new posts in all blogs
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: American Girl, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 16 of 16
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts tagged with the words: American Girl in the JacketFlap blog reader. What is a tag? Think of a tag as a keyword or category label. Tags can both help you find posts on JacketFlap.com as well as provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify posts for later recall. Try adding a tag yourself by clicking "Add a tag" below a post's header. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a 'More Posts from this Blog' link in any individual post.
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 12, 2012
As the London 2012 Olympics come to a close, you may be looking for a way to fill the void which was recently filled with hours-on-end of summer sports. However, most importantly, you may be looking for a way to wean your little television junkies who were so thrilled to be invited for additional TV time over the past couple of weeks. The following books (and one DVD—because nobody said weaning would be easy) may be just what you’re looking for; they offer samplings of ancient and early modern Olympics, gymnastics and some good, old-fashioned exploration of London.
By Jennie Maizels
Reading level: Ages 5 and up
Hardcover: 12 pages
Publisher: Candlewick; Pop edition (April 10, 2012)
By Donna Freitas
Reading level: Ages 10 and up
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (June 1, 2012)
By Benson Bobrick
Reading level: Ages 10 and up
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (June 26, 2012)
By Brad Herzog; Illustrated by Doug Bowles
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press (September 1, 2011)
Cast: Cathy Rigby, Nia Vardalos, Ian Ziering
Directed By: Vince Marcello
Based on the &ld
.jpeg?picon=3604)
By:
Katie DeKoster,
on 2/29/2012
Blog:
Book Love
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
India,
tough questions,
New Orleans,
en espanol,
American Girl,
PoC,
multicultural lit,
en francais,
poetry,
Add a tag
29 days ago, I challenged myself to read only books written by or about people of color. This challenge was partly inspired by Black History Month, and partly due to a realization that since leaving my classroom in Baltimore, I had pretty much stopped looking for books that reflected the faces of "my" students.
I can almost guarantee that I would not have read most of these books without taking on this challenge, and boy-oh-boy would I have been missing out! In an effort to summarize this month of reading, here are a few awards and a few "similar interest groups" for quick reference.
Favorite YA Read of the Month: Tie between
Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis and
Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena
(these two couldn't be more different, but I'll remember them both for a long, long time)Favorite MG Read of the Month:
The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani
(love, love, love this book)Favorite New-to-Me Author: Ashley Hope Perez - I thoroughly enjoyed
What Can't Wait and am eagerly awaiting
The Knife and the Butterfly. I can't help but feel a TFA bond with Ms. Perez and I'm so thankful that teachers like her exist!
Favorite Blast from the Past:
American Girl - Cecile's New Orleans seriesFavorite Illustrations:
Heart and Soul - The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
(Abigail Halpin is pretty fabulous too, but Kadir Nelson's paintings were just breathtaking)
Favorite Book that Brad Pitt Should Turn into a Movie: Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams
Novels in Verse:
-
Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes
-
The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle
-
Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
A few years ago I got my daughter her first American Girl doll. She chose Samantha, a doll whose stories take place in the Edwardian era. We collected the books that go with the doll, which I read to her, and had a blast finding outfits and accessories that suited Samantha's time. I was able to use the doll to teach my daughter about what it would have been like to live in America at the turn of the century. We talked about women's rights, the treatment of working class people, and the class system that existed then.
A few years after we got Samantha, someone gave my daughter their Molly doll and I was able to share the history of the WWII years with her through Molly's stories.
This year American Girl is launching a new doll. Her name is Kanani, and her stories will focus on the need to care for others. Here is the press release about this new doll, her books, and America Girl's partnership with the National Wildlife Federation.
ALOHA, KANANI! AMERICAN GIRL’S 2011 GIRL OF THE YEAR HAILS FROM HAWAI‘I!
—National Campaign Encourages Girls to Share the Aloha Spirit of Helping Others—
This January, kicking off American Girl’s 25th birthday celebration, is the debut of Kanani Akina, the 2011 Girl of the Year®, whose story takes place in the lush tropical paradise of Hawai‘i. A warm and cheerful girl, Kanani loves her town’s beautiful beaches, tropical sunsets, and fun lu‘aus, but most of all, she and her family love sharing the aloha spirit—a desire to welcome and care for others with an open heart. Through Kanani, girls will discover that everyone has something to share that can make life better for someone else.
Kanani is available for one year and will launch with two books that tell her story, a beautiful 18-inch Kanani doll (featuring long, wavy medium-brown hair and hazel eyes), and an array of outfits and accessories such
Guess who came to the local-ish American Girl store the other day?
None other than Lisa Yee! She wrote the latest Girl of the Year Books about Kanani, a Hawaiian girl. She also wrote Millicent Min, Girl Genius, and the subsequent stories relating to it. Oh, and also, she’s awesome. Add to that a few kids who are both American Girl and Lisa Yee fans, and you have the ideal day trip!
Lisa is from California, so it was great to get to see her on our coast! Here she is with the Dubois girls. Amazingly, she is still smiling after having met with approximately five thousand (mostly) little girls, with another thousand still to follow.
Poking around in the American Girl store, we couldn’t help but notice that our pal Mary Beth’s new book was on the shelves there, too! Check out the Paper Shaper Forest Friends, a make-it-yourself book of adorable animals in MB’s signature style.
Yes, Millie thought you should see what the back of the book looks like, too!
I bought some stylin’ shoes while we were there, too.
Doll shoes. Unbearably cute saddle shoes!
They do not fit me. But so help me, I will find the ideal miniature feet for them to fit on.
It’s a shame we don’t have any cats anymore!
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 8/9/2011
Blog:
Ypulse
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Barbie,
brash,
cee lo green cry baby,
dale earnhardt jr,
facebook,
Gilmore Girls,
hot wheels,
jaleel white,
jersey shore,
mattel,
MTV,
payless,
project runway all-stars,
saved by the bell,
shirley braha,
social media,
the nanny diaries,
weird vibes,
Ypulse Essentials,
16 and well adjusted,
american girl,
Add a tag
Clearly Snookie, the Situation, and the rest of the ‘Jersey Shore’ cast are, um, social creatures (but so are their show’s viewers. The premiere episode of season four broke all kinds of social viewing records, including the number... Read the rest of this post
The American Girl 1853 series: Cecile and Marie Grace by Denise Lewis Patrick and Sarah Masters Buckey, American Girl, 2011
Recap:Cecile Rey is one of the "gens de couleur libres" or "free people of color" living in New Orleans in 1853. Together, she and her friend, Marie Grace, experience all that the diverse, busy city has to offer: Mardi Gras parades and costume balls, outdoor French markets, helping to fight a yellow fever epidemic, volunteering at a local orphanage, and performing at a city-wide benefit for the orphaned children.
Review:Happy Mardi Gras, book lovers! In honor of the holiday, today I'm featuring a series set in New Orleans, and the first two books take place during Mardi Gras!
I was first inspired to cover this American Girl series after seeing a feature on author Denise Lewis Patrick on The Brown Bookshelf. I'd never given a thought to the authors behind my beloved American Girl books, and reading the story of how Patrick was asked to author the Cecile series piqued my interest. The Cecile series is unique from that of the other American Girls because she shares her books with a girl named Marie Grace. I read "Meet Marie Grace" and then all of the Cecile books in the series, and it's very clear that the two authors plotted the stories out together. Between the two "Meet ____" books, some lines were actually word-for-word the same. I'm really not sure why they chose to have two main characters this time. If any of you know, please fill me in!
Cecile's story is notable because, unlike so many black characters in historial fiction - including
10 Comments on American Girl: Cecile's New Orleans Series, last added: 2/21/2012
- Rebecca Rubin (the first Jewish American Girl. Plus, a look at the economic and psychological effects of little girls' 'princess' phase) (New York Times, reg. required) (AP)
- Only 8% of teens watch TV online (as opposed to on a regular... Read the rest of this post
Earlier this week details were revealed about Rebecca Rubin, the first Jewish American Girl doll, and the latest addition to the company's steadily growing line of historical characters who hail from different ethnic backgrounds.
Like those who came... Read the rest of this post
As I mentioned in my post about "Prom Night In Mississippi," and as long-time Ypulse readers know, I grew up in Nashville, TN. My family is Jewish, and throughout my adolescence, this is something I experienced with a mixture of pride and occasional... Read the rest of this post
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 9/25/2009
Blog:
Ypulse
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Ypulse Essentials,
american girl,
bedeviled,
ereader,
hearst,
life on tour,
modiface,
MTV,
pepsi,
state farm henry jenkins,
valemont,
Add a tag
eReader Wars (Seeking Alpha speculates on whether Apple's upcoming iTablet will change the game by roping younger readers. Plus Samsung makes a play for the youth mobile market with the new Colby line, as does Microsoft with chubby 'Pink'... Read the rest of this post
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 10/23/2009
Blog:
Ypulse
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
Ypulse Essentials,
American Eagle,
american girl,
Barbie,
cmj,
cougar town,
glee,
Levis,
melrose place,
obama,
pizza hut,
so in style,
Add a tag
Green jeans (as part of an effort to encourage reuse, Levi's adds a "donate to Goodwill" icon to their clothing’s care tags. Plus American Eagle launches a kids line) (PSFK) (MediaPost, reg. required)
- New brands, latest tech, hybrids (is what... Read the rest of this post
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 7/19/2010
Blog:
Ypulse
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
twitter,
sony,
social network,
pretty little liars,
myspace,
mattel,
beezus and aramona,
anyone but me,
american girl,
Ypulse Essentials,
Add a tag
Mattel launches 'Shine On Now' (The girl-powered pro-social promotion for the American Girl line will promote charitable fundraising, volunteer work.. and the new AG virtual world) (MediaPost, reg. required)
- Sony advertises 'Social Network'.. on... Read the rest of this post
Any other Sporcle players out there? I love it when I can stimulate my mind, which Sporcle claims their games do, and test my kiddielit knowledge at the same time.
So, how many American Girls, and their best friends, can you name? I got them all.
Can you name the American Girl Historical Characters? - sporcle
When Allison was two year old, I bought her an American Girl doll. At the time, 1990, there weren’t so many to choose from and I picked Molly because her historical period was my area of interest and I liked the idea of a doll from a specific period in history, along with some accurate accessories and novels that entertain and inform. But I also bought Molly because I was afraid the idea of a historical doll wouldn’t catch on. So much for my business sense!
Welcome to Molly’s World 1944 is a companion book to the whole Molly project. However, unlike the novels about Molly, this book is a social history providing a look at life during the war as a young person might have experienced it. The American Girls collection included this same type of book for each of their historical dolls, though much of their historical material and even some dolls have now been retired. These are truly wonderful books for familiarizing young readers with the major components of each period, and in the case of World War II, that also includes a basic introduction to the horrors of that war – the fighting and its resulting casualties, the Holocaust in Europe and the Atomic Bombs in Japan – without overwhelming them or scaring them away from ever wanting to know more. Each section includes a minimal amount of explanatory text and a collage of topical photographs, maps, letters, telegrams and other types of documents to provide a real sense of life at the time.
But words never seem to do real justice to pictorial books and so I am letting some of the pages from
Welcome to Molly’s World speak for themselves.
Each chapter looks at a different feature of the war and is divided into a variety of relevant sections. For example, Chapter Three “Taking Charge” covers the wide variety of things adults and children on the home front could do to help support the war. The next section describes the different kinds of jobs women took and the ways in which their daily lives changed because of those jobs – think Rosie the Riveter. There is a section on women in uniform, with a detailed look at the contents of a foot locker issued by the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). This is followed by a section on women in aviation, including an up close look at all the dials and instruments in the cockpit of a B-25 Bomber, which a female pilot in the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS) would have to know all about in order to fly the plane. There is even a section on how pet dogs were volunteered by their owners to work in defense and the different jobs they performed. Dogs for Defense is a little known facet of the war nowadays, but at the time, there were a number of books written for kids on the topic.
Reviewed by Suzanne Lieurance
Title: Just Mom and Me: The tear-out, punch out, fill-out book of fun for girls and their moms
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: American Girl
Publication Date: March 2008
ISBN-10: 1593693400
ISBN-13: 978-1593693404
Format: Spiral Bound
Suggested Retail Price: $9.95
Here’s a great new book, just in time for Mother’s Day because it will make the perfect gift for any young girl to give her mom. The book is full of fun activities that will help mother and daughter really get to know each other better and enjoy themselves in the process. For example, they can write a story together, or plant a garden, or just create an at-home spa and enjoy some “girl time” without the men in the family.
The book includes recipes, fun surveys for mother and daughter to take together, spots for photographs, and all sorts of ideas for both silly and serious activities that are bound to become traditional rituals for women with daughters. Punch out door hangers, bookmarks, coupons, and CD case covers add to the fun.
American Girl,
Just Mom and Me,
mothers and daughters,
Mothers Day
This Wednesday the National Book Award Finalists were announced. The books are:
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
What I Saw and how I lied by Judy Blundell
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks By E. Lockhart
The Spectacular Now by Tom Tharp.
I have, alas, only read and reviewed one of these titles,
The Underneath, which I thought was quite remarkable. If you have read any of these books please let me know what you thought of them. The winner will be announced on November 19 at the National Book Awards in New York City. For more information about the National Book Awards please visit the
National Book Foundation website.
Another piece of news that I would like to share with you is that American Girl's Samantha is officially retiring. Her books will still be available but that doll that has charmed doll lovers of all ages since 1986 will no longer be for sale in the American Girl stores and on the American Girl website. American Girl has put a "Share your Samantha Memories" page on their website for everyone who has enjoyed having Samantha in their lives. “As one of American Girl’s most beloved characters, Samantha has been a friend and role model for millions of girls since her debut in 1986,” says Ellen L. Brothers, president of American Girl. “Moving Samantha to the American Girl Archives allows us to preserve her honored place in American Girl’s history and make it possible for us to introduce new characters and product offerings for our customers to enjoy.”
"Samantha, a kindhearted girl of privilege living with her wealthy grandmother in 1904, has captured girls’ imaginations with her compelling story of compassion and friendship in turn-of-the-century America. Although Samantha will be moved to the American Girl Archives, she retains her place within American Girl’s family of historical characters—nine-year-old heroines that give girls today a glimpse of what life was like growing up during important times in America’s past."
Pop-Up London
Gold Medal Summer 
A Passion for Victory: The Story of the Olympics in Ancient and Early…
G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet
An American Girl: McKenna Shoots For The Stars
Great photos, Liz! The girls look beautiful and you can tell they had a great time at AG with Lisa Yee.
3 Comments on Welcome to Molly’s World 1944: Growing Up in World War Two America by Catherine Gourley, last added: 12/2/2010.jpg?picon=694)
Bravo, Katie! I've loved reading your reviews and added a lot of books to my TBR pile.
I love a good theme!
Hi, new follower here. :) All of these books sound fantastic! I'm especially drawn to "The Whole Story of Half a Girl" (I love MG.) Thanks for the recommendations!
I loved The Knife and The Butterfly. It was very powerful!
Thanks for the recap/list! :)
I've heard such amazing things! My library ordered it, but it hasn't come in yet.
No problem! I'd been planning on doing this post bc I thought it would be fun to see most of the reviews in one place :)
Thank you! I do too :) I'm already trying to think of a theme fo a future month... Would you ever want to do one together?
Hi and welcome! Thanks for the comment :) I hope you get to read The Whole Story of Half a Girl!