The Front Window

Barbie and Friends Book Club

by Claire Jordan, Della Foster, Mattel

Let your imagination run wild, and you'll be sure to find... Barbie! She can do things and go places that others only dream of. Whether she's a member of royalty from long ago or a mermaid living under the sea, Barbie still knows how to be the best friend ever!

As a successful dressmaker in the Victorian era, Barbie has everything she could ever want - except the right to vote! When the local paper refuses to print a story on women's rights, Barbie's and Skipper's beliefs are put to the test. They have to act - even if it means losing everything.

Genres: Childrens

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Lizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed by the amount of historical information this little Barbie book packed in. The photo illustrations are compelling and the story is interesting. A good jumping off point for teaching kids about the American suffrage movement!

[Bulk Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

skipper's cheerleading coach becky makes a reappearance in this book. except now she's running the school newspaper. she's kind of like barbie in that way. anyway, she assigns kids in the newspaper club new articles to write. one kid gets to go to a concert, and skipper has to write about women's suffrage.

don't get me wrong. i was a history major. i like to learn about history. but it is totally not fair that one kid has to do homework and the other doesn't. unless, did becky know skipper would have a dream transporting her to the 1870s? maybe she's magical as well as a multi-faceted career switcher. would not surprise me at all.

the story was truly interesting, educational, and had some great characters. and the doll dioramas were absolutely gorgeous. i loved all the gowns, the general store and dress shop. my favorite quote was when skipper thought susan b. anthony was fighting for women's suffering.

i really wish stacie and kelly had been around too, but oh well.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. I was attracted to this book because of the lovely dress of the cover, of course. I didn't anticipate it was about the birth of feminism/women's rights, but it was interesting. I feel it was greatly simplified but of course that's understandable, and overall it was both moderate and sensible. It was very modern in style, but I loved the dresses—and the newspaper's name and moto were so cool! Overall, it wasn't a great story, but it was decent.