Happy Birthday, Samantha! (American Girls Collection) [Paperback]

Valerie Tripp (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: American Girls Collection

Samantha's birthday party is nearly ruined when Eddie Ryland plays a mean trick. Then Agnes and Agatha, Cornelia's ten-year-old twin sisters, save the day with an invitation to visit New York City. Samantha loves the twins' carefree attitude and can't wait to go--especially since the trip will include a stop at a fancy ice cream parlor. But when the girls carelessly break some rules, they suddenly find themselves racing dangerously through the big city--and the path they take leads to surprising discoveries.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: American Girl; First Edition edition (March 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0937295353
• ISBN-13: 978-0937295359
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 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: #70,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #88 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > New Experiences
  • #93 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Issues > New Experiences

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, September 12, 2003

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Happy Birthday, Samantha! (American Girls Collection) (Paperback)

This is another in the American Girls series about Samantha Parkington, a (now) ten-year-old orphan girl living with her grandmother in the America of 1904. In this book, it is Samantha's birthday, and a great party for her and her friends is followed by a special surprise; she is going to the metropolis of New York City, to visit with her aunt and uncle, and her aunt's vivacious young sisters. This is a time of learning about new ways of doing things...especially when Samantha learns her aunt's secret - she is a Suffragist!

The final chapter of this book is a fascinating look at growing up in the America of 1904. As always, the illustrations provided by Nancy Niles and Robert Grace are wonderful, and add a lot to the experience of reading this wonderful book. This is another great Samantha book, one that my daughter and I both highly recommend to you!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book!, October 9, 2000

By 

Sarah J Sexton - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Birthday, Samantha! (American Girls Collection) (Paperback)

That brat Eddie Ryland ruined Samantha's perfect birthday party! Sam is so disappointed, until Agatha and Abigail get an idea! Read about Sam's trip to New York, where she chases a dog, sees a new side of Aunt Cornelia, and learns about women's rights.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking young adult fiction, May 24, 2003

By 

Robin Orlowski "political activist" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Happy Birthday, Samantha! (American Girls Collection) (Paperback)

In this offering of the highly popular American Girls Series, Samantha Parkington learns more about her Uncle Gard's new wife after a new birthday present named Jip gets loose and leads the girls to City Park.

Remembering her strict Grandmother's earlier admonitions to stay away from radical suffragist activities, being caught in the park is a major concern, but Samantha and her cousins are in for a suprise feminist organizing crash course when they learn Grandmary has decided to listen to the lecture herself.

The prospect of American Women voting is no longer exotic or automatically radical, but the book implies connection between the 19th century "first wave" of feminism (suffragettes and reformers) with today's "second" and "third wave" counterparts who are able to enjoy political rights, the real life counterparts to Aunt Cornelia could only dream of using. Instead of being demonized or trivalized, women's political activity organizing on behalf of their own rights is something all women (regardless of age) should become involved in.

Even until the late 1990's, the numbers of American women participating in politics as office holders themselves remained pittably small compared to the percentage of potential elgible officeholders. Reccenty however, the question has shifted from if the United States will have a woman president to when and who that canidate will be.

The book is also notable because it suggests the inevitability of one time opponents eventually embracing feminism themselves as a result of respectful dialouge between both sides. This title technically is a children's book, but the lesson from the encounter between Samantha's beloved Grandmary (who has long expressed sentiments hostile to many progressive reforms) and Cornelia (herself ironically responsible for those same reforms) indicates women of initially different politics can work together and find common ground, if only they listen to eachother's concern's and needs.

I was however bothered the book did not mention women of color this increased climate of mutuality and respect. Although part of this was due to the very real biases of suffragists themselves (glossed over in the book)it also gives the impression of first wave feminists being more guilt-free of bias than they actually were. Having been raised by the same dominant society that freely proclaimed segregation and African American inferiority, these first wave feminists were unware of how it affected their work, or understood and placed potential southern support (whose elected officials were determined to avoid enfranchising black women) above earlier anti-racist committments.