Chrissa

American Girl: Chrissa #1

by Mary Casanova

Chrissa Maxwell moves to a new school in the middle of the year, and the girls in her fourth-grade class are decidedly unfriendly. On the advice of her grandmother, Chrissa tries first to be nice, and then to ignore the mean girls. But they just won't quit, and when the teasing turns into serious bullying, Chrissa must find the courage to stand strong and speak out.

Genres: Childrens, Contemporary, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Chapter Books, School

130 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2008

About the author

Mary Casanova is an award-winning children's author of novels and picture books. Many of her books stem from her life on the Minnesota-Canadian border; yet some of her stories have taken her as far away as France, Norway, and Belize for research. Whatever the setting for her books, Casanova writes stories that matter--and stories that kids can't put down.

Her book awards include: American Library Association "Notable," Aesop Accolades by the American Folklore Society, Parents' Choice "Gold" Award, Booklist Editor Choice, and two Minnesota Book Awards. Her books frequently land on state children's choice book master lists across the country. "The greatest reward for me," Casanova states, "is when a young reader tells me she or he loves one of my books. For me, it's all about communicating writer-to-reader through a character and story."

Casanova grew up in a family of ten children in St. Paul, Minnesota. In a bustling camp-like atmosphere, Casanova found that writing became her voice. "Words are my paintbrush," she explains, "my way of exploring the world around me."

Now, with 19 books published and many more under contract and forthcoming, she divides her time between writing and traveling. Nationally and internationally, at schools and conferences, Casanova shares her love of writing and reading with children and adults.

Her newest novel, The Klipfish Code, makes use of Mary's on-site research in Norway. The story explores an important facet of Norwegian history through the experiences of Marit, a 12-year-old Norwegian girl who finds a way to fight against the 5-year Nazi occupation of Norway. Marit and her brother Lars are separated from their parents (who are working for the Resistance) and sent to live on an island with their gruff grandfather and school teacher aunt. During the course of the story, Marit's aunt is one of the Norwegian school teachers that gets sent to a concentration camp for refusing to integrate Nazi propaganda into her classroom. With potential danger waiting every turn, Marit finds a way to help the Resistance and eventually reunite her family.

Mary's series, Dog Watch (Simon and Schuster) is based on her northern Minnesota village where dogs are allowed to roam free—as long as they don't get in trouble. If they get in trouble, they earn a sticker on their page at the village clerk's office; too many stickers and a trouble-making dog must remain at home. "I never know where the next story will come from. It’s a delight when the stories come right from this corner of the world I call home." She makes her home in a 100-year old house on Rainy Lake with her husband, Charles, and their three "above average" dogs and spends free time with their horses, Jay and Midnight.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Changing schools is like entering a parallel universe..."

Following the passing of her grandfather, Chrissa and her family move to Minnesota to live with her Nana. At first Chrissa is excited...but soon she begins to dread school.

"Didn't get any valentine's?" she whispered. "How sad!"
And the Sonali and Jadyn started giggling.

Chrissa has to sit at Cluster Four with the "Mean Bees" - Tara, Jadyn and Sonali. They are at the top of the pecking order for the fourth grade and they know it.

"The Mean Bees were behind us by a few people and Tara rolled her eyes at me. I pretended I didn't care."

Chrissa tries her best to appear unbothered but every mean comment, rude action, and muffled laughter cuts at her. And if it's bad for Chrissa, it's so much worse for Gwen.

Chrissa doesn't know what to do - but she's determined to find a way to stop this once and for all.

"I'd never really hated anyone before, but a hot ember was beginning to burn in my chest."

Whew! Such a great Girl of the Year!

For the curious, the American Girl company has their Historical doll line and their Girl of the Year line. The GOTY changes each year and has a doll with a story set in the year she's released.

And having read quite a few of these stories so far - I have to say, I am enjoying the series but this one absolutely stands out.

Cause the AG company could just do a "lala I love to do X and wear Y" kind of book just to sell the dolls and accessories...but instead we have fully fleshed out novels with complex plots and life lessons seamlessly blended in.

In short: this might be my favorite Girl of the Year yet.

I love the way Chrissa is shown dealing with the bullies, and how the author isn't afraid to make the girls truly awful. It was realistic and honest.

The character development of Chrissa, and her two friends, was impressive and felt so solid to me. I felt like the author did such a good job of expressing the emotions of those being bullied - and I truly felt for the characters.

I honestly got a little teary at the end as well. Great anti-bullying message and fabulous book all around!

[Bailee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chrissa was my favorite American Girl doll growing up and I remember reading this book and watching the movie in middle school. I recently read it again and brought back a lot of nostalgia. 🥲 Chrissa’s story resinates just as much today as it did back then.
Speak up. Stand strong. Be kind. 🩷

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the American Girl historical series growing up (Kaya, Felicity, Josephina, Addy, Kirsten, Samantha, Kit, and Molly). This is one of the newer books featuring an American Girl Today (a specific girl/doll that is only available for one year). I thought that it was a decent read, the characters seemed a bit stereotypical, but I overall liked the plotline and how it encourages girls to stand up to bullies. The author added some nice touches here and there but overall I felt that this book was very average. Of course I probably would have more thoroughly enjoyed this book if I was in the target age range (ages 8-12)

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually liked this book more than I thought... Although it is an American Girl book, the problems Chrissa faces are very real and almost anyone can feel what she is going through. In the end this is an easy, short read and it will not waste your time!

[Kryssy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the movie when it came out. Not only because chrissa has a name similar to mine, but also because she was treated similarly to me. She had to stand up to bullies and find where she fit in. Not just automatically be popular because of a special talent. And taking place in the midwest is something that isn’t shown as much as it should. Since i loved the movie so much, i figured i should read the source material

I can’t tell if this was written for little girls or for the parents of little girls. Some parts are very descriptive while others aren’t

As much as i understand how hard it is to tell about bullying, i wish chrissa had at least tried to tell an adult at least once so we can understand why she didn’t want to tell. Maybe they didn’t listen or think she was overreacting. This is something that i think the movie did really well. We got to see chrissa’s character and see that she’s uncomfortable bringing up something like that

We didn’t get much of the swimming classes, but i guess there will be more in the next book

- Grandpa died recently
- Wants to help with the llamas
- Started school on Friday the 13th before Valentine’s Day
- Desk is with the mean girls
- Noticed gwen all sad then realized it’s the same girl they picked on
- Tara is nice to tyler, Chrissa’s brother
- Cat likes to play with the dripping faucet
- Sonali calls chrissa
- Take the llamas through drive thru. Fun until tara and jadyn show up there
- Large pottery order. Ask at teacher to make it a project
- Plan to become friends with gwen. Power in numbers
- Chrissa was stabbed and actually had lead stuck in her back
- During free swim, mean bees were playing catch with Gwen, slowly making her inch toward the deep end
- Sonali is slowly being nicer to chrissa
- Tyler comes up to chrissa during swim and slaps her goggles on her face
- Sonali calls to apologize for the joke and asks to come over
- Passing notes on class to set up a plan to come over
- Chrissa teaches sonali how to knit
- Sonali leaves at dinner when she was supposed to sleepover
- Magazine project led to gwen wanting a haircut from chrissa
- Art teacher comes into the bathroom and sees Chrissa with hair and scissors
- Meeting with principal and girls and all parents
- Finally tells mom about everything
- Telling vs tattling
- Gwen’s mom speaks how much donations help. Chrissa finds out they’re homeless
- Sonali is done with tara
- Make headbands to match each other
- Asked mr beck to switch up seating clusters

[Literaturelover333 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read, especially for younger readers, as a way of introducing themselves to bullying and the importance of standing up to themselves and speaking out if ever a victim of bullying.

The story is told first hand by Chrissa, a young girl who has recently moved to live with her grandmother and therefore is starting at a new school. Things get worse when she is put to sit with the ''Mean Bees'' the bullies of her fourth-grade class who instantly start bullying her, by pulling countless pranks on her, even getting her brother, Tyler, involved.

By the end of the book, Chrissa learns to stand up for herself and one of the bullies, Sonali, realises that this is not who she really wants to be.

Aside from the issue of bullying, this short novel covers the important themes of trust, justice, gender stereotypes and poverty/homelessness.

Overall, a very enjoyable short read and I would strongly recommend the movie as well titled similarly to this book's sequel: ''Chrissa Stands Strong''.

[Madi ♥'s Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love American girl doll books very much and I enjoy reading Mary Casanova's books that she writes for American Girl. I enjoyed reading this book, even though Chrissa is an old American Girl doll the book is totally great. Mary Casanova is one of my most favorite authors and I love how this book is so fun it just makes you want to read more. I can compare myself to Chrissa because she moved to a new place and a new school just like I had. Chrissa had to go through challenges such as bullying, making new friends, and even snobby girls! But even through all those challenges Chrissa pulled herself through. This book is very realistic and it encourages people to not be afraid of standing up for other people or for yourself. I loved this book a lot and I hope I can be able to read the second book when I can get to it.
Happy Readings! ♥

[colleen bucco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel that this book is one the the school and teachers alike should read because it sawed that if a student is being bullied they will feel that they have no choice but to take it because they may feel that they will not believe but Chrissa was able to talk to her parents and told the school what was happening also she found out that she is able to use voice for others and in a bad way and change that way she feels about what is happened in school

[Sheelie Kittee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe bullying may occur more than even I realized, prior to reading this short novella. It's sad and given our society, given everything in terms of technology and social media, this is still a very problematic issue in society and for young boys and girls. And of course, in many cases social media may indeed be a cause of it.

Let's always be kind. =)

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt so many emotions...
Moving in with her grandma hit home. My family did that.
A book about being bullied in achool. I ached for poor Chrissa, and the others. The injustice burned! It explored telling someone trusted, verses keeping it all secret and hurting inside.
I want to read about what happens next, now that change is being worked on. One practical step was already made.
Quite good.

[Judy E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a convincing story about Chrissa, a fourth grade student who is being bullied by a group of girls in her class. There is no internet abuse of Chrissa, but the events that are related make a believable tale that many girls will understand and enjoy.

[Wintermote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to open a conversation on bullying for this age group (9ish years old). I really thought this was well-written and appreciated the discussion questions and Q&A from “real girls” on bullying and tricky friendships.

[Hillary Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent lesson of all ages. I think everyone experiences some type of bully at some point in their lives. As an adult, I'm dealing with a similar situation now. This story has a happy ending and gives great real life examples of the thought process of someone being bullied.

[Edie Walls · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still stand by the fact that this is one of the strongest Girl of the Year storylines - a real contemporary issue that a fifth grader might like to see represented in a story. Also I love the Chrissa doll :)

[alivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 stars! i absolutely loved this book. it’s no surprise that i would, i used to watch the movie every day when i was younger. this was one of the few american girl stories that i could really relate to growing up. the movie was always my favorite, and now i also love the book.

[Katarina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.33

[Madison’s Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great book and I really liked it a lot!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. I thought it was going to be boring but it was surprisingly good. I was super surprised how likable Chrissa was and how the internal struggles were written so well.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average story, but the illustrations are fabulous!

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the movie as a kid and decided to read the book. Definitely a lot more build up on the bullying that happened. The book felt a lot more organic compared to the movie. Throughly enjoyed it!

[Sarah Adair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how this book addresses bullying.

[Amanda Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chrissa’s story is about bullying, and is overall done well, just falls a bit flat.

[Kaitlyn Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice to read an American Girl book since I hadn't read one in a while.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I watched this movie back when she was girl of the year

[iris the dead flower · Rating 5 out of 5]

read aloud for chrissa while my gf read all the other characters. #lovewins

[Olu Stephanie Okolue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very en-couraging book!

[Shani · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Edited 12/29/17 -
Okay, because of reasons, I re-read this book within the past few days. I have now changed the rating from 3 stars to 4.

I'm realizing now that I didn't really read it. I couldn't have. I must have only flipped through it. Or maybe, I could just be seeing it now with more matured eyes. Because it was not the story I remembered. I enjoyed this one. It was well written, and everything flowed smoothly. No plot holes, no head-scratching. Sure, there were parts I wonder about,* but over all it was a well put together story. I also think the author got the setting down pretty good as well. It sounds very much like some of the outlining suburbs of Minneapolis, and even the south side of said city.

(Actually, now that I think about it some more, it sound especially like Minneapolis; at least South Minneapolis. For their to be that sort of diversity, economically speaking at least, it would be very plausible.)

The one thing I kind of wanted was to get to know the characters better. I feel like I didn't know much about them. Granted, though, it was a very plot-driven story. So there's that. There are points of characterization that show through, such as in the way Chrissa reacts and handles events, and grief over her late grandfather is show.

On the subject of the latter of those, it was very well done in my opinion. I could feel the emotion. Which I find as a marker of good writing. If I get emotional with a work—be it book or screen, novel or fanfic—that's when I realize I'm reading something that is good. With this, I felt myself get watery-eyed when Chrissa spoke of a moment with her grandfather. I was getting upset and annoyed by the Mean Bees myself. I felt the emotion come through from the pages, and I love it when that happens. It's something that I, as a writer myself, aspire to do with my own writing.

So, this wasn't my favorite book. But it was a pleasant surprise, and an enjoyable story. I fitting bumped up my rating accordingly because of that.

*Like having to go to another room for art class. Maybe it's because I didn't go to a brick-and-mortar school, but I thought it's generally all one teacher for grades before middle school. I could be wrong.

--
Original Review:

There were things I like about this book, and things I didn't. It was okay, but I wouldn't add it to my top 25 favorite AG books. Honestly, the whole year of '09 was an off year for American Girl's GOTY, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, it handled the topic well enough. But there was just something "eh" about it...

[Mccaya Heirigs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book because I received the movie for Christmas so it encouraged me to read the book. I thought it was a really interesting book because it talks about her experience with bullying. So Chrissa is new to her school and really wants to make some friends. All of a sudden, her so called friends turned their backs on her and started bullying her. Chrissa tried to take her Grandmothers advice and just try to be nice. So she did but nothing worked! After a while, it turned to extreme bullying and she needed help! She got help from her teacher and the bullying stopped. Her experience helped her help other kids who were bullied! I really liked this book!

[Luisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my students brought this book with her to read if she finished our district standardized testing early and offered to lend it to me later. I was pretty impressed with the book--besides addressing the issue of bullying in schools, it also dealt with gender roles (Chrissa's mother is a doctor and her father is a stay-at-home potter), and it also wove in some discussion of homelessness. Bullying is the only issue that is dealt with in a substantive way, but the other issues are touched on in a pretty authentic way, I think. The writing and the characters were strong. I think a lot of students would relate to this book and enjoy it.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that I love this book because Audrey loved it. She likes Junie B. Jones and has read those on her own, but it is hard to get her to focus on and listen to an entire chapter book. We have started so many of my favorites as a child: the Boxcar Children, Ramona, Fudge, etc. and not completed them. Audrey listened, enjoyed and asked for more chapters every night. We are now well into the second book in the series. I have even tried reading her other American Girl doll books, like Samantha, which I think is great. This is the book that she liked.