Nellie's Promise: 1906

When I got this book, I read it right away. I've read it at least three times. Nellie is living with Samantha and one day she sees her Uncle who had abandoned her and her sisters! Nellie is worried the he will come and take them away from Samantha. I loved the ending, but I'm not going to give it away!

What a promising book! I love it! It's so... well... promising! That's why I like it. It's a book full of promises, about a girl who made a promise! And it has such a lovely time preiod! I like the turn of the century because it make's me feel like everyone was working together to make their world a better place. It's fiction, yet non-fiction at the same time! All the American Girl books are like that! Great! Read it, you'll love it!

This is another of the great American Girls series, but is a little bit of a departure. This book takes the characters of the Samantha series, but tells the story from the vantage point of Nellie O'Malley. It is 1906, and Nellie and her sisters are quite happy living with Samantha, and her Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia. However, darkness seems to descend on Nellie's world, when her drunkard Uncle Mike shows up, promising to take the girls and force them into factory work. Nellie is too afraid to tell anyone her worries, even Samantha, and before she knows it her relationship with Samantha seems to be suffering. Nellie needs to start thinking about the future, and where she is going. The final chapter of this book is a bonus, a fascinating look at adoption in 1906 America. (If you are interested in reading about the orphan train, read Orphan Train Rider by Andrea Warren.) My thirteen-year-old daughter has been a fan of the American Girl stories for years, and was quite glad to get this book. Overall, we found the misunderstanding between the girls to be understandable, and enjoyed the story immensely. So, if have a young fan of the American Girls, then you should get this book - my American Girl highly recommends it, and so do I!

I spend a considerable amount of time working with children, and I thoroughly enjoy the American Girls series. I think they are both interesting and educational, and this book is a worthy addition to the Samantha collection. I especially liked the fact that the story was told from Nellie's point of view. Samantha seems to be an especially popular American Girl. I am sure that girls admire her caring personality, but I also think that Samantha's life seems like so much fun because of her family's wealth. She wear's pretty clothes, she eats great-tasting food, she goes on fun vacations, and she has wonderful toys. Nellie's Promise shows the other side of the story, so to speak. Not all girls lived comfortably in the early 1900s. This book tells the timeless story of a family coming together, but it also describes the unique lives of working-class girls and women. One of the other reviewers thought it was inconsistent with the times that Samantha express a desire to become the first woman President. Actually, a woman named Belva Lockwood ran for President in the late 1800s. I don't know if Samantha knew that, but I don't think the idea of her becoming President is as farfetched as the other reviewer believed it was. Also, in one of the earlier books, Samantha was nervous about speaking at the school contest because she changed her speech after talking to Nellie. She was never afraid of speaking in general. She also displayed leadership qualities when she organized the talent show for the new library. I think Samantha's remarks were actually consistent with her behavior in the previous books.