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Changes for Samantha: A Winter Story (American Girl: Samantha #6) by Valerie Tripp

 

Summary (from the publisher): Times change for Samantha when she moves to New York City to live with Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia. They change for Nellie, Samantha's servant friend in Mount Bedford, too. But Nellie's changes aren't as happy as Samantha's and Nellie has to find work again. When her friend disappears, Samantha thinks Nellie has been lost forever, But after a long and scary search, Samantha finds Nellie in a New York orphanage. The orphanage is not a good place for Nellie, so the girls plan a daring escape.

Review: There have been big changes in Samantha's life since the last book ended and this one begins!! She has moved to New York to live with her Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia. Samantha's life is going smoothly, even with all the changes, but she is horrified and very worried when she gets a letter from her friend Nellie back in New Bedford. After lots of searching, Samantha finally finds Nellie and her two little sisters in a horrible New York orphanage. Desperate to help her friend, Samantha plans an escape. 

I don't know how realistic the escape and conclusion of this book is, but this was another dramatic tale for Samantha! I really liked that Samantha is exposed to the lives of the most impoverished of New York City and takes the reader along to see the horrible living conditions of poor immigrant families in the city. I also like the exposure to how orphans lived and historical practices like orphan trains. My children were horrified hearing Nellie could be sent west and would never see her home or remaining family again! This was an all too real practice at this time in our country's history. 

I have really enjoyed the last two full-length books in Samantha's series. I continue to love her heart and the empathy she has for Nellie. These books really shed light on the extreme disparity of different social strata during the time period. I also appreciated the peek into the past section of this book, which focused on the many changes Samantha would have experienced during her lifetime including mass explosions in ease of transport with cars, trains, and planes; huge changes in women's ability to receive and education and have jobs; the drastic changes in domestic life as servants sought better paying jobs and machines took over much of the formerly manual work; and fashion changed radically from corsets and huge skirts to short skirts that were easy to maintain and work in. There are great stories and great history lessons!

Stars: 4

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