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Samantha's Winter Party (American Girl: Short Stories #5) by Valerie Tripp

 

Summary (from the publisher): When Samantha planned a party, she never planned on leaving her best friend, Nellie, out. In Samantha's Winter Party, Samantha and her friends plan a party with a gift exchange. But Nellie can't afford to buy presents. Find out how Nellie manages to surprise them anyway!

Review: Samantha's empathy and kindness never shines through more than when she interacts with her friend Nellie, so I loved getting this additional short story that highlights their sweet friendship. Samantha is intuitive enough to understand that her friend is self-conscious she can't participate in a Christmas party in the same way as the other girls and kindly offers to help Nellie make presents. But despite her best efforts, her craft idea is a flop. This book ends up being a real redemption story for Nellie, because she finds a way to make the friends' Christmas party special in her own way and on her own terms, without needing the others' help. 

I actually really loved that Nellie solves the dilemma of presents for her friends on her own terms. While Samantha was so kind to offer to help, it's nice for Nellie and her pride to be able to give something special to her friends of her own making. 

The peek into the past section of this book was so neat! Ice skating is a big part of the plot of this story, as the girls all meet several times a week to skate together. In the historical section at the end of the story, we learn that this hobby was all the craze at that time period and it gave an overview of the history of ice skating going back thousands of years and the first evidence and through the first competitive ice skaters. I loved reading it and thought it added so much to my and my children's understanding and appreciation for this story!

Stars: 4

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