-Planning Guide for Kids Who Want to Give Back.' The book includes 36 parties, 36 recipes, 54 games and activities, and 32 crafts.

I cannot emphasize enough how thorough and inspiring this book was to me. The Author's Foreward is written in a warm, inviting tone addressed to middle-graders, tweens, and teens. Although some of the projects and parties may be a little advanced for middle-graders to handle on their own, the author encourages philanthropists of all ages to work together to make a positive difference in their communities.

The book is formatted into twelve chapters, one dedicated to activities designed for each calendar month of the year. The author provides a list of a dozen or so 'National Celebratory Themes' for each month. She includes holidays such as New Year's Day for January along with some themes such as Braille Literacy Month and Blood Donor Month. There are also a few 'fun' days mentioned for each month, such as Dress Your Pet Day on January 14th, Opposite Day on January 25th, Puzzle Day on January 29th, and Backward Day on January 31st.

Each philantroparty involves attendees donating their time to provide service to someone or an organization or donating something such as school supplies, canned food, DVD's for the troops, teddy bears for children in crisis, handmade items {homebaked treats, DIY dog toy, and pet blankets} for the local animal rescue shelter, and sweaters for needy families.

Some of the activities are promoted in the neighborhood or community so that the activists can earn money for charities by selling lemonade, homemade cupcakes, etc.

The back matter includes a 'Philanthoparty Planning Guide' which goes into detail about how to choose a charity to support, a safety guide, a detailed timeline for planning a philanthroparty, a letter from the author's mother addressed to parents and educators, and a list of online resources for readers to use for reference.

A lot of time and effort and hard work went into this book, and this young author is to be commended for her global view of the world and how she and other young people play a major role in improving the situation of those around them.

The book also includes great photos and excellent stepped-out instructions for the projects, parties, and recipes.

Highly recommended to philanthropists of all ages and to do-it-yourselfers who want to contribute handmade items to local charities in their own community. This book would also be useful to youth group leaders, scout leaders, camp leaders, teachers, librarians, and parents/grandparents as they encourage the young people in their charge to take a global approach to those in need around them.

I borrowed this book from the children's section in the local public library.

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Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.

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