Changes For Kit (American Girl) [Paperback]

Valerie Tripp (Author), Walter Rane (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001 | Age Level: 8 and up | Series: American Girl (Book 6)

Cranky Uncle Hendrick has even Kit losing hope for better times. But when he unwittingly gives her a great idea, she shows that even one girl can make a difference.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. When Kit receives a refurbished winter coat, she gives her old one to a child at a nearby soup kitchen. Back at home, she takes on the responsibility of caring for her elderly, disagreeable uncle, who has moved in while recovering from a fall. Required to take dictation about letters disapproving of unemployed "drifters," Kit writes her own letter to the editor of the local newspaper, asking for support of poorly clothed children sheltered at the soup kitchen. Though Kit and her uncle's points of view are quite different, each individual earns the other's grudging respect. Colorful paintings, from full-page pictures to tiny vignettes, brighten the pages. An eight-page section of history, illustrated mainly with photos, is appended. A fitting addition to the appealing stories about Kit, the Depression-era heroine in the American Girls series. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 67 pages
• Publisher: American Girl (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584850264
• ISBN-13: 978-1584850267
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #686,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Conclusion to Kit's Depression Stories!, December 2, 2001

By 

hiphopgirl_1000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Changes For Kit (American Girl) (Paperback)

In Changes for Kit, Kit outgrows her old red coat she got for a Christmas present and her friends and family make her a new one with old materials that came from their own clothe. Kit, Stirling, and Ruthie decide to donate Kit's old coat to the hobo jungle where there were a lot of children who were cold and hungry. However when they get to the jungle they learn from the few remaining hoboes that most of the families had gone to the soup kitchen for the winter months. So Kit, Stirling, and Ruthie continue their journey to the soup kitchen. The children are all alarmed when they see the poor condition the children at the soup kitchen are in. Kit sees many children who need coats and many who need shoes. She feels very helpless when all she can donate is ONE winter coat.

Meanwhile, back at home her parents get the news that Uncle Hendrick broke his wrist and ankle and is coming to live with them accompanied by his dog Inky. Kit couldn't be more annoyed that mean and crabby Uncle is coming again, and guess whose job it is to look after him? Kit's. She hates how her uncle make her write letters to the newpaper editors and complain about the president and his programs which Kit knows has helped her family get through the hard times. Such as her brother Charlie who worked in the CCC and earned money for the family. However Kit learns from Uncle Hendrick too! She could write a letter about all those kids who need clothing and shelter in the soup kitchen! So she, Ruthie, and Stirling go to the soup kitchen and took pictures of the poor condition the children were in. However Kit knows that since she isn't rich and doesn't have a reputation like Uncle Hendrick she probably won't get her article printed. Well, is her family and Uncle Hendrick in for a surprise when they recieve the paper one morning. Not only are they surprised but Kit's letter affects the whole city of Cinncinati!

The conclusion to Kit's story was another great one in the American Girl's Collection. I can't wait for the next girl's story to come out! They are really beautiful books with their pictures and the Peek into the Past. Lastly I have to say Hooray for Kit!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Low Brow, but great for readers with comprehension issues!, May 17, 2007

By 

David Kenneth Caudill "dkcaudill" (Hendersonville, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Changes For Kit (American Girl) (Paperback)

I was a tutor for a 5th grade girl this past semester, and I asked her to choose a book that we would read together as a way to work on her reading comprehension. When she chose this book, I groaned to myself, thinking it was going to be about on the babysitters club level.

Well, it was. But it contains a historical background appendix in the back, and a character list in the front. These two tools helped to boost my reader's background knowledge and confidence in her reading.

Lesson learned: useful books are not always "great literature." Sometimes pop cannon fodder like this book can be of enormous use as a teaching tool.

All in all, I would recommend the American Girl series to you readers- but I'd sure make sure that their intellectual diet was a little bit richer than this, as well.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Kit story!, November 1, 2001

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Changes For Kit (American Girl) (Paperback)

This is another in the American Girls Short Stories series about Kit Kittredge, a ten-year-old girl living in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is 1934, and Kit and her family are struggling to make ends meet as the Great Depression deepens. Kit's life seems to suddenly get much worse, when her dour Uncle Hendrick is injured during a fall and moves in with the family. However, it's not her own plight that hurts Kit, it's that of the children she sees in the local soup kitchen. She wants to do something, but what? Perhaps she can steal an idea from her Uncle!

As with the other Kit books, this is a great story. It succeeds brilliantly in teaching history while also teaching a life lesson. The book is wonderfully put together, with great illustrations. The final chapter is a short history of the Great Depression, which makes the book even more informative. This is a great book, one my daughter and I highly recommend.