Nicki: My Journal

American Girl: Isabel & Nicki #0.5

by Jennifer Roy

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade

80 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2023

About the author

Jennifer Roy (see also Jennifer Rozines Roy) is an American children's writer. She is best known for fiction including Yellow Star, which won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award (2006), Sydney Taylor Honor Award, The William Allen White Children's Book Award (2009), a New York Public L Book, an ALA Notable Book, National Jewish Book Honor Award, and received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, VOYA and Booklist. She has written 35 educational books for children ages 5–16, including the "You Can Write" series.
Her latest book is Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein (February 2018), inspired by the true story of a young boy growing up in Iraq under the first Gulf war. Her Co-author Ali Fadhil was that boy and he grew up to be a translator in the trial of Saddam Hussein.
Her first illustrated book is "Jars of Hope", (August 2015). She is also the coauthor of the Trading Faces series (Simon and Schuster), a series co-written with her twin sister, Julia DeVillers. The second book in the series is Take Two, the third book is Times Squared, and the fourth is "Double Feature". The fifth book in the series is "Triple Trouble". Her book MindBlind, about a boy who is profoundly gifted and has Asperger syndrome, was published in October 2010 and received a YALSA award.

Reviews

[Olivia's Bookish Places & Spaces · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up, I loved American Girl. I had three dolls - a just like you doll, and two of the historical characters - Molly, and Julie. I pretty much lived for American Girl and have read all of the historical books.

Naturally, when I saw the 90s dolls being released, I had a few thoughts/questions: is my childhood now historical? were the 90s really that long ago? will the 90s dolls and their stories be as compelling as say Kirsten or Felicity?

I was really worried that the 90s dolls and their stories would be just a total joke. After reading this book, I can say that it's still pretty good. Is it as good as some of the other historical characters? Maybe not entirely but the story is still exciting.

Roy is an excellent writer - she does a really good job of making the journal come alive. She really gives the reader a snapshot of what life was like in the 90s so that someone born after 1999 could really see what life was like then. I enjoyed Nicki's story and could totally relate to her (I was a shy tomboy and had similar personality traits to her).

Overall, I would say read this book if you are into American Girl, want to know what the 90s were like (hint: awesome!) or are curious about how American Girl has represented this era. Highly recommend and looking forward to the next book!

[Laura Jerrolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! It gave me serious Amelia (1999) vibes from American Girl!!!

[Lauren S · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was so cute!! my first american girl read in a very long time. it reminded me very much of the dork diaries books. while it is most certainly centered for a younger audience, i would 100% read again

[Laura Alley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet…maybe a little TOO short for me, but I have to remember that I’m not this book’s target audience. 😆 Nicki is fun and relatable! I was 10 in 1999, so reading about an American Girl historical character roughly my age was quite enjoyable for me.

I can definitely relate to Nicki’s anxiety about Y2K, shyness, love of list-making and music, but the skateboarding and ‘zine culture was new to me. I bet that was a west coast thing, or just not super popular where I was from. We had skateboards, but I didn’t really know anyone super into them. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Regardless, it was like a blast from the past reading this journal - singing and role playing the Spice Girls (Posh Spice here 🙋🏼‍♀️), computer word effects, gel pens, Comic Sans font, “Matilda”, glow in the dark ceiling stars. This was my childhood all wrapped up in a mere 80 pages!

The best part were the casual nods to ‘90s American Girl - Grin Pins, “Meet Addy”, Miss AG Bear, the iconic red vinyl jumper. I do miss when the dolls came with a full length book, but at least the book came out later. The journal is a cute addition, but definitely not a replacement for the full length book.

Still, definitely a fun read which I can see kids enjoying. ‘90s kid me was thoroughly reminded of MY favorite journal series, “Amelia’s Notebook” by Marissa Moss…which American Girl got me into, thank you very much. The illustrations in this book were so reminiscent of Amelia.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the Isabel and Nicki journals are only available from American Girl right now with the purchase of the dolls, I was able to get both books from eBay, and I really enjoyed them. I wrote a full review of the Isabel book and won't repeat myself here about the parts that are similar, but I want to share some thoughts specific to this book.

I like that the Isabel and Nicki books are written by twins, and the representation of the twin bond is realistic throughout. This book shares Nicki's perspective on some of the conflict that she and Isabel have, especially related to Isabel not understanding Nicki's different personality and interests. It's interesting to get two perspectives on some of the same plot points, since the girls think and respond so differently to some of the same things.

Nonetheless, both books stand together as compelling reads, and they aren't re-treads of each other. Even when the girls are writing about the same things, they highlight different details or write about different parts of the same conversation, and other parts of the books are totally different, such as Nicki's interactions with her skater friends and pursuit of other interests apart from Isabel. I really enjoyed both books, and I hope that there will be more about these characters in the future.

[Faith Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book being 80 pages long and stuffed with pictures, it's a quick and easy read--and every bit worth it! Although it wasn't the same as reading about Felicity, Rebecca, or Maryellen, I was charmed by Nicki and her journal. Something it did have in common with most American Girl books was that every single word is important: you may accidentally skim over a sentence, so don't be surprised if you're later flipping back through the book to remember what was said or done earlier! (Not that this is a setback--rather, it gives you a good excuse to see the great pictures again!)

Again, don't expect this to be like the other American Girl books. It doesn't have deep family connection (like Julie's, despite her parents being divorce), harsh trials (such as the slavery, then segregation, Addy experienced), or making a difference (like Samantha giving a speech on poor factory conditions). Yes, the twins love each other, the Y2K bug is terrifying (at least to Nicki), and Nicki helps contribute to her community, but this being an 80-page long journal, everything is crammed together. It's not as powerful, touching, or inspiring as you would expect an AG book to be.

But this is just the beginning! This book was awesome for what it was, a "journal", and I look forward to reading the upcoming full-length book on Isabel and Nicki (which I'm sure will have all the depth I miss)!

[Lovelymisanthrope]

For my 30th birthday, I went to the American Girl Doll Store and picked out a doll. I ended up selecting Nicki: one of the 1990's historical dolls. This book came with the doll.
This book was a really fun way to read about Nicki as a "person". The book is set up like a journal and has pictures and other fun editions that Nicki has added to her journal.
As someone who grew up in the 90's, this was a really fun trip down memory lane.
I think this will appeal to young people and is written in a fun, easy to read way!

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only slightly better than Isabel’s, but not enough to bump it up a star.

[Olive · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very cute and rlly fun because I’m <13 so I wasn’t alive in Y2K! And I’ve always liked Y2K and the worries abt it!

[Historical Dolls Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her favorite show is Powerpuff Girls just like me as a little girl.

[Jenna Woodard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Nicki! She is a 1990's/2000's feminist. What more can you ask for?

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️s