Lost and Found: A Samantha Classic Volume 2

American Girl: Samantha #4-6

by Valerie Tripp, Juliana Kolesova (Illustrator), Michael Dworkin (Illustrator)

Samantha is having all kinds of fun sharing adventures with ten-year-old twins, but when an adventure leads to danger, Samantha and her friends must focus all their attention on getting back to safety. Then Samantha learns that Nellie and her sisters are in serious trouble. Samantha sets her sights on saving her friend--and fighting for the family she’s always wanted. Can she find a way to do both before it’s too late?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction

169 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2014

About the author

Valerie Tripp is a children's book author, best known for her work with the American Girl series.

She grew up in Mount Kisco, New York with three sisters and one brother. A member of the first co-educated class at Yale University, Tripp also has a M.Ed. from Harvard. Since 1985 she has lived in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her husband teaches history at Montgomery College.

Right out of college, Tripp started writing songs, stories, and nonfiction for The Superkids Reading Program, working with Pleasant Rowland, the founder of American Girl. For that series, Tripp wrote all the books about Felicity, Josefina, Kit, Molly, and Maryellen and many of the books about Samantha. She also wrote the "Best Friends" character stories to date, plays, mysteries, and short stories about all her characters.. Film dramatizations of the lives of Samantha, Felicity, Molly, and Kit have been based on her stories. Currently, Tripp is writing a STEM series for National Geographic and adapting Greek Myths for Starry Forest Publishing. A frequent speaker at schools and libraries, Tripp has also spoken at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, The New York Historical Society, and Williamsburg.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the 2021 abridged relaunch of the Samantha Parkington series (Samantha: Lost and Found).

After the mess of a relaunch for the first 2021 volume in the Samantha series (Samantha: The Gift), I did not hold much hope for the second book...and yet I was pleasantly surprised.

And I'll admit it, I actually liked this version.

For the uninitiated, the original six Samantha books were published in 1986. Those six books were grouped into two volumes, denoted as the Beforever versions in 2014 and were fairly panned by the audience (story flow, lack of pictures, miniscule historical sections). The series was relaunched (again) in 2021 as the "abridged and edited" versions.

And, as I said earlier, the first abridged and edited version (The Gift) didn't work very well. It leaned HEAVY to the edited and not much to the abridged (they basically took four storylines from various books in the Samantha-verse and threw them together - really messing with the timeline and flow of the story).

Luckily, Samantha: Lost and Found took a much more conservative approach.

They definitely still took out a few major events (like Samantha's disaster of a birthday party) and a few minor ones, but they kept a lot of story intact AND (thank goodness), they didn't try to shoehorn in extra plots from the Samantha stories.

They did have to add in a few sentences to take into account things they changed in The Gift (i.e. Nellie's storyline changed a lot, so this book needed to have things added to compensate) but overall, it wasn't as bad as I feared.

(For a full list of the changes, you can check them out on the American Girl Wiki Page)

Also, for the people who love the illustrations and the historical sections for the American Girl books - they're baaaaack!

Seriously, one of my favorite things about the American Girl books is their beautiful paintings illustrating the books and the full-color photographs that accompany the historical sections. It is the extra details that really makes this series shine for me.

Overall Thoughts - Honestly, if I hadn't read the original Samantha books, I feel like I would be quite pleased with this story.

There will always be a small part of me that goes, "hey! You forgot X and moved Y!!" but also, I have to admit that this story flowed really well.

I still think there could have been a bit more attention to Nellie - she plays such a huge role in the last third of the book with pretty much no presence in the first two-thirds...but even that wasn't soooo bad.

More reviews in the Samantha-verse

Main Series:
Meet Samantha - ★★★★☆
Samantha Learns a Lesson - ★★★★★
Samantha's Surprise - ★★★★☆
Happy Birthday, Samantha - ★★★★☆
Samantha Saves the Day - ★★★★★
Changes for Samantha - ★★★★☆
Samantha's Boxed Set - ★★★★☆

Best Friend Book:
Nellie's Promise - ★★★★★

Short Stories:
Samantha's Winter Party - ★★★★★
Samantha Saves the Wedding - ★★★★☆
Samantha and the Missing Pearls - ★★★★☆
Samantha's Blue Bicycle - ★★★★★
Samantha's Special Talent - ★★★☆☆
Samantha's Short Story Collection - ★★★★☆

Mystery Books (My Order):
The Curse of Ravenscourt - ★★★★★
The Stolen Sapphire - ★★★★☆
Clue in the Castle Tower - ★★★★☆
Danger in Paris - ★★★☆☆
The Cry of the Loon - ★★★★☆

Additional Historical and Activity Books:
The American Girls Cookbook - ★★★★★
The American Girls Party Book - ★★★★★
Samantha's Cookbook - ★★★★★
Samantha's Cooking Studio - ★★★★★
Samantha's Craft Book - ★★★★★
Samantha's Friendship Fun - ★★★☆☆
Samantha's Ocean Liner Adventure - ★★★★★
Samantha's Theater Kit - ★★★★☆
Samantha's Valentine Crafts - ★★☆☆☆
Samantha's Wedding Memories - ★★☆☆☆
Samantha's World: A Girl's-eye View of the Turn of the Century - ★★★★★
The Titanic (American Girl: Real Stories From My Time) - ★★★☆☆
Welcome to Samantha's World · 1904 - ★★★★★

Beforever (Re-Release of Main Series in mid 2010s):
Manners & Mischief - ★★☆☆☆
Lost and Found - ★★★☆☆

Abridged Version (Re-Release of Main Series in 2020s):
Samantha: The Gift - ★★☆☆☆
Samantha: Lost and Found - ★★★★☆

Beginner Reader & Picture Books:
Samantha Helps a Friend (Step Into Reading) - ★★★☆☆
Happy Birthday! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★★
Making a Difference (Little Golden Book) - ★★★☆☆
Time for School! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆

[Miranda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is for the 2014 Beforever relaunch of the Samantha Parkington series (Lost and Found: A Samantha Classic)

This is the second volume in the relaunch and contains (almost) the entirety of books 4, 5 and 6 from the original Samantha main series (Happy Birthday, Samantha, Samantha Saves the Day, and Changes for Samantha) with only a few edits to the text.

I will say, it does work *slightly* better than Manners & Mischief (which contains books 1 - 3 of the original series) but it still isn't great, and if you have the ability, I would highly recommend trying to pick up the original books.

The reason I'm such a stickler on the originals is mainly due to the illustrations, the historical content, and the overall flow of the story.

The original books have these gorgeous full-color paintings throughout the story of Samantha Parkington. It's a lot of fun to see the expressions on her face. And there's mini paintings as well, of various objects she interacts with or things that she sees.

This might sound like a small detail, but I found it to be really touching to see the paintings that her mom made before she passed away and it's objectively hilarious to see young Uncle Gard with his giant fish. To me, these little moments really made the series sparkle.

Additionally, the original books have these lovely Peek into the Past sections that really delve into the historical background of the series.

We learn about childhood in the early 1900s - what children wore, played with, and behaved like. There's information about the outdoors, and how people would flock to summer places if they could to enjoy the fresh air. And we are taught about major inventions of that time period - ones that would change Samantha's world forever.

And while the new book does have a tiny historical section that covers all three sections, it is watered down. It's missing the photographs of the people, the fashions, and the locations. It does tell us a little, but it isn't as cool as seeing the images alongside the words.

And finally, the biggest reason that I put this book at 3-stars is that the three individual stories combined into this book simply aren't meant to be published this way.

There are certain things you can get away with when Samantha's books are split into the original six individual novels that just doesn't work as well for this 3-in-1 version.

In books 4 and 5 (Happy Birthday, Samantha and Samantha Saves the Day), Nellie (Samantha's best friend) isn't mentioned. She returns for a big role in the sixth book (Changes for Samantha).

It's safe to assume that Nellie was probably working for the Birthday story and Nellie definitely couldn't take off to spend the summer with Samantha in Piney Point for the fifth book.

It's a bit clunky to not mention Nellie in those two then swing around to focusing entirely on her for the last book but I think it still works because those stories are meant to be read on their own - kind of like vignettes into Samantha's life. She's a child and she might not mention all her friends if she's focused on specific situation.

But when you read the 3-in-1 book, there's an expectation of cohesion and flow to the story that is beyond what you'd expect for the six individual novels.

In this book, you see Samantha with random friends in the beginning, see her hanging out with her step-cousins in the middle of the book, and then (suddenly) in the last third, she talks on and on about this "Nellie" who is supposedly her best friend.

To me, this doesn't work because if Nellie truly is Samantha's best friend, why wouldn't Nellie show up in the beginning or middle of the book? Even for just a line here and there.

And finally, for the curious - from what I can tell the 3-in-1 version does keep much of the story intact, with only a brief transition written here and there to try to bridge the time jumps from the original books. I did double check the American Girl Wiki page and found that that agrees with my assessment.

More Reviews in the Samantha-verse

Main Series:
Meet Samantha - ★★★★☆
Samantha Learns a Lesson - ★★★★★
Samantha's Surprise - ★★★★☆
Happy Birthday, Samantha - ★★★★☆
Samantha Saves the Day - ★★★★★
Changes for Samantha - ★★★★☆
Samantha's Boxed Set - ★★★★☆

Best Friend Book:
Nellie's Promise - ★★★★★

Short Stories:
Samantha's Winter Party - ★★★★★
Samantha Saves the Wedding - ★★★★☆
Samantha and the Missing Pearls - ★★★★☆
Samantha's Blue Bicycle - ★★★★★
Samantha's Special Talent - ★★★☆☆
Samantha's Short Story Collection - ★★★★☆

Mystery Books (My Order):
The Curse of Ravenscourt - ★★★★★
The Stolen Sapphire - ★★★★☆
Clue in the Castle Tower - ★★★★☆
Danger in Paris - ★★★☆☆
The Cry of the Loon - ★★★★☆

Additional Historical and Activity Books:
The American Girls Cookbook - ★★★★★
The American Girls Party Book - ★★★★★
Samantha's Cookbook - ★★★★★
Samantha's Cooking Studio - ★★★★★
Samantha's Craft Book - ★★★★★
Samantha's Friendship Fun - ★★★☆☆
Samantha's Ocean Liner Adventure - ★★★★★
Samantha's Theater Kit - ★★★★☆
Samantha's Valentine Crafts - ★★☆☆☆
Samantha's Wedding Memories - ★★☆☆☆
Samantha's World: A Girl's-eye View of the Turn of the Century - ★★★★★
The Titanic (American Girl: Real Stories From My Time) - ★★★☆☆
Welcome to Samantha's World · 1904 - ★★★★★

Beforever (Re-Release of Main Series in mid 2010s):
Manners & Mischief - ★★☆☆☆
Lost and Found - ★★★☆☆

Abridged Version (Re-Release of Main Series in 2020s):
Samantha: The Gift - ★★☆☆☆
Samantha: Lost and Found - ★★★★☆

Beginner Reader & Picture Books:
Samantha Helps a Friend (Step Into Reading) - ★★★☆☆
Happy Birthday! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★★
Making a Difference (Little Golden Book) - ★★★☆☆
Time for School! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆

[Celina Weersinghe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book just as much as the other one, but this one was a little more dramatic in my opinion. But it was still a good book. My favorite part was when it was Samantha’s tenth birthday party! Overall I totally recommend this book too!!

[Sarah Orton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the Samantha books as a kid. They're still entertaining. My favorite part was always the "Peek Into the Past" section, which included interesting photos, facts and illustrations from the time period. And the illustrations throughout the books were beautiful! I loved seeing Samantha wearing her various outfits from the doll collection. I would spend hours reading these books!

Well, this new edition is a travesty. They've poorly spliced together three of the books, and have removed ALL ILLUSTRATIONS. Basically the books have been gutted with the price remaining the same. Why are they cheating girls out of the bulk of the stories and illustrations? Shame!

I'm so disappointed, but I'm happy that I still have my old books. Don't bother buying these. Look for the older copies instead.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh Samantha! I loved her as a child and you can see why, Samantha is the little rich girl we all wanted to be lol! My favorite and least favorite parts of Samantha's story involve Nellie, Samantha's best friend who is also a child laborer. Samantha herself is so sheltered that it is hard for her to understand just how hard Nellie's life is. These stories introduce women's suffrage in the US and the Orphan Train. I will be interested to see what parts of this book stood out to the book club girls most.

[Tammy Landgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The version of the book I read didn't have this cover. I think it may have been abridged, because each of the stories felt a little incomplete. Even adding 5-10 pages to each of the three stories would have helped the plot feel a little more complete, and could have gotten into a little more historical information for the reader. That said, Samantha is a spunky girl with a heart of gold. I can't figure out why she didn't get into more trouble for her crazy ideas, but her heart was always in the right place.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic AG book. This one is the original last three books combined into one. You can tell that the transitions used to be completely different stories, but it's not bad. I like all the stories though. They are heartwarming.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick-paced adventures for Samantha and her uncle's young sisters-in-law, this book lacks an overall plot, as it meanders through the year. Again, it lacks a real feel for the time period.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.1

[Taylor Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read, and Samantha Parkington is easily one of my favorite American Girl characters. While I do have to read the books for work, I actually enjoy most of them.
Samantha is an orphan being raised by her Grandmary in Mount Bedford, New York, but eventually moves into live with her Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia in New York City. Upon arriving in the city, Samantha learns that her dear friend Nellie, also an orphan, has been sent to live with her Uncle Mike in the city as well. However, the girls are being raised in different financial situations. Samantha becomes concerned as she does not hear from Nellie as Nellie told her she would. Samantha moves to find what has happened with Nellie.
The Samantha series is a great adventure for girls who love more adventure but also enjoy stories of friendship. Samantha rejects Grandmary's ideas of the "proper young lady" and tends to find herself in situations that help her to help her friends.
I would recommend this book to younger girls, or girls who are struggling with reading. The language used is challenging enough to improve them, but not so challenging that they would not understand it.
I would use this book to help students who are struggling by showing them that not all texts are superbly difficult, but are enough to help them advance. The adventures that Samantha finds herself on are sometimes scary and sometimes fun. Girls today would be able to relate to Samantha's need to help everyone.

[Kara Kuehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I just love Samantha so much, but I did have some issues with this book in particular.

First of all, it’s Samantha’s birthday at the beginning of the book. It’s mentioned later that Nellie is living and working nearby so why wasn’t Nellie invited to Samantha’s birthday party? That bothered me.

Okay, I know American Girl combined the last 3 books of the original series into one book (which I am not a fan of), but the transitions were a bit rough. They tried to tie it all together, but I just don’t think it worked.
For example, Chapter 9 ends with summer’s end, and chapter 10 starts with Valentine’s Day preparation. That’s a long time in between those chapters!

My last bit of criticism is the summer portion (the middle story) was a bit too dramatic. I just didn’t think it needed to be as dramatic as they made it.

Things to be aware of in “Lost and Found:”

Language:
- 1 “dumb”
- 1 “stupid”
- 1 “gosh”
Name calling including: “ninnies,” and nincompoop.”

Additional Notes:
- A character is called “fat”
- A character disobeys a rule after encouragement. There is no remorse and we are never told if it was found out.
- A boy insults a girl saying, “You eat like a horse.”

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with other books in this collection, I enjoyed the story and feel it has some valuable lessons for young girls. My critique of this book as it's companion, however, is that there are plot holes. Samantha is given a doll pram by her uncle. In the course of the story, she leaves the pram in a park. We never see if she returns for it and finds it gone. In fact, we never hear of the pram again!

[C.A. Craven · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the original books, but while one volume instead of three is more convenient, there was absolutely no call for removing the illustrations except allowing Matel to sell more, by changing which if Samantha's outfits was "in the book". Good thing I've still got my classic editions!

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

The American Girl books are very good. I have read this one twice now.

[Kristen Luppino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, two distinct stories in one book. I don't like that...the stories were OK, but the mostly unrelated story thing is annoying.

[Emily]

2nd

[Grace]

read it 2 times it is like 3 books in 1 do to story lines!