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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Okay so I kind of feel like reading these American Girl Books are cheating because I can read them like super fast but my sister just got the Kirsten doll so I decided to start reading her books to know if I want to slowly buy her from her. So I started to read this book and I actually really enjoyed it. So far I have only read all of Felicity's books and the first two of Josefina, I am enjoying Josefina's books but I just really like the colonial times which is when Felicity is set so I think that is part of the reason I enjoy her so much. I always enjoyed the pioneer time, I just like how things were back then, except the diseases.
*****Spoilers******
The beginning of this book starts very interesting, Kirsten and her family are on a ship to Minnesota. At first, since Kirsten's mom was sick I thought she was going to not pass the guy checking them if they were sick or not. Thankfully she did but when Kirsten got lost, I kind of got scared. But then there was this nice lady that spoke English whom didn't understand Kirsten. But they still communicated through pictures. This lady was very nice and I just think it was really cute on how they communicated through pictures than the lady brought Kirsten back to her family. Once she was back together with her family, they left. To go on a train, when Kirsten had to say goodbye to her friend I thought it was really sad. I would be very sadend if I had to leave my friend on the train but then Kirsten tells her friend that even if they never see each other again they will always be looking at the same sun. How cute is that? Anyway, when they do meet each other again it is really cute because they are so excited and you an tell their friendship was real. Their families even decided to stay together and when they got on the ship, Kirstens mom had a right to worry about the cholera. When Marta got sick with it, I was thinking they can't kill her but when they did, it made me realize how true it really was. A lot of people traveling died even the ones closest to you. Tears might have even come to my eyes. Then when they got off the boat, Kirsten couldn't even look at it, like she missed her friend! They were amazing friends. And then when they had to leave all of their stuff in the trunks behind because they couldn't get a wagon. Kirsten had to leave her doll and that was like the only thing that reminded her of Marta, they had always played with their dolls together so it was very sad to know she had to leave it behind until they went back for it. Once Kirsten was finally at uncle Olav's his "daughters" were so sweet and they really loved Kirsten. I thought this was really cute because they weren't mad they were getting a sort of sister. There is normally always this one child that doesn't like the main character and I am happy that it isn't one of Olav's "daughters", especially after Kirstens best friend just died. Overall it was surprisingly a very deep story. I really enjoyed it.
*****Spoilers******
The beginning of this book starts very interesting, Kirsten and her family are on a ship to Minnesota. At first, since Kirsten's mom was sick I thought she was going to not pass the guy checking them if they were sick or not. Thankfully she did but when Kirsten got lost, I kind of got scared. But then there was this nice lady that spoke English whom didn't understand Kirsten. But they still communicated through pictures. This lady was very nice and I just think it was really cute on how they communicated through pictures than the lady brought Kirsten back to her family. Once she was back together with her family, they left. To go on a train, when Kirsten had to say goodbye to her friend I thought it was really sad. I would be very sadend if I had to leave my friend on the train but then Kirsten tells her friend that even if they never see each other again they will always be looking at the same sun. How cute is that? Anyway, when they do meet each other again it is really cute because they are so excited and you an tell their friendship was real. Their families even decided to stay together and when they got on the ship, Kirstens mom had a right to worry about the cholera. When Marta got sick with it, I was thinking they can't kill her but when they did, it made me realize how true it really was. A lot of people traveling died even the ones closest to you. Tears might have even come to my eyes. Then when they got off the boat, Kirsten couldn't even look at it, like she missed her friend! They were amazing friends. And then when they had to leave all of their stuff in the trunks behind because they couldn't get a wagon. Kirsten had to leave her doll and that was like the only thing that reminded her of Marta, they had always played with their dolls together so it was very sad to know she had to leave it behind until they went back for it. Once Kirsten was finally at uncle Olav's his "daughters" were so sweet and they really loved Kirsten. I thought this was really cute because they weren't mad they were getting a sort of sister. There is normally always this one child that doesn't like the main character and I am happy that it isn't one of Olav's "daughters", especially after Kirstens best friend just died. Overall it was surprisingly a very deep story. I really enjoyed it.
I think this is probably the series I read the fewest number of times growing up, and wow is it sad af, just as I remembered.
This has been a tough pandemic for everyone. Everyone's coping in their own way, and apparently one of my ways is to revisit books I loved during my childhood. Maybe I'm longing for stability? Anyway, I was an American Girl kid through and through. I recently bid on and won an extremely affordable Kirsten doll on ebay, to join my childhood Samantha and Addy, and I thought I'd revisit her series (since I work at a library and have easy access to the books). It was exactly as I remembered--sweet, touching, and exciting enough to keep a kid interested.
Yeah, another book to not skirt around the issues of the time. Her best friend from the long journey from Sweden dies of cholera and she has to see her casket removed from their riverboat and buried. I had forgotten this detail from reading it as a child, but Kirsten shows resilience and makes it to the farm in Minnesota.
It's been years since I've picked up any of the American girl books and I thought that it might be a fun idea to start from the beginning. CW: discrimination of immigrants, death of character
Meet Kirsten: An American Girl is the first in the long line of American Girl books that looks at the historical experiences of young girls. Kirsten's books focus on her experience immigrating from Sweden to the United States.
What Worked: I truly enjoyed learning more about the immigrant experience through Kirsten's perspective, from their experience on the boat to what they encountered once they made it to the United States. There were definitely aspects of this story that were more sad than I anticipated. While true to history, a part of me wasn't expecting the series to get so dark so quickly. The backmatter serves as additional support in sharing information related to the immigrant experience, particularly those who came from Sweden.
What Didn't Work: This wasn't the best writing and parts of it were quite boring. It's clear that the standard of children's literature has changed over time. There were parts of the story that I needed to reread because I frequently lost interest in the narrative. This doesn't deter me from reading anymore books from the series, but at least I know not to expect much as I continue my read through the next books.
Overall, this was a solid start to the series and I'm interested in seeing how it evolved over time.
Meet Kirsten: An American Girl is the first in the long line of American Girl books that looks at the historical experiences of young girls. Kirsten's books focus on her experience immigrating from Sweden to the United States.
What Worked: I truly enjoyed learning more about the immigrant experience through Kirsten's perspective, from their experience on the boat to what they encountered once they made it to the United States. There were definitely aspects of this story that were more sad than I anticipated. While true to history, a part of me wasn't expecting the series to get so dark so quickly. The backmatter serves as additional support in sharing information related to the immigrant experience, particularly those who came from Sweden.
What Didn't Work: This wasn't the best writing and parts of it were quite boring. It's clear that the standard of children's literature has changed over time. There were parts of the story that I needed to reread because I frequently lost interest in the narrative. This doesn't deter me from reading anymore books from the series, but at least I know not to expect much as I continue my read through the next books.
Overall, this was a solid start to the series and I'm interested in seeing how it evolved over time.
One of my favourites!!! Except I always hated when Marta died!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Lovely, I just wish it wasn’t so short.
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
I remember reading this when I was young and so glad to have my daughter read it as well. Whether reading aloud or a first chapter book, this is a great story that will engage young children.