Book-It 'o14! Book #19
Aug. 12th, 2014 06:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alivemagdoleneThe Fifty Books Challenge, year five! (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013) This was a library request.
Title: Kit's Surprise by Valerie Tripp with illustrations by Walter Rane
Details: Copyright 2000, Pleasant Company Productions
Synopsis (By Way of Back Cover): "Kit overhears terrible news just before Christmas-- her family may lose their house. Even with the rent from the boarders, the Kittredges don't have enough money to pay the bank. Then Kit's pride causes her to have a fight with her best friend Ruthie. On top of it all, Kit has to spend all her free time caring for grouchy Uncle Hendrick and his cranky dog Inky. Kit wonders how much worse this Christmas can get! But when Kit finds hope in an unexpected place, she plans a surprise that fills Christmas with light and love."
Why I Wanted to Read It: Remember my remembrances of the American Girl franchise? And my review of the first book in this series? And then the second? Okay, then.
How I Liked It: This one is a bit patchy compared to the previous, but still a winning addition to the series and the character.
To those that generally haven't really read the books, there are accusations that the books really only exist to sell the merchandise. It's true that the formula (that Kit was apparently the last to have) generally goes "Meet ______" (doll, accessories), "_____ Learns a Lesson" (school outfit, lunch, desk, school supplies), "_____'s Surprise" (winter holiday dress, doll-sized doll, holiday food, other Christmas presents), "Happy Birthday, _____!" (birthday dress, table and chairs, pet or stuffed animal, other birthday present, flatware and table dressings of the period, birthday treats), "_____ Saves the Day" (summer outfit, summer shoes related to summer outfit, outdoor summer activity accessories), and "Changes For _____" (winter outfit, shoes for winter outfit, winter-related activity accessories, undergarments, and a doll-sized traveling bag/box/case). But often, the collections add accessories that either weren't prominent/were barely mentioned in the book to which they belong, which makes it more likely that the merchandise is what exists to sell more merchandise (can't get Kit's Christmas collection without the waffle-maker!). Still, there's a bit of shoe-horning that we'll get to in a bit.
The story is generally straight-forward about the difficulties faced during the Depression around the holiday season: traditions deemed too extravagant having to be surrendered, homemade gifts, and the especial obliviousness of those not affected financially.
Kit's particularly nasty "I've-got-mine-and-if-poor-people-want-things-they-should-just-work-harder" rich uncle plays a prominent role in this book, and is more one-note than ever. It's worth considering that the author was trying to avoid the Scrooge trope of the curmudgeon learning to be happy, but his nastiness too often comes across as cartoonish as the fairytale ogre Kit imagines him to be.
The book tackles the subject of escapism, a rich industry (and about the only one) during the Depression, most prominently the moving pictures. But although it somewhat works for the point of the story (two friends appreciating and honoring their differences), it doesn't really make sense from a historical standpoint. Kit's friend Ruthie is wealthy (or at least unaffected financially by the Depression, as her father is a banker) and she adores princesses and fairytales and argues to Kit on the importance of make-believe to take your mind off from your troubles. The only problem with this is that it wasn't generally the well-off that were looking to avoid their realities, it was those that struggled than turned to escapism. The author seems to try and account for this a bit (choosing to have Ruthie's different-from-her friend be interested in escapist fairytales) by having Ruthie tie them to a pretentious (and faulty) rich person belief: that if only people worked harder, they wouldn't be poor. The girls encounter a family evicted from their home during their debate about the importance of fantasy, and Kit points out that fantasy and make-believe wouldn't have helped this family keep their house. Ruthie counters that fantasy and make-believe could've helped them think of a way to keep their home.
Ruthie's continued cluelessness about the harsh realities of the Depression lead her to trample Kit's pride by attempting to give her her last year's Christmas dress, so the girls can continue their Christmas tradition of attending a ballet on Christmas Day followed by a fancy meal. Kit is hurt by her friend's lack of perspective and sensitivity and Ruthie in turn is hurt by her friend's pride and lack of gratitude.
They make up by the end of the book, but not before each learns a lesson about the value of her friend's point of view (Ruthie witnesses Kit struggling to work for her uncle which leaves her trapped at his house on Christmas Eve; Kit passes time when her uncle sleeps by concocting fantasy stories).
Kit gives Ruthie a present of the fantasy stories she's concocted, written out about "Princess Ruthie" and Ruthie gives Kit a doll of Kit's heroine, Amelia Earhart (it's worth noting that neither of these were really Kit's surprise; her surprise is that she saves the money her uncle gives her for the streetcar and for various chores and presents it to her mother so they're able to pay the electric bill and therefore light their Christmas tree).
The doll, while arguably representative of Ruthie embracing Kit's outlook, is still kind of barely-there accessory that feels added since Kit's collection must have a doll. That aside, it's still a decent addition to the series and a sweet look at the importance of realizing another's point of view.
The illustrations seem to return a bit to the "stage-y" quality, along with an often "unrefined" feel to them that can look sloppy.
The Peek Into the Past/Looking Back section contains a decent mini-history of the holidays on Depression, including some fascinating tidbits about how families recycled and scrimped to manage to capture some of the festivity of years past.
Notable: Historical accuracy watch!
Kit's mother presents her with a very fashionable and particular to the '30s pin, a Scottie dog with a bow. She explains that this belonged to her when she was Kit's age. Kit's mother's age is not given, but Scotties didn't achieve popularity in the United States (making them a likely choice for jewellery) until after World War I, which ended approximately fifteen years before when the events in this book take place.
Title: Kit's Surprise by Valerie Tripp with illustrations by Walter Rane
Details: Copyright 2000, Pleasant Company Productions
Synopsis (By Way of Back Cover): "Kit overhears terrible news just before Christmas-- her family may lose their house. Even with the rent from the boarders, the Kittredges don't have enough money to pay the bank. Then Kit's pride causes her to have a fight with her best friend Ruthie. On top of it all, Kit has to spend all her free time caring for grouchy Uncle Hendrick and his cranky dog Inky. Kit wonders how much worse this Christmas can get! But when Kit finds hope in an unexpected place, she plans a surprise that fills Christmas with light and love."
Why I Wanted to Read It: Remember my remembrances of the American Girl franchise? And my review of the first book in this series? And then the second? Okay, then.
How I Liked It: This one is a bit patchy compared to the previous, but still a winning addition to the series and the character.
To those that generally haven't really read the books, there are accusations that the books really only exist to sell the merchandise. It's true that the formula (that Kit was apparently the last to have) generally goes "Meet ______" (doll, accessories), "_____ Learns a Lesson" (school outfit, lunch, desk, school supplies), "_____'s Surprise" (winter holiday dress, doll-sized doll, holiday food, other Christmas presents), "Happy Birthday, _____!" (birthday dress, table and chairs, pet or stuffed animal, other birthday present, flatware and table dressings of the period, birthday treats), "_____ Saves the Day" (summer outfit, summer shoes related to summer outfit, outdoor summer activity accessories), and "Changes For _____" (winter outfit, shoes for winter outfit, winter-related activity accessories, undergarments, and a doll-sized traveling bag/box/case). But often, the collections add accessories that either weren't prominent/were barely mentioned in the book to which they belong, which makes it more likely that the merchandise is what exists to sell more merchandise (can't get Kit's Christmas collection without the waffle-maker!). Still, there's a bit of shoe-horning that we'll get to in a bit.
The story is generally straight-forward about the difficulties faced during the Depression around the holiday season: traditions deemed too extravagant having to be surrendered, homemade gifts, and the especial obliviousness of those not affected financially.
Kit's particularly nasty "I've-got-mine-and-if-poor-people-want-things-they-should-just-work-harder" rich uncle plays a prominent role in this book, and is more one-note than ever. It's worth considering that the author was trying to avoid the Scrooge trope of the curmudgeon learning to be happy, but his nastiness too often comes across as cartoonish as the fairytale ogre Kit imagines him to be.
The book tackles the subject of escapism, a rich industry (and about the only one) during the Depression, most prominently the moving pictures. But although it somewhat works for the point of the story (two friends appreciating and honoring their differences), it doesn't really make sense from a historical standpoint. Kit's friend Ruthie is wealthy (or at least unaffected financially by the Depression, as her father is a banker) and she adores princesses and fairytales and argues to Kit on the importance of make-believe to take your mind off from your troubles. The only problem with this is that it wasn't generally the well-off that were looking to avoid their realities, it was those that struggled than turned to escapism. The author seems to try and account for this a bit (choosing to have Ruthie's different-from-her friend be interested in escapist fairytales) by having Ruthie tie them to a pretentious (and faulty) rich person belief: that if only people worked harder, they wouldn't be poor. The girls encounter a family evicted from their home during their debate about the importance of fantasy, and Kit points out that fantasy and make-believe wouldn't have helped this family keep their house. Ruthie counters that fantasy and make-believe could've helped them think of a way to keep their home.
Ruthie's continued cluelessness about the harsh realities of the Depression lead her to trample Kit's pride by attempting to give her her last year's Christmas dress, so the girls can continue their Christmas tradition of attending a ballet on Christmas Day followed by a fancy meal. Kit is hurt by her friend's lack of perspective and sensitivity and Ruthie in turn is hurt by her friend's pride and lack of gratitude.
They make up by the end of the book, but not before each learns a lesson about the value of her friend's point of view (Ruthie witnesses Kit struggling to work for her uncle which leaves her trapped at his house on Christmas Eve; Kit passes time when her uncle sleeps by concocting fantasy stories).
Kit gives Ruthie a present of the fantasy stories she's concocted, written out about "Princess Ruthie" and Ruthie gives Kit a doll of Kit's heroine, Amelia Earhart (it's worth noting that neither of these were really Kit's surprise; her surprise is that she saves the money her uncle gives her for the streetcar and for various chores and presents it to her mother so they're able to pay the electric bill and therefore light their Christmas tree).
The doll, while arguably representative of Ruthie embracing Kit's outlook, is still kind of barely-there accessory that feels added since Kit's collection must have a doll. That aside, it's still a decent addition to the series and a sweet look at the importance of realizing another's point of view.
The illustrations seem to return a bit to the "stage-y" quality, along with an often "unrefined" feel to them that can look sloppy.
The Peek Into the Past/Looking Back section contains a decent mini-history of the holidays on Depression, including some fascinating tidbits about how families recycled and scrimped to manage to capture some of the festivity of years past.
Notable: Historical accuracy watch!
Kit's mother presents her with a very fashionable and particular to the '30s pin, a Scottie dog with a bow. She explains that this belonged to her when she was Kit's age. Kit's mother's age is not given, but Scotties didn't achieve popularity in the United States (making them a likely choice for jewellery) until after World War I, which ended approximately fifteen years before when the events in this book take place.
