Chrissa (American Girl) [Paperback]

Mary Casanova (Author), Tamara England (Editor), Richard Jones (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2009 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: American Girl (Book 1)

Chrissa Maxwell moves to a new school in the middle of the year, and the girls in her fourth-grade class are decidedly unfriendly. On the advice of her grandmother, Chrissa tries first to be nice, and then to ignore the mean girls. But they just won't quit, and when the teasing turns into serious bullying, Chrissa must find the courage to stand strong and speak out.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 130 pages
• Publisher: American Girl (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593695667
• ISBN-13: 978-1593695668
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Issues > Moving
  • #59 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Bullies

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, great topic, February 2, 2009

By 

K. Kraus "mskraus2u" (Pleasant Prairie, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chrissa (American Girl) (Paperback)

I'm an adult who has read all the American Girl "Girl of the Year" stories, dating back to Lindsey. This story may be my favorite one so far, I think, because the topic is so universal. Chrissa's family moves to a new state to help her grandmother after her grandfather passes away. As if leaving your friends and school behind isn't bad enough, Chrissa is instantly singled out by three mean girls in her class and picked on.

Bullying has probably always been around, but it has been on the rise both in frequency and severity in the past few years. The introduction of the internet has taken bullying to a whole new level. There have been stories in the news about children committing suicide after being bullied to the point of hopelessness. Chrissa's case isn't nearly so severe, but it's a good example of what goes on in schools these days. And it doesn't help when you have parents who refuse to believe their children ever do anything wrong. That's the case with the mother of the head bully in this story, Tara.

Like many children, Chrissa is afraid to tell anyone what the Mean Bees are doing to her for fear of being branded a tattle-tale. But keeping the bullying to herself is really tearing her up inside and causing her a lot of stress. Only when she asks her mother if she can stay home from school does the full story come out. In this story the principal takes the bullying seriously and vows to take action.

Today many schools are learning the consequences of bullying and trying to crack down on it. A book like this is great because girls may think they are the only ones going through this and seeing that Chrissa is having the same problem may make it easier for them go to their parents or teachers with their problem. Hopefully, having a popular company like American Girl do a book on bullying will help bring even more attention to the problem.

This is a wonderful book to buy for girls aged 7-12.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sensitive and timely issue written about impressively, January 28, 2009

By 

Stephanie Fitzgerald "stepanneg2" (Red Oak, Tx., USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chrissa (American Girl) (Paperback)

I am a teacher that worked in a public school system for eight years.

Bullying was a problem that took place even in a school with very diligent

teachers and administrators. I also remember incidents from my own school days, and how much it hurt to be singled out as a target.

The thing that concerned me the most back then, and that I have heard my own students express, is the fear of being branded a "tattle-tale" and having the bullying escalate. That issue was addressed very well in this book; that "tattling" is telling to bring someone else down; "telling" an adult is standing up for yourself, so the problem will be stopped.

I think it is wonderful that American Girl is putting out material that addresses this very real issue, and in a way that young girls will relate to very well. The author is very up-to-date on her material, even to the issue of "cyber-bullying", which has become very prevelant recently.

I would highly recommend this book, its sequel, and the companion movie for ANYONE who has a young daughter or who works with children.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on a timely topic, March 2, 2009

By 

bookseller (Bloomington, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chrissa (American Girl) (Paperback)

I read "Chrissa" while traveling over the weekend and was just charmed. Mary Casanova has really hit the nail on the head with her theme of bullying and has created a spunky, endearing character in Chrissa.