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American Girl: Kirsten #6
Changes for Kirsten: A Winter Story
Kirsten, a pioneer girl of strength and spirit who settles on the frontier. You can share her world with sad times struggles, celebrations, and her secrets, and adventures.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1988
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December 23, 2025
What....WHAT?
Seriously.
I did NOT have that on my Wholesome American Girl BINGO card.
*ahem* Let me back up a bit and begin the review.
Papa is at a logging camp for the winter, hoping to earn $100 for the season's work.
How could Kirsten possibly make up for such a loss? And how will they tell Papa?
Wow. First off...Janet Beeler Shaw certainly didn't pull any punches for the last book of the series. We went from serious to *serious* almost immediately.
I do think it was a little odd that Mama -- I cannot imagine what would have happened at my own house if that had happened. But perhaps, she was in shock.
I also thought the plot of this one felt a bit similar to the last one. In Kirsten Saves the Day, they need money (though a lot less of it, because Papa only needs a saw, and Mama needs fabric)...and this one they need roughly $300 for a new home and land. So, I guess book 5 is about needing a little money, and book 6 is about needing a lot.
That being said, the actual ending of this book completely left me flabbergasted. I was reading this one and literally could not believe my eyes as I progressed through the last few pages. Major ranty spoilers but, did ANYONE even consider the possibility of:
Kirsten's series is definitely the wildest one so far...I think I'm still in shock!
*ahem* Let me back up a bit and begin the review.
"...the women and the children had to do all the winter farm work and make what money they could. "Somewhat similarly to the previous book, the Larson family needs money. A lot of it.
Papa is at a logging camp for the winter, hoping to earn $100 for the season's work.
Kirsten, Lars, and John (a friend) trapped animals all winter, with hopes of selling their furs to earn a little extra cash. Kirsten is good at this work - she may not like it but she knows she needs to do what she can to help her family...until this happens:
"Kirsten thought it was awful to have Papa gone. But she knew there was no other way her family could save money for a farm of their own."
And suddenly, Kirsten can't do it anymore. She takes the young raccoon in for just one night, just to let it recover...but then the worst thing possible happens when the little raccoon is brought into her family's one-room cabin for the night.
"It was growing dark when they came to the last trap. A small raccoon was in it...the raccoon opened its bright eyes and raised a paw."
In an instant - the cabin, their furniture, and nearly everything the Larsons own - gone. Forever. The only thing they have left is their trunk from Sweden and each other.
The burning oil crept under the bed where Britta sat.
How could Kirsten possibly make up for such a loss? And how will they tell Papa?
Wow. First off...Janet Beeler Shaw certainly didn't pull any punches for the last book of the series. We went from serious to *serious* almost immediately.
I do think it was a little odd that Mama -- I cannot imagine what would have happened at my own house if that had happened. But perhaps, she was in shock.
I also thought the plot of this one felt a bit similar to the last one. In Kirsten Saves the Day, they need money (though a lot less of it, because Papa only needs a saw, and Mama needs fabric)...and this one they need roughly $300 for a new home and land. So, I guess book 5 is about needing a little money, and book 6 is about needing a lot.
That being said, the actual ending of this book completely left me flabbergasted. I was reading this one and literally could not believe my eyes as I progressed through the last few pages. Major ranty spoilers but, did ANYONE even consider the possibility of:
Kirsten's series is definitely the wildest one so far...I think I'm still in shock!
November 23, 2025
Rereading as an adult again. There are things about this one I really, really don't like.
No, let me rephrase. I hate the fire and I hate the chain of events leading up to it. I hate that it results from a classic "YOU WERE JUST TOLD NOT TO DO THAT."
Has Kirsten always been such a risk-taker? Her adventures with Singing Bird back in Lesson do suggest a tendency to follow her own impulses, perhaps without thinking through possible consequences very well. But in both Saves the Day and "Changes," Kirsten gets an idea in her head and it goes about as badly as possible without actually harming anyone.
So maybe these two just feel different because the roll of the dice goes poorly for her. It's easy to imagine an alternate version of Surprise in which they don't make it through the blizzard. Did Shaw and her editors want to make sure the stakes were high enough, and that Kirsten didn't seem to lead a charmed life once she gets to Minnesota? OK, let's have a cabin fire! And let's make it Kirsten's fault. Great!
I still hate it. But let's move on.
Lars gets to be an actual character in this one for the first time. He strikes me as a good egg: Right away we see that he appreciates Kirsten's talents and sticks up for her to John. He never does the "geez, can you believe my dumb little sister" thing that Molly gets from Ricky. He absolutely did not kill Old Jack, whatever Mary and Allison choose to believe. Old Jack's furs really are ridiculously convenient, though. Furs ex machina. Or would it be deus ex furs?
Like the orphan train in Changes for Samantha, I had utterly forgotten that the Oregon Trail turns up in this book.
I have mixed feelings about the Stewart children. We meet John at the beginning of this book while he is being fairly obnoxious about letting Kirsten tag along, so I guess it tracks that she later feels he's like another brother, but I never really warm up to him. We met his sister Mary back in Happy Birthday, where her contribution was a story about her aunt who died giving birth to twins. Now we're told she's one of Kirsten's closest friends. Surprise! Of course, there's plenty of time between books (especially "Saves the Day" to "Changes"), and we really don't see very much of Kirsten's school beyond the scenes in "Lesson" and a glimpse in "Birthday." So clearly there's time for this friendship to have formed - we just never got to see any of it. Shaw does her best to backfill, having Kirsten remember all the things she and Mary did in this house, but it's still a bit weak.
Come to think of it, that now makes THREE close friendships that are mostly told-not-shown: we have only a couple of scenes with Marta (RIP), all the actual adventures with Singing Bird are glossed over, and now Mary Stewart. Nellie looks like a constant presence by comparison, and she disappears for three books.
As one more point of comparison, just like Changes for Molly, Papa comes home on the last page - though of course he's only been gone for this book, not the whole series like Dr. McIntyre.
A few thoughts about the series as a whole:
As I've said in other places, I think Kirsten's arc is about becoming an American girl and becoming part of a new community, and I think it ends in "Happy Birthday" where all the girls surprise Kirsten with the friendship quilt (which, did THAT survive the fire??). In the first three to four books, it's very important to the plot that the Larsons are new immigrants. In the last two, it's incidental - instead, they focus on the family needing to hustle in order to survive and thrive. They're longer than the short stories, but in the same way, "Saves" and "Changes" feel like "further adventures of Kirsten Larson." Shaw makes "Changes" feel like a big ending because they get the house, but it comes out of nowhere.
You even see a shift in which characters get more time in the spotlight. Books 2-4 have key scenes with Anna and Lisbeth, who are a handy way to explain how things work in America. But the last two books don't use that element, so instead we see more of Peter in "Saves" and Lars in "Changes."
Another example: through the first half of the series, the language barrier is the most visible reminder that the Larsons are new here. Not understanding English is a key part of "Meet," and beginning to learn it is central to "Lesson." By "Surprise," Mr. Berkhoff is impressed that Kirsten speaks to him in English. But I think that's the last time language is mentioned. We can only assume that having Miss Winston at the dinner table must have sped up language learning for everyone. You'd expect the parents to learn it more slowly - they're busy around the house and farm all day without much contact outside the household. But Mama seems to have no trouble understanding Miss Winston's conversation about quilting in "Birthday," and everyone seems comfortable with English in town at the end of "Saves" (though it is Aunt Inger who does the negotiating). And in "Changes," the family reads letters with John and Mary (and you can not tell me that John and Mary Stewart from Boston are Swedish). Is Mama translating Papa's letter from Swedish as she reads it out loud? Is he writing in English? When would he have had time to learn to write in English?? But the second half of the series is not interested in questions like this.
Bottom line: This series starts out incredibly strong - I think "Meet" is the best of the six. The first four cohesively show Kirsten feeling more and more at home in Minnesota, and I love them, though not uncritically. The last two are almost ancillary - as one of the very first AG characters, you can see where Pleasant Company didn't yet have all of this down to a science.
More Kirsten babble
Meet Kirsten | Kirsten Learns a Lesson | Kirsten’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Kirsten | Kirsten Saves the Day | Changes for Kirsten
Kirsten on the Trail | Kirsten and the New Girl | Kirsten Snowbound! | Kirsten and the Chippewa | Kirsten’s Promise | Kirsten’s Short Story Collection
The Runaway Friend
No, let me rephrase. I hate the fire and I hate the chain of events leading up to it. I hate that it results from a classic "YOU WERE JUST TOLD NOT TO DO THAT."
Has Kirsten always been such a risk-taker? Her adventures with Singing Bird back in Lesson do suggest a tendency to follow her own impulses, perhaps without thinking through possible consequences very well. But in both Saves the Day and "Changes," Kirsten gets an idea in her head and it goes about as badly as possible without actually harming anyone.
So maybe these two just feel different because the roll of the dice goes poorly for her. It's easy to imagine an alternate version of Surprise in which they don't make it through the blizzard. Did Shaw and her editors want to make sure the stakes were high enough, and that Kirsten didn't seem to lead a charmed life once she gets to Minnesota? OK, let's have a cabin fire! And let's make it Kirsten's fault. Great!
I still hate it. But let's move on.
Lars gets to be an actual character in this one for the first time. He strikes me as a good egg: Right away we see that he appreciates Kirsten's talents and sticks up for her to John. He never does the "geez, can you believe my dumb little sister" thing that Molly gets from Ricky. He absolutely did not kill Old Jack, whatever Mary and Allison choose to believe. Old Jack's furs really are ridiculously convenient, though. Furs ex machina. Or would it be deus ex furs?
Like the orphan train in Changes for Samantha, I had utterly forgotten that the Oregon Trail turns up in this book.
I have mixed feelings about the Stewart children. We meet John at the beginning of this book while he is being fairly obnoxious about letting Kirsten tag along, so I guess it tracks that she later feels he's like another brother, but I never really warm up to him. We met his sister Mary back in Happy Birthday, where her contribution was a story about her aunt who died giving birth to twins. Now we're told she's one of Kirsten's closest friends. Surprise! Of course, there's plenty of time between books (especially "Saves the Day" to "Changes"), and we really don't see very much of Kirsten's school beyond the scenes in "Lesson" and a glimpse in "Birthday." So clearly there's time for this friendship to have formed - we just never got to see any of it. Shaw does her best to backfill, having Kirsten remember all the things she and Mary did in this house, but it's still a bit weak.
Come to think of it, that now makes THREE close friendships that are mostly told-not-shown: we have only a couple of scenes with Marta (RIP), all the actual adventures with Singing Bird are glossed over, and now Mary Stewart. Nellie looks like a constant presence by comparison, and she disappears for three books.
As one more point of comparison, just like Changes for Molly, Papa comes home on the last page - though of course he's only been gone for this book, not the whole series like Dr. McIntyre.
A few thoughts about the series as a whole:
As I've said in other places, I think Kirsten's arc is about becoming an American girl and becoming part of a new community, and I think it ends in "Happy Birthday" where all the girls surprise Kirsten with the friendship quilt (which, did THAT survive the fire??). In the first three to four books, it's very important to the plot that the Larsons are new immigrants. In the last two, it's incidental - instead, they focus on the family needing to hustle in order to survive and thrive. They're longer than the short stories, but in the same way, "Saves" and "Changes" feel like "further adventures of Kirsten Larson." Shaw makes "Changes" feel like a big ending because they get the house, but it comes out of nowhere.
You even see a shift in which characters get more time in the spotlight. Books 2-4 have key scenes with Anna and Lisbeth, who are a handy way to explain how things work in America. But the last two books don't use that element, so instead we see more of Peter in "Saves" and Lars in "Changes."
Another example: through the first half of the series, the language barrier is the most visible reminder that the Larsons are new here. Not understanding English is a key part of "Meet," and beginning to learn it is central to "Lesson." By "Surprise," Mr. Berkhoff is impressed that Kirsten speaks to him in English. But I think that's the last time language is mentioned. We can only assume that having Miss Winston at the dinner table must have sped up language learning for everyone. You'd expect the parents to learn it more slowly - they're busy around the house and farm all day without much contact outside the household. But Mama seems to have no trouble understanding Miss Winston's conversation about quilting in "Birthday," and everyone seems comfortable with English in town at the end of "Saves" (though it is Aunt Inger who does the negotiating). And in "Changes," the family reads letters with John and Mary (and you can not tell me that John and Mary Stewart from Boston are Swedish). Is Mama translating Papa's letter from Swedish as she reads it out loud? Is he writing in English? When would he have had time to learn to write in English?? But the second half of the series is not interested in questions like this.
Bottom line: This series starts out incredibly strong - I think "Meet" is the best of the six. The first four cohesively show Kirsten feeling more and more at home in Minnesota, and I love them, though not uncritically. The last two are almost ancillary - as one of the very first AG characters, you can see where Pleasant Company didn't yet have all of this down to a science.
More Kirsten babble
Meet Kirsten | Kirsten Learns a Lesson | Kirsten’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Kirsten | Kirsten Saves the Day | Changes for Kirsten
Kirsten on the Trail | Kirsten and the New Girl | Kirsten Snowbound! | Kirsten and the Chippewa | Kirsten’s Promise | Kirsten’s Short Story Collection
The Runaway Friend
October 21, 2021
This review is from the perspective of a mother - what happened to an excellent series? And what is with the American Girls making bone-headed decisions, putting people in danger, and then having everything work out happy-hunky-dory in a super-speedy wrap up all loose ends ending?
I tolerated Kirsten putting herself and Peter in danger (twice!) because of her fervent wish to get honey for her family, and she didn't consult any adults, which led to her bad judgement.
But to believe that Kirsten, who has been largely responsible and carries a heavy burden within her pioneer family, openly flouts Mama's directive about the raccoon and destroys her home and belongings in the process, but is level-headed enough to rescue the family trunk? And then the happily-ever-after with the furs, is ridiculous. It would have been more likely that the Larsons would have been joining the wagon train to Oregon.
This book required too much suspension of disbelief, and and ruined what was a realistic look at the trials and travails of pioneer life.
I tolerated Kirsten putting herself and Peter in danger (twice!) because of her fervent wish to get honey for her family, and she didn't consult any adults, which led to her bad judgement.
But to believe that Kirsten, who has been largely responsible and carries a heavy burden within her pioneer family, openly flouts Mama's directive about the raccoon and destroys her home and belongings in the process, but is level-headed enough to rescue the family trunk? And then the happily-ever-after with the furs, is ridiculous. It would have been more likely that the Larsons would have been joining the wagon train to Oregon.
This book required too much suspension of disbelief, and and ruined what was a realistic look at the trials and travails of pioneer life.
March 27, 2015
What a weirdly dark turn these books took at the end of the series. While the writing was back to its usual pacing and quality, the events in this story were rather off-putting. The opening tale follows an engaging trek along a trapping line, with the children pulling their living out of the wilderness while their fathers are earning wages at a logging camp for the winter. Kirsten rescues an injured baby raccoon and takes it home to care for in between her chores. So far, so good. It's another appealing story in the making. Then everything starts to veer wildly off the track.
Kirsten brings the raccoon into the house, despite her mother's warnings, and the raccoon immediately knocks over a lantern, which results in the entire house burning to the ground. Strangely, Kirsten never receives any blame for destroying her family's home, nor is the raccoon mentioned again. Instead, she's praised for dragging the family trunk (with the Bible, rifle, candlesticks, and a few extra clothes) out of the house. Perhaps even more strangely, there's never a sense of real peril associated with losing an entire house (in the middle of a supposedly freezing winter!) and everything their family had bought and produced during their time on the frontier. This essentially washes out the events of the previous story, which included long days spent sewing necessities like clothes and diapers, carefully saving enough money for luxury items like a straw hat, and gathering all their neighbors together for a barn-raising.
At this point, it would make sense to show the difficulties of rebuilding a home and starting over. Instead, in an extraordinary turn of events, their neighbors decide to move to Oregon and offer to sell their beautiful house for $500. Kirsten's family can't possibly afford it - they only have $100 from the logging camp wages - until Kirsten and her brother break into an old trapper's cabin, discover he's frozen to death (???), and decide to take and sell his furs, which are apparently worth four times what the men earned while away from home. (If that's the case, why did they leave their wives and children to fend for themselves for an entire season? Why didn't they buy more traps and spend their energy gathering furs instead?)
It's baffling. The moral of the story is, quite literally, "finders-keepers." This macabre turn of events would be more compelling if the children's choice to take the dead man's belongings stemmed out of a real sense of urgency. Again, though, there's no imminent danger staring them in the face. They're staying in their extended family's warm, cozy home - a slightly cramped existence, but one that could easily continue for some time - and not visibly suffering beyond being a few mugs short at dinner.
So a series that began with a focus on hard work, independence, and the strength needed to make a home for yourself and your family turned into a tale of blind luck. What a disappointing ending.
Kirsten brings the raccoon into the house, despite her mother's warnings, and the raccoon immediately knocks over a lantern, which results in the entire house burning to the ground. Strangely, Kirsten never receives any blame for destroying her family's home, nor is the raccoon mentioned again. Instead, she's praised for dragging the family trunk (with the Bible, rifle, candlesticks, and a few extra clothes) out of the house. Perhaps even more strangely, there's never a sense of real peril associated with losing an entire house (in the middle of a supposedly freezing winter!) and everything their family had bought and produced during their time on the frontier. This essentially washes out the events of the previous story, which included long days spent sewing necessities like clothes and diapers, carefully saving enough money for luxury items like a straw hat, and gathering all their neighbors together for a barn-raising.
At this point, it would make sense to show the difficulties of rebuilding a home and starting over. Instead, in an extraordinary turn of events, their neighbors decide to move to Oregon and offer to sell their beautiful house for $500. Kirsten's family can't possibly afford it - they only have $100 from the logging camp wages - until Kirsten and her brother break into an old trapper's cabin, discover he's frozen to death (???), and decide to take and sell his furs, which are apparently worth four times what the men earned while away from home. (If that's the case, why did they leave their wives and children to fend for themselves for an entire season? Why didn't they buy more traps and spend their energy gathering furs instead?)
It's baffling. The moral of the story is, quite literally, "finders-keepers." This macabre turn of events would be more compelling if the children's choice to take the dead man's belongings stemmed out of a real sense of urgency. Again, though, there's no imminent danger staring them in the face. They're staying in their extended family's warm, cozy home - a slightly cramped existence, but one that could easily continue for some time - and not visibly suffering beyond being a few mugs short at dinner.
So a series that began with a focus on hard work, independence, and the strength needed to make a home for yourself and your family turned into a tale of blind luck. What a disappointing ending.
March 12, 2025
{March 2025 Reread}
not Kirsten literally burning her house to the ground my WORD
(although in fairness I would do the exact same thing with the baby raccoon so I honestly can't judge her at all)
((also, never really a fan of innocent bystander death being used as a deus ex machina for the protagonist's convenience. rip Old Jack))
not Kirsten literally burning her house to the ground my WORD
(although in fairness I would do the exact same thing with the baby raccoon so I honestly can't judge her at all)
((also, never really a fan of innocent bystander death being used as a deus ex machina for the protagonist's convenience. rip Old Jack))
June 21, 2020
not my favorite, let's just say. Kirsten makes more bad decisions throughout this series than I remember, pfft. but with the exception of Molly's older brother, all the big bros in these books make me so soft ;-;
January 25, 2025
So this one was wild.
December 7, 2025
Okay the final year review of The American Girl series is here. What an absolute delight! I highly recommend this journey. I read one series a month, taking a couple months off throughout the year. The American Girls books provide a lovely set of stories for anyone wanting lively and diverse stories, strong heroines, friendships, and a taste of nostalgia. They are well researched, heartwarming, believable, and are well written and easy reading. I can recommend these books to any girl wanting to get into reading or to any adult wanting a simple and engaging read. My favorites were in the following order:
Addy
Kirsten (tie)
Felicity (tie)
Kaya
Josephine
Samantha (tie)
Kit (tie)
Molly
This journey has been a highlight of my reading this year.
Addy
Kirsten (tie)
Felicity (tie)
Kaya
Josephine
Samantha (tie)
Kit (tie)
Molly
This journey has been a highlight of my reading this year.
March 13, 2017
As a child I enjoyed this book as much as the others. It was quite dramatic to me with a house burning down, and a bit creepy when later two children found a dead man in a cave in the woods.
Reading it again as an adult brings up some things that concern me a bit more, and it has nothing to do with the dead body. When Kirsten finds a baby raccoon in one of their traps, her mother tells her she may not bring it in the house. Later she does, when her mother is not home. It knocks over a lamp and the house burns down, though fortunately no one is injured.
What bothers me is that not once does Kirsten ever take or even seem to consider her responsibility in this. It's almost like it's just overlooked, or that the fire is dramatic enough to make it not important. She doesn't confess it to anyone, we don't see her wrestling with guilt... it seems like a good opportunity to show a healthy way to deal with shame, but instead we get nothing.
Other than that, it's a good story and a nice finale to this series which overall I enjoyed very much.
Reading it again as an adult brings up some things that concern me a bit more, and it has nothing to do with the dead body. When Kirsten finds a baby raccoon in one of their traps, her mother tells her she may not bring it in the house. Later she does, when her mother is not home. It knocks over a lamp and the house burns down, though fortunately no one is injured.
What bothers me is that not once does Kirsten ever take or even seem to consider her responsibility in this. It's almost like it's just overlooked, or that the fire is dramatic enough to make it not important. She doesn't confess it to anyone, we don't see her wrestling with guilt... it seems like a good opportunity to show a healthy way to deal with shame, but instead we get nothing.
Other than that, it's a good story and a nice finale to this series which overall I enjoyed very much.
October 13, 2022
3.5 stars
While I did enjoy this story, I did find it a bit odd and a little unrealistic for a ten-year-old girl to be off trapping with her brother and a friend and yet not have sense enough to know what harm a wild animal could do in a house. But of course everything worked out.
There was a mention that someone was in heaven because he’d been a good man.
While I did enjoy this story, I did find it a bit odd and a little unrealistic for a ten-year-old girl to be off trapping with her brother and a friend and yet not have sense enough to know what harm a wild animal could do in a house. But of course everything worked out.
There was a mention that someone was in heaven because he’d been a good man.
Read
January 17, 2020A truly bonkers story. Kirsten is responsible for burning down her family's home and most of their possessions, but they're saved ultimately by coming a cross a man dead in his cabin & selling his possessions so they can get enough money to afford a fancy new home?
I can only imagine the heads of the Pleasant Company sitting around at a meeting in the 80s greenlighting this plot: "Yeah, this is a great plot for kids!"
This book was hard for me because it tied up the Kirsten series in a physical way only. It does not focus on Kirsten's internal life or any of her relationships, so it feels like we were just cut off.
I can only imagine the heads of the Pleasant Company sitting around at a meeting in the 80s greenlighting this plot: "Yeah, this is a great plot for kids!"
This book was hard for me because it tied up the Kirsten series in a physical way only. It does not focus on Kirsten's internal life or any of her relationships, so it feels like we were just cut off.
January 27, 2025
Don't like ending on a less-than-positive note with this series, but I did not like this last book in the series at all.
Kirsten went off the deep end on this one ~ her continued disobedience caught up with her one this one. Very serious, Kirsten, very bad.
It had devastating for everyone. No, it wasn't intentional, and Mama voiced what was really important, but Kirsten didn't even get in trouble on page. And it could have been fatal for many.
And then the ending was not cool. I can't share because, spoilers, but was not a fan whatsoever.
Oh well, they can't all be outstanding I guess! :)
✨📚☕💙☕📚✨More in-depth reviews on my Youtube Wrap Up videos.
Kirsten went off the deep end on this one ~ her continued disobedience caught up with her one this one. Very serious, Kirsten, very bad.
It had devastating for everyone. No, it wasn't intentional, and Mama voiced what was really important, but Kirsten didn't even get in trouble on page. And it could have been fatal for many.
And then the ending was not cool. I can't share because, spoilers, but was not a fan whatsoever.
Oh well, they can't all be outstanding I guess! :)
✨📚☕💙☕📚✨More in-depth reviews on my Youtube Wrap Up videos.
November 27, 2024
books 5 and 6 are just blatant character assassination of my good friend Kirsten Larson. that's my story and I'm sticking to it. the girl i know HAS HEART and would not constantly endanger her family for wild animals.
January 15, 2024
Racoon = 🔥 (like this book was)
April 6, 2011
Wasn't as into this one--I found it odd that after the Larsons' house burned down, there was no further discussion of Kirsten's role in what happened. Everybody was just happy that they were conveniently able to get enough money to buy their neighbor's house, and that the neighbor was also conveniently leaving. A bit too contrived for me. Also was getting more irritated at this point by Kirsten's disobedience having massive consequences for her family. Somebody needs to tie that girl to a chair.
Kids who have done awful things and have been really sad about them would probably enjoy this book more than I did.
Kids who have done awful things and have been really sad about them would probably enjoy this book more than I did.
December 20, 2021
After a brief hiatus, we’re finally finishing up the Kirsten books!
Changes for Kirsten by Janet Shaw is probably one of my least favorite American Girl books. Kirsten makes an awful decision in this book, and everyone winds up being so thankful that Kirsten and her siblings are safe and what little she does to save things afterwards. But no one is upset at her, nor does she face any punishment. Granted there are natural consequences of her decision, very, very big ones, but her mother doesn’t say a single negative word towards her. Maybe it’s meant to show how hard life on the prairie was, that a simple choice could have such a devastating impact, but it didn’t sit right to me.
Also, the last chapter felt very abrupt so much that I had to describe to her what all transpired before the last chapter started, that wasn’t specifically called out.
I do like the hopefulness of the last chapter and that Kirsten’s family is finally started to feel at home in American. But for a series that started out with one of my all-time favorites, it’s a bit disappointing to end Kirsten’s story this way.
3.5/5
Changes for Kirsten by Janet Shaw is probably one of my least favorite American Girl books. Kirsten makes an awful decision in this book, and everyone winds up being so thankful that Kirsten and her siblings are safe and what little she does to save things afterwards. But no one is upset at her, nor does she face any punishment. Granted there are natural consequences of her decision, very, very big ones, but her mother doesn’t say a single negative word towards her. Maybe it’s meant to show how hard life on the prairie was, that a simple choice could have such a devastating impact, but it didn’t sit right to me.
Also, the last chapter felt very abrupt so much that I had to describe to her what all transpired before the last chapter started, that wasn’t specifically called out.
I do like the hopefulness of the last chapter and that Kirsten’s family is finally started to feel at home in American. But for a series that started out with one of my all-time favorites, it’s a bit disappointing to end Kirsten’s story this way.
3.5/5
February 18, 2018
I don’t remember what I thought of this one as a kid but now I liked it a lot and I liked seeing Kirsten’s family come full circle and finally work up to having the things they dreamed of having. I hope Kirsten mysteries and other future Kirsten books take place in their life in the new house so I can see what happens there!
July 7, 2021
A sweet ending to the Kirsten series, even if it does take a very dark turn in order to get there. That said, the unapologetically dark experiences Kirsten has are some of the reasons I like her series. Not all childhoods are filled with sunshine and roses and I liked seeing her be exposed to some of the world's less-happy moments.
January 29, 2024
Weird they never mentioned that Kirsten caused their house to be burned down
The info at the end also weirdly did not mention the potential fate of the family going to the Oregon trail which seemed weird to me.
The info at the end also weirdly did not mention the potential fate of the family going to the Oregon trail which seemed weird to me.
Read
June 18, 2022They bought a furnished house for $500 and they thought that was expensive *laughs in 2022*
May 28, 2024
Last book in Kirsten’s series. A sweet ending!
June 12, 2024
the one where Kirsten finds a dead body and steals all his stuff in order to make her family rich. they don't make them like they used to
January 27, 2023
this one is intense
Read
April 10, 2020well if this isn't some proto-libertarian, I-found-it-so-it's-mine, bootstrapping fallacy nonsense, I don't know what is. Kirsten is the worst.
May 1, 2008
CIP: A tough Minnesota winter brings many changes to Kirsten's frontier life, including the new responsibility of helping her brother Lars set his traps and move into a new house for her family.
Review: Part of the American Girl series, this is the 6th book about Kirsten and her family. Seemingly authentic in detail about the struggle of life on the frontier, it does lack deep character development. However, for those who enjoyed Little House on the Prairie, this would be a good fit without the length of the Little House books. Could also be a good read for someone interested in the Scandinavian families who came to the US and how their lives changed. Ages 7-10.
I could not find any editorial reviews for this one. Customer comments from Amazon, said:
"This is another wonderful story, that captured my nine-year-old daughter's heart, and my own
and
"I think this is a really good book, because it is very exciting"
Review: Part of the American Girl series, this is the 6th book about Kirsten and her family. Seemingly authentic in detail about the struggle of life on the frontier, it does lack deep character development. However, for those who enjoyed Little House on the Prairie, this would be a good fit without the length of the Little House books. Could also be a good read for someone interested in the Scandinavian families who came to the US and how their lives changed. Ages 7-10.
I could not find any editorial reviews for this one. Customer comments from Amazon, said:
"This is another wonderful story, that captured my nine-year-old daughter's heart, and my own
and
"I think this is a really good book, because it is very exciting"
January 23, 2013
Whew, Kirsten really messed up this time. I'm a little bothered by how all this was resolved and am still not entirely sure that was the right way to handle things. What's with the whole "finders keepers" attitude?
Not the best effort on the part of the author. Again, I find myself thinking that this was something that should have been a much much longer book (and maybe it could have held some consequences for some really BAD decisions made here....) and a different ending not all neat and tidy at the end?
I loved the house at the end, but getting there was really...convenient at the very least.
I hate to say this, but it's a story I'm really NOT happy to share with my daughters. And that's a real shame, it was a good series (for the most part) up until now.
Not the best effort on the part of the author. Again, I find myself thinking that this was something that should have been a much much longer book (and maybe it could have held some consequences for some really BAD decisions made here....) and a different ending not all neat and tidy at the end?
I loved the house at the end, but getting there was really...convenient at the very least.
I hate to say this, but it's a story I'm really NOT happy to share with my daughters. And that's a real shame, it was a good series (for the most part) up until now.
April 5, 2011
This is the last of the Kirsten books. It was exciting--Kirsten's cabin burned down and she and her brother discovered a dead trapper in a cave. Abby said, "this one's my favorite even though there was a burnt house and a dead man in it." I think she really liked it because the Larson family moved into a real house in the end. They were finally "home" after their long journey from Sweden. I asked Abby what she liked most about Kirsten, and she said it was Kirsten's faith. These were fun books to read, and Kirsten is a sweet character. Next up: Kit Kittredge and The Great Depression . . .
May 2, 2011
One day Kirsten went into the forest with Lars. They opened a raccoon out of the trap. The raccoon sprang to life! Lars said it must have gotten knocked out. Kirsten kept the raccoon inside the house alone with Peter and her little sister. Suddenly the raccoon knocked over a lantern! The house was on fire! Kirsten told Peter to take her little sister out. Kirsten saved the blue trunk. Yay!
April 17, 2020
This one is even worse than I remembered from when I was a child, and I hated it back then. Kirsten makes more terrible choices that lead to immense destruction, and the plot takes a very dark turn in which someone else's death on the frontier serves as the linchpin in the story to make everything turn out well for Kirsten's family, helping erase the devastating consequences of her mistakes. This is an incredibly unsatisfying ending to the series.
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