Meet Rebecca

American Girl: Rebecca #1

by Jacqueline Dembar Greene, Robert Hunt (Illustrator), Jennifer Hirsch (Editor)

Rebecca Rubin longs to be the center of attention, but it's not easy in a family of five children! When mysterious cousin Max, the actor, tells her the secret to pleasing an audience, Rebecca can hardly wait to try it out. Then she learns that her young cousin Ana and her family are in danger--they must escape Russia and come to America. Rebecca decides to raise money for their passage by putting on a show right in her New York City neighborhood-until her disapproving grandmother steps in. Unexpectedly, Rebecca finds another way to earn money. But she knows that for her plan to work, she'll have to keep it a secret.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Historical, Fiction, Middle Grade, Jewish, Chapter Books

78 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Ms. Greene is an American author of more than 30 books and stories for young readers. In addition to her American Girl series, some of her notable books of fiction include: Out of Many Waters, a historical novel about the first Jewish settlement in America.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

"On Sunday afternoon, Rebecca stood at the kitchen sink, trying to clean melted wax from the candlesticks. Why should I have to clean these, she thought grumpily, when I can't even light the candles?"

Every Friday night signals the start of the Sabbath for Rebecca's family. As part of the holy tradition, Rebecca's older sisters (Sadie and Sophie) are allowed to say a prayer and light the two candles.

And Rebecca could not be any more jealous. Every week she has to sit there and watch them light the candles - knowing full well that SHE has the prayer memorized and she would do an AMAZING job of lighting the candles.

Then Rebecca gets an idea.

If I had some candlesticks of my own, Rebecca thought, Mama would have to let me light candles.

Rebecca's older cousin, Max, has stumbled into town, carrying stories about acting and dreams of the silver screen.

"What an actress!" Max exclaimed. "Our Beckie's a natural talent."
... Grandpa slapped the table. "Acting is a no-good life for a young lady."

Rebecca begins scheming to use her acting talents to obtain her coveted candlesticks when her Papa drops a cold bucket of water on all her plans.

Ana (Rebecca's cousin) and her family need to escape Russia as the war escalates. Her uncle is scared that her boy-cousins will be conscripted into the war and Ana is very sick. They need money for passage to America as soon as possible.

Rebecca must make a decision with her money - candlesticks or her cousin's life?

Sooooo...this wasn't the strongest start to an American Girl series but it also wasn't the worst.

I felt like the plot felt a little lackluster - as a reader, you know that she's got to choose to give the money to save her cousin's life otherwise Rebecca would feel like a horrendously spoiled and unfeeling main character...so there wasn't much happening that felt like a surprise for me.

That being said, I rather liked getting to know Rebecca's large family - in just a few short pages, they felt very fleshed and I was eager to watch them all interact. You can definitely tell how much everyone loved each other, and I really adore books with families like that.

This is also the first American Girl book that I've read where religion plays such a prominent role. I've read Kirsten, Addy, Molly, and Samantha and while they will occasionally mention church, their books didn't really focus on that aspect of their lives.

I feel like Rebecca's story was really steeped in her family's traditions and I felt like I learned quite a bit about Judaism through her perspective.

I feel like I'm eager to continue her story and I hope the subsequent ones are a bit stronger.

More reviews in the Rebecca-verse

Main Series:
Meet Rebecca - ★★★☆☆
Rebecca and Ana - ★★★★☆
Candlelight for Rebecca - ★★★★★
Rebecca and the Movies - ★★★★☆
Rebecca to the Rescue - ★★★☆☆
Changes for Rebecca - ★★★☆☆
Rebecca's Boxed Set - ★★★★☆

Mystery Books:
Secrets at Camp Nokomis - ★★★☆☆
A Bundle of Trouble - ★★★☆☆
The Crystal Ball - ★★★☆☆
A Growing Suspicion - ★★★★☆
The Showstopper - ★★☆☆☆

Additional Historical and Activity Books:
American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook - ★☆☆☆☆

Beforever (Re-Release of Main Series in 2014):
The Sound of Applause - ★★★☆☆
Lights, Camera, Rebecca! - ★★★☆☆

Abridged Version (Re-Release of Main Series in 2019):
Rebecca: The Sound of Applause - ★★☆☆☆
Rebecca: Lights, Camera, Rebecca - ★★★★☆

Picture Books:
Grandmas are the Best! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆
Happy Birthday! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★★
Time for School! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this first a number of years ago. I reread it to see if my niece would enjoy it. Answer: Yes. This was a simple, but fun story about a family of Russian Jews who had immigrated to America. It takes place in 1914 when things were growing more difficult for the Jews in Russia. It is not a long story, and only the first in the series, but I enjoyed it.

[Kate Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been ages since I've read an American Girl book, so I was excited to finally read this one about Rebecca. The Yiddish and traditions sprinkled throughout as well as Rebecca's resourcefulness and imagination were fun to read.

I can't wait to pick up more books in this series! 🤍

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This'll be a review for Rebecca's whole series, which I'm giving a 3.5, rounded up because I ended up really liking her as a character.

Rebecca's series is set in 1914 and stars a young Jewish girl, daughter of Russian immigrants. So there are overarching themes of cultural and generational differences throughout, and probably the most coherent storyline to cover all six books in an American Girl's series that I've read. (Rebecca wants to be an actress, her family wouldn't approve, etc.) There are weightier issues, like unions in the sixth book and the still sadly relevant issue of how to deal with a culture that assumes Christianity is the norm. And there's Coney Island and making silent movies, so Rebecca has a very exciting time of it. She's a great character.

Re-read 2022: Coming back to Rebecca to follow along with the American Girls podcast. Rebecca is a fun character, spunky and resourceful in a realistic way. Her central conflict in this book (should I use the money I made for myself or for family? and how do I tell my family that I made money when they might not like it?) makes sense for her age and her family. In this particular book, I liked how being Jewish is simply the default for herself, her family, and most of the people she interacts with.

Whole series review, 2022: I really like Rebecca as a character, and I like how her family and home life are thoroughly steeped in Jewish culture. She has some fun and interesting set pieces in her books: Coney Island, an early movie studio, a strike. But there's a huge element of wish fulfillment in her stories, and especially with very tidy endings that strain disbelief. Am I being an overly critical adult in my reading? Maybe so.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't see any of the problems I saw people mentioning about it, in reviews. Perhaps they'll come in future books?
The emotions, troubles, and solutions were well done. I feel like the author did a good job of showing the hard parts of immigrating to America, but also the good things, and why some desired to leave their old country.
The historical note at the end was good! Again, highlighting the why, and the harder and good things about coming to America.
I enjoyed it a lot!

There were things I didn't like, but it didn't detract from the whole.

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rebecca was really brave in this story and thought of other people a lot. She learned that it's not all about her, she has to help other people too. Spoiler alert: her jokes are really funny, but that comes later in the book!

[Ashley Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

the beautiful thing about these books is seeing history reflected in them. you see girls being brave and growing up through hard times. rebecca’s story will always have a special place in my heart since it’s essentially my family’s story of coming to america.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I absolutely adored the American Girl books growing up, so with some time to kill in Barnes & Noble yesterday, I decided to pick up one of the ones that had come out in the time since I was the target audience.

Rebecca Rubin is a Russian-Jewish girl in New York City in 1914. And while I'm pleased they've tackled this era of immigrant families in turn of the century New York and also Jewish families, there was just too much exposition on the culture and traditions. I felt like instead of telling the story, everything needed to stop and be explained. Furthermore, there isn't a whole lot of story besides. Rebecca wants to be an actor like her cousin, but mostly she just wants people to stop thinking of her as little. Most of the book was focused on Rebecca's whining about one thing or another. Even when she sold her linens to pay for her (starving) cousin's way to America, she whinged about how angry her family would be with her. She's just not as likable a character as I come to expect from these books, and the storytelling lagged.

I did want to check to make sure this wasn't just my adult self rejecting something I would have enjoyed when I was nine. So I picked up Meet Kirsten: An American Girl, which was my favorite growing up for lots of reasons, least of all the fact that she had my last name and so that was the doll I ended up with. But Meet Kirsten held up to my standards. Without being explicit or as dark as things probably really were, it still gave a solid feeling of immigrating to the United States, with both real tragedy and joy. It's a story, and teaches you about another culture without being a Social Studies lesson.

For the Jewish aspect, some books I would recommend instead would include All-of-a-Kind Family, about a large Jewish family in turn-of-the-century New York City, that includes a lot about Jewish culture and holidays without beating you over the head with it. Or a great book about Russian-Jewish immigrants at the time would be Letters from Rifka, although it would be for a slightly older child.

Read my full review and comparisons to other books at my blog: http://shorteasywordsreviews.blogspot...

[Carolynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most of the American Girls series, Meet Rebecca features a spunky heroine who tries to honor her culture and still make her own way in life, this one a young Jewish immigrant in 1914. Spoiler Alert: In this book, Rebecca's interest in acting and motion pictures causes conflict with her more traditional grandparents. But whether she should spend the money she earns on her own pair of candlesticks or on helping her cousin's family never seems like a real question.
As usual, the book (Lexile measure 720L) is appropriate for middle grades and is enhanced with period photographs and a historical note. Readers interested in Meet Rebecca may also enjoy Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903 by Kathryn Lasky, part of the Dear America series. Zipporah is also a Jewish immigrant and an aspiring actress. I think a more satisfying series of American Girl books, set a little later in the twentieth century during the Great Depression, are the Kit books, by Valerie Tripp.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The great AG marathon continues as Katie catches up on the last 20 years of American Girl.

Before reading this one, I wondered if I would find Rebecca to be a drama queen, or obnoxiously outgoing. I knew she was an aspiring actress, and the most recent cover art leans into that idea pretty hard.

And yes, she has dramatic flair. But I like her a lot, and in fact I found myself identifying with her a lot more than I expected, remembering when I wanted to try acting as a kid.

But more than that, I loved her inner voice as she struggles between what she wants for herself and what she can do to help the family. I loved her clever solution. I loved her whole family, who are lovingly depicted. I can't wait to find the rest of her books so I can spend some more time with all of them.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet story about a Jewish family in 1914, working to bring their Russian family over before war begins. (That sounds much darker than the story actually is!) I look forward to the next installment about the cousins coming to America.

[Renn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I count this as a pretty solid debut for Rebecca.

[D.T. Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of American Girl books growing up, but since the Rebecca set is more recent, it wasn't around at the time I was reading AG. I recently found this book at a thrift store, so I went ahead and read it.

I love how AG combines historical and sometimes cultural information into their books in an interesting way.

[Harlyn Rengel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have this book and the doll I love Rebeca

[Maya Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read these books no less than 5000 times and yet they never get old! Classic literature!

[Monica Gleason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has me wishing I read the series as a kid! Probably would’ve enjoyed history a lot more lol

[Shayla Salazar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet children’s book and I like that it doesn’t shy away from the difficulties of the time period.

[Erin Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that different levels of religious observance within immigrant families was portrayed realistically. Rebecca's struggle with spending the money on herself or helping her cousin was very age appropriate. Loved the family's reaction to her money making scheme.

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but sweet reread. This is a cute story about helping others and how important small businesses were and are today

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rebecca was the first doll released after I aged out of American Girl as a kid, so she’s the first character whose story I’m going into without having even a passing familiarity with. That being said, I enjoyed this first book and am looking forward to getting to know Rebecca more. My only complaint is so far Rebecca feels a little derivative of previous American Girls? She has basically the exact same family structure as Molly: older sister(s) in high school, 12 year old older brother, 5 year old younger brother. And she has a really similar personality to Molly too: attention-seeking middle child with a flair for the dramatic and an interest in movies and show business. And then the very early 20th century New York setting feels a little derivative of Samantha, as does the family member who really “gets” her being her maternal uncle who their older family member(s) disapprove of for his nontraditional lifestyle. But this was only the first book, hopefully Rebecca will set herself apart from her predecessors more in the rest of the series.

[RaspberryRoses]

despite being a certified American Girl kid (obsessed with the dolls and the magazine), i never actually read the books. and there's a bunch at my library, so i figured i'd pick some up.

i picked this one at random - i never had a Rebecca doll as a kid - but i'm really glad i started with it. Rebecca's circumstances are very similar to that of my own family - Russian Jews who immigrated to New York in the 1910s. it kind of makes me emotional - like. maybe my own ancestors had similar moments in a similar place with a similar background.

the story itself was fun enough. it felt really choppy in some paces, but like. it only had 5 chapters to tell its story. of course its gonna be choppy.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing our read alouds of historic American Girls as we move through our American History. I enjoyed this and my kiddos did too, it’s an easy glimpse at life as a Jewish immigrant in New York right before the US enters WWI. As always, fairly light “problems” with equally easy solutions but overall, a good read for the age 6-10 crowd.

[Katelyn Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good first story to a promising series...

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

don’t mind me, just pretending i grew up in a nice big new york jewish family ;-;

[Rebecca Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though she shares my name, Rebecca’s going to need to grow on me. But here’s to selling linens to save the family from pogroms. Glad she learned that candlesticks aren’t as important as refugees

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't originally planning to reread the Rebecca books, but once I realized how many were gone from the library system, I realized that I needed to seize my chance. My Great American Girl Reread of 2020 expanded in scope, and I'm glad that it did, because I am enjoying this series more than I originally did in 2009.

As I remembered, this book involves Rebecca's concern about Russian relatives who needed to immigrate immediately and needed financial support to do so. However, even though this aspect of the plot has pathos and urgency, other parts of the book seem shallow in comparison, such as the high priority that Rebecca places on being seen as mature within her family. Certainly, it's a realistic aspect of childhood, but she seems petulant at times, and deceives her family by selling parts of her trousseau without discussing it with anyone.

It's her work, so in that sense, she has the right to sell it. However, she knew that her parents and grandparents would disapprove, and a great deal of this story revolves around her deception, her feelings of guilt over it, and her anxiety about breaking the rules. It all ends happily, but I remember finding this frustrating when I originally read the series, and even though I no longer feel the same sense of vicarious stress about book characters hiding things from the families, it's still not my preference for a story like this.

The historical note is very informative about the time period and common realities for Eastern European immigrants. It is also direct and honest about the challenges that Jews faced in Europe at that time, and especially in Russia, where Jewish boys and men faced army conscription and terrible conditions and treatment. I learned a lot when I originally read this book, and now that I know tremendously more about the time period, it was interesting to return to the story with a different level of understanding.

This is still one of my least favorite American Girl series, but I'm glad that it tackles anti-Semitism, Jewish cultural traditions, and World War One, since those are rare topics for juvenile books to address. However, if I were recommending a series about the Jewish immigrant experience, I would highlight Sidney Taylor's All-of-a-Kind Family and its sequels over this series any day. I think that part of why I never liked this series much is because I was always comparing it to those childhood favorites, but the Rebecca books are still worthwhile, and I am glad that I am reading it again.

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is from the point of view of a mother. I'm reading the Rebecca series to decide when they will be appropriate for my daughter.

I was excited to read the Rebecca books because the time period and immigrant story are favorites of mine. Although I am intrigued by Rebecca the character, I struggled through the book. The space taken to explain Jewish traditions was helpful, but broke up the flow of the story.

The conflict, that Rebecca was sneaking around doing something she though her parents would disapprove of, wasn't handled as well as it could have been. Although there were hints that her grandparents are more old-country, and that there were certain expectations for a daughter vs. a son, I don't think a modern audience got a full understanding of the strict culture Rebecca was being raised in. The emphasis on traditions was pleasant, but skirted past a strict orthodox Jewish upbringing in the early 20th century.

As if there weren't enough plot points going on, there were a few too many side issues rolled in (sibling rivalry, Rebecca's desire to be treated more as an adult). I suspect these were thrown in to give the series more flow, but it made the first book cumbersome.

On a good note, I think the parts where Rebecca struggled to decide how to spend her money - for herself or family, rang very true to her age, and is something a modern audience would understand.

While I haven't rated any one particular book of Rebecca's very high, I think the stories as a whole are timeless and relevant to the target audience - they deal with teasing, accepting someone who is different, judging others, celebrating your heritage/faith/traditions, and I think Rebecca grows throughout the series. I like the emphasis on Rebecca's emotions as she grapples with issues - this is a well-rounded series, and even exceeds some of the earlier AG historical series.

[Susan]

The book had a dashed-off quality about it that disappointed me. Among the most disorienting anomalies was the way the grandmother fried fish on Friday (Christians fry it on Friday; Jews traditionally boil it and serve it cold) and then they obviously never served it, because the soup, which is eaten after the fish, was already served even before any of the blessings, which would have led to its cooling and congealing. Anyone who has every fried fish knows that it needs to be served right away, which makes it a bad menu choice for a Friday night sabbath dinner.

Yet this was an extraordinarily pious family, as evident from the prohibition of theater attendance and the oddly reactionary name choices. An immigrant Jewish family in the early 20th century that named its older children Victor, Sadie, and Sophie would normally go on to give its younger children such names as Mamie and Isadore, but instead these Rubins bucked the trend with Biblical throwbacks. Anything so incongruous cries out for an explanation. Unless the explanation is sheer carelessness.

Actually, the basic premise that a daughter of the family would light the sabbath candles (instead of the mother!) struck me as pretty bizarre. For that matter, I find it difficult to believe that a nine-year-old Jewish American girl a century ago would yearn so passionately to possess her very own pair of candlesticks.

I agree with the people who recommend the All of a Kind Family books instead, even though they are so dated.

[Laura]

Listening to American Girls Pod inspired me to read some of the books I had missed during my own childhood. I distinctly remember my neighbor mentioning there was no Jewish American Girl and my mother encouraging her (and the rest of our Girl Scout troop) to write our own AG stories. Rebecca came out six years after we graduated high school and probably a decade after this conversation took place. My neighbor was one woke 12 year old noticing the misrepresentation and absence of certain Americans.

I'm very glad Rebecca exists in literature and as part of AG cannon if for no other reason that to sprinkle in Yiddish words with my children. I thought it interesting Rebecca enters into an American business mindset by selling off doilies and such from her trousseau. This enterprise was successful as one of the characters mentions it being difficult to find handmade goods like these. I suspect this sets up some later books about factory work and manufactured goods. In this era of a return to simple/slow/intentional living, I think Rebecca fits right in. Interesting exchanges about work balance in America. Should they work on the Sabbath? What are the appearances (and social norms) of working/performing and asking to be paid for that labor? But I do hope that the entire series doesn't focus too much on business and occupations. I don't want to see the Jewish experience solely through the lens of economic industry.

[Tracy Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rebecca is the daughter of Jewish immigrants living in New York. Rebecca wanted to light the Sabbath candlesticks, like her big sisters. Rebecca looks for ways to raise money to buy her own candlesticks. After meeting her cousin Max, the actor, she decides to put on a show. When that doesn't work, she finds another way. Rebecca is also upset that her cousin Ana and Ana's family are in danger in Russia. They need money to come to New York. How will Rebecca help Ana? Meet Rebecca is the start of an American Girl series set in New York in 1914. This is another excellent series helping girls learn what life was like in other times in history. Jacqueline Dembar Greene does a fantastic job bring a young jewish girls' life in 1914 to life.