Happy Birthday, Kit! (American Girl) [Paperback]

Valerie Tripp (Author), Walter Rane (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: American Girl (Book 4)

With no time or money to spare, the chances of Kit having a birthday party are pretty slim. But when Aunt Millie comes for a visit, Kit finds new reasons to hope.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Reviewed with Valerie Tripp's Kit Saves the Day.

Gr. 3-5. Children reading the Depression-era series about Kit from the American Girls collection will welcome books 4 and 5. In Happy Birthday , Kit has mixed feelings when Aunt Millie comes to live with her family. On the one hand, she enjoys Aunt Millie's affectionate, cheerful manner and thrifty ideas. On the other hand, Kit is sometimes embarrassed by her elder's lack of concern for appearances. In Saves the Day , readers get a glimpse of the darker side of Depression life. When a young hobo befriends Kit's family, she forms a romanticized view of life in a hobo camp. Kit revises her opinion when she visits the camp, hops a freight train on a dare, and ends up in jail. Appealing color illustrations help establish the period, which is considered in greater detail in the appended "Looking Back" section of social history. Two entertaining entries in a popular 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: 88 pages
• Publisher: American Girl (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584850221
• ISBN-13: 978-1584850229
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, October 16, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Happy Birthday, Kit! (American Girl) (Paperback)

This book is about Kit, a girl growing up in the Great Depression. In this book, it's almost Kit's birthday! And when Aunt Millie, Kit's father's foster mother visits, Kit knows it will be fun. Aunt Millie is called that because they didn't know what to call her and Aunt Millie said,"Call me anything but late for dinner!"
But when Aunt Millie has an idea for a Penny Pinching party, Kit isn't too sure. Especially when her Aunt Millie comes to school to share the news of Kit's birthday party and embarasses Kit in front of her whole class. Now Kit's really mad and yells at Aunt Millie that she shouldn't have done that and that she didn't want a Penny-pinching party. But now Kit has caused her Aunt Millie's feelings to get hurt and also causes Aunt Millie to almost go back to her home.
Kit didn't mean to? In the mean time, Aunt Millie brings two chickens so Kit can deliver eggs and earn money. One day while she and Howard (a kid in the boarding house) go to deliver eggs door to door, they find a Basset Hound with a note on her collar reading: Can't Feed Her Anymore. So Kit brings her home and names her Grace. Will everything be alright for Kit's Birthday Party? Will Kit be able to convince Aunt Millie to stay? And will Kit have a Penny Pinching party and love it? Find out! Read this book!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another nice addition to the American Girls!, October 22, 2001

By 

hiphopgirl_1000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Birthday, Kit! (American Girl) (Paperback)

Kit knows her birthday will not be like other years as the family is short on money and barely getting by. She wishes to have a grand birthday like the one in the newspaper but knows that won't be possible. However a surprise visit from her Aunt Millie brightens her hopes. As everybody in her family knows Aunt Millie is a person who knows what to do out of anything. Kit can't believe how many ideas Aunt Millie comes up with such as turning corn sacks in bloomers, planting gardens, buying cheap things from the grocery store, picking dandelions to make salads, and a bunch of other ideas. The ideas are so plentiful that Kit, Ruthie, and Stirling start an Alamac on all Aunt Millie's money saving ideas. However when Aunt Millie suddenly shows up at her school Kit feels embarrassed at how her aunts idea of a penny pincher birthday. Kit also feels embarrassed as the kids laugh at her Aunt's ideas. However surprises are in store for Kit on her birthday! Read this book to find out!

This was another great addition to the American Girls Collection! I have been reading them since I was 7 and even though I am much older and these books are much too easy for me I still enjoy them as if I were 7! I highly recommend all the books!

5.0 out of 5 stars My niece loves the Kit books from American Girls Collection, October 8, 2011

By 

NYCStageZineEditor (New York, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Happy Birthday, Kit! (American Girl) (Paperback)

My little niece loves the Kit books from American Girls Collection. I have never read them, but she really enjoys them, and loved this one. This is supposedly a classic. A big hit with little girls who like to read!