Happy Birthday, Kit!: A Springtime Story, 1934

My daughter is just 3 and she is loving the American Girl series. She likes getting to know the girls through the books and we enjoy reading them together.

Kit's tenth birthday is quickly creeping up, and while she would love to have a Robin Hood party like the one she saw in the newspaper, she knows that the Depression has left her family strapped for cash, and decides to put her party out of her mind. That is, until Aunt Millie shows up. Aunt Millie is an eccentric, thrifty woman, who helps to stretch the Kittredge budget quite far. However, within a few days of her arriving, Kit's mother becomes quite embarrassed by Aunt Millie's money-saving ways. Kit is unsure of what is embarrassing her mother. That is, until Aunt Milie shows up at her school, and announces to Kit's entire class that they are all invited to a Penny-Pincher Party to celebrate Kit's tenth year. Soon Kit is just as embarrassed of Aunt Millie as her mother, and wishes the kind old woman had never come to Cincinnati. While many of the previous books in the KIT series have been quite happy-go-lucky, and haven't exactly pin-pointed how badly the Great Depression affected families, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIT does just that, showing the reader how families and their children felt during the Depression, and the changes they had to make in their lives. Kit, as always, is a delightful character, whose sour disposition at some of Aunt Millie's penny-pinching tips are uite understandable given her age and position, and readers will identify with her take on things. Fans of the previous books will also be quite excited by the arrival of two new characters: Aunt Millie, and Grace - a clumsy dog. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIT paints a wonderful picture of the tragedy revolving around the Great Depression, and will keep the reader turning the pages, until the very end. A wonderful piece of historical fiction for the young reader! Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

This book is about Kit, a girl growing up in the Great Depression. In this book, it's almost Kit's birthday! And when Aunt Millie, Kit's father's foster mother visits, Kit knows it will be fun. Aunt Millie is called that because they didn't know what to call her and Aunt Millie said,"Call me anything but late for dinner!" But when Aunt Millie has an idea for a Penny Pinching party, Kit isn't too sure. Especially when her Aunt Millie comes to school to share the news of Kit's birthday party and embarasses Kit in front of her whole class. Now Kit's really mad and yells at Aunt Millie that she shouldn't have done that and that she didn't want a Penny-pinching party. But now Kit has caused her Aunt Millie's feelings to get hurt and also causes Aunt Millie to almost go back to her home. Kit didn't mean to? In the mean time, Aunt Millie brings two chickens so Kit can deliver eggs and earn money. One day while she and Howard (a kid in the boarding house) go to deliver eggs door to door, they find a Basset Hound with a note on her collar reading: Can't Feed Her Anymore. So Kit brings her home and names her Grace. Will everything be alright for Kit's Birthday Party? Will Kit be able to convince Aunt Millie to stay? And will Kit have a Penny Pinching party and love it? Find out! Read this book!

Kit knows her birthday will not be like other years as the family is short on money and barely getting by. She wishes to have a grand birthday like the one in the newspaper but knows that won't be possible. However a surprise visit from her Aunt Millie brightens her hopes. As everybody in her family knows Aunt Millie is a person who knows what to do out of anything. Kit can't believe how many ideas Aunt Millie comes up with such as turning corn sacks in bloomers, planting gardens, buying cheap things from the grocery store, picking dandelions to make salads, and a bunch of other ideas. The ideas are so plentiful that Kit, Ruthie, and Stirling start an Alamac on all Aunt Millie's money saving ideas. However when Aunt Millie suddenly shows up at her school Kit feels embarrassed at how her aunts idea of a penny pincher birthday. Kit also feels embarrassed as the kids laugh at her Aunt's ideas. However surprises are in store for Kit on her birthday! Read this book to find out! This was another great addition to the American Girls Collection! I have been reading them since I was 7 and even though I am much older and these books are much too easy for me I still enjoy them as if I were 7! I highly recommend all the books!

This is another in the American Girls Short Stories series about Kit Kittredge, a nine-year-old girl living in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is 1934, and Kit and her family are struggling to make ends meet as the Great Depression deepens. With her birthday approaching, Kit secretly dreams an impossible dream, that she could have a large, wonderful birthday party. Aunt Millie, Kit's father's adoptive mother, makes a surprise visit to the family turning their lives upside-down. With her country, make-do way, Aunt Millie seems to work miracles, but a large, wonderful party is out of the question, right?As with the other Kit books, this one gives a frank look into life during the Great Depression, while also teaching a lesson. In this book, Kit learns about making do with what you have, and even having a good time while doing so. The final chapter is about life during the depression, and making do. This is another wonderful book, and my daughter and I recommend it to you.