This was the American Girl I have that I got as a child, and I own all the books. One of my monthly bookstore reading challenges was to read a childhood favorite for a second time. I remember my mother reading this to me when I was 8 or so.

I'm not rating it because it's written in a very simple way, but I will say as a little girl I was shocked about the death of a child in this story. As an adult I appreciated the end notes and historical information. I also loved the beautiful illustrations throughout, which I don't think they do anymore.

I reread this book for the first time in years. All I remembered was the tragic death of Marta. After reading I love the attention to class distinctions traversed by the author in a way that children can understand. Was disappointed with the peek into the past portion that did not discuss the disease that killed Marta in depth. It also did a poor job discussing immigration at a level it could have, rather it placed focus on the train Kirsten’s family rides on. Overall a good book for children!

Kirsten was a series I never read when I was younger (but I was totally familiar with her because her Christmas look is ICONIC).

I read this one with a student, and it is so lovely. We just read a couple of Josefina books, and the way grief is handled is so different from those books. It's interesting to see the difference.

Also, the illustrations are lovely. They are so soft and beautiful.
bronwynmb's profile picture

bronwynmb's review

3.0

Galen read on his own June 26-27, 2025.

⭐ 3.5 ⭐

panda_incognito's review

4.0

Although the Kirsten books aren't my favorite of the American Girl series, I enjoy reading about her family's fictional experiences moving from Sweden to Minnesota, just as my great-grandfather's family did during a later historical era. I'm grateful for how these books helped me feel connected to my heritage as a child.

Also, every time I complain about how the American Girl of the Year modern books are full of sugar-coated first world problems with no issue that a good bake sale couldn't fix, I cry,
Spoiler"Kirsten's BEST FRIEND died!"
It's a sad, hard thing to read, and made a huge impression on me when I was a kid, but I wouldn't change that part of the story. It's authentic to the time period and captures a part of the immigrant struggle. I'm glad that the author took her young readers seriously and believed that they could handle a sensitive portrayal of a hard reality, instead of making the past look like sunshine and roses.
adventurous

Must reread to review
adventurous emotional hopeful sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Review is part of my reminiscence on books which influenced me most, found at A Writer Reads.