Kirsten Snowbound

American Girl: Short Stories #15

by Janet Beeler Shaw, Renée Graef (Illustrator), Susan McAliley (Illustrator)

Kirsten and her cousins look after the farm while the adults go to town. There's plenty of work to do, but it seems easy to Kirsten -- until a blizzard hits!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Historical, Middle Grade, Fiction, Short Stories, Young Adult

39 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It was April, and old potatoes were about all the Larsons had to eat."

Winter is finally going away and Kirsten is so excited when her Mama, Aunt Inger and older brother, Lars, head to town to gather supplies.

That means Kirsten, her little brother (Peter), little sister (Britta) and cousins (Anna and Lizbeth) have to take care of the farm. Peter takes care of the chickens, Anna cleaned the cabin, Lizbeth took care of Britta and Kirsten handled the cows.

It was hard work but they managed it! As Kirsten finished up in the barn, she notices the dark clouds.

"But this is spring snow, she thought. Surely it will melt as quickly as it falls."

But the snow doesn't melt. It falls. Harder. And harder. Then Peter rushes to the cabin window:

" 'I can't see the road anymore,' he said. 'I can barely see the barn.' "

The snow is upon them, and they will need all the luck they can muster to stay warm and stay alive.

WOW. This is such a five-star companion novel.

It reminded me of The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but without the cozy-family and threat of long-term survival.

Every moment in this companion book was full of heart-pounding action - the danger felt so real and I was glued to the pages as the children sought to keep themselves (and baby Britta) alive.

I honestly think this one could have been a full-length book...Books 5 and 6 of Kirsten are okay...but I think this intense struggle played out over more pages (and maybe more days) would have made for a riveting main book.

P.s. I know I'm being petty, but Caro (their dog)'s coat keep changing. In Kirsten Saves the Day, he has one black ear in all his pictures and in this book and Kirsten's Promise he has two black ears. Also, I'm not even going to touch the spots on this dog, which seem to change every picture!)

A Peek into the Past

Like all of the main and mini Kirsten Larson books, this one has a mini historical section at the back called a Peek into the Past.

In this Peek into the Past, we break the mold by showcasing newspaper headlines about people who survived great snowstorms of the past. There's the story about the Miss Minnie May Freeman, a teacher who saw that the schoolhouse was collapsing under the ferocity of the storm. She tied the children together with twine and brought them through the blizzard to her home. And another about a cow who led a little girl home despite the blizzard being so thick she had no idea where she was going. There are a few stories about children/people who did not make it.

From there, we transition to activities kids could do when they are snowed in, such as making shadow puppets, reading a story, drink hot chocolate, play Fox and Geese (a winter version of tag) and Hop, Step, Jump (a game to see how far you travel in snow).

More reviews in the Kirsten-verse

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

Short Stories:
Kirsten on the Trail - ★★★☆☆
Kirsten and the New Girl - ★★★★☆
Kirsten Snowbound - ★★★★★
Kirsten and the Chippewa - ★★★★☆
Kirsten's Promise - ★★★★★
Kirsten's Short Story Collection - ★★★★☆

Additional History Books
Kirsten's Cookbook - ★★★★★
Kirsten's Craft Book - ★★★★★
Kirsten's Theater Kit - ★★★★☆
Welcome to Kirsten's World · 1854 - ★★★★★

Mystery Book:
The Runaway Friend - ★★★★★

Additional Picture Reader Books
Happy Birthday! - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! - ★★★★★
Time for School! - ★★★★☆

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading as an adult. The cousins (Lisbeth and younger) ride out a blizzard alone after Lars, Mama and Aunt Inger go to town for supplies. We see just how dire the end of winter could be as supplies run low, and just how competent and independent these kids had to be. It's AG, so you don't expect any of the awful possibilities to happen, but there's still a deep breath of relief at the end.

Set in April, during Changes. Originally published in American Girl Magazine as "Snowbound" in March/April 1994.


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

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was good. The looking back section was different from all the others I've read. Instead of a narrative it was a series of news stories. Instead of one craft/recipe there were multiple.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this Kirsten short story, Kirsten and her cousins are left home alone on the farm while the adults make an errand into town. But when an unexpected fierce blizzard hits, the children work together to survive the storm and stay calm.

In today's world, it is hard to imagine children being left alone on an isolated farm for an extended period of time without supervision! And also left with a baby in their care no less! But this was the reality of life for early settlers. The children exhibited remarkable sense in securing the door so firmly and sleeping together for warmth. I can't imagine the anxiety of wondering whether or not your mother had been caught in the storm and frozen to death. Or the worry of the parents, who had left their children home alone in such conditions!

I did love the real history section at the end, which gave an overview on the historical events that inspired this story, the children's blizzard of the late 1880s, which claimed the lives of many. Unlike other Kirsten books, this section was presented like a series of newspaper articles about the blizzard and remarkable and shocking stories of survival and death during the storm.

[Bulk Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like books about what people do when they must quickly come up with ways to survive. In this case the protagonists are children, and although I know none of them will die, the book still manages to be slightly terrifying. Props to Janet Shaw; she proves once again how well-researched and detail-oriented the Kirsten books are.

The Looking Back section was comprised of a bunch of fake newspaper clippings, which was very unique. There were also tons of ideas for games and activities. I'm in love with the picture of the girl in Kirsten's dress making a shadow puppet! It made me long for a Kirsten movie, which I know we will never get now.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is from the perspective of a mother - Kirsten Snowbound is an incredibly detailed tale of Kirsten's family during a surprise blizzard. I don't know if young readers will have the same heart-stopping reaction I did in spots as a mother, but I think they will comprehend the real difficulties of life without modern houses and transportation.

The Looking Back section is unusually candid for an American Girl series, highlighting some of the prairie blizzards, both heroism and losses.

[Rubi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The children were alone when a blizzard hits! Though scared they remember their parents advice and work together to stay calm and help each other get through the storm safely. Beautiful story of bravery, love, family, and loyalty, for even the dog helped 🥰
Also enjoyed the stories about the 1888 Blizzaed! Some sad and some amazing 😃

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this Kirsten book. I thought it had a good amount of suspense.

[Miri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirsten, her siblings and cousins are home alone when a terrible blizzard blows up, they must stick together to survive the bitter cold until their parents return, if they do at all.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, not necessary but I'm not complaining.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet early reader book that reminds me of the much longer " The Long Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

[Valentine Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cozy. But also very anxiety provoking with the baby in the bed with 4 other people and the bed pushed right up to the fire lol. I did feel like the book ended very abruptly though.

[HadenXCharm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seems to take place after Kirsten's Surprise, but before winter is over, as it's mentioned that she already got caught in the snowstorm with Papa, so I'll call this volume 3.5. This story really made me think of Farmer Boy for some reason. There's so many little details about the farm, the implements and food in their house, etc, children have a lot of adult responsibilities like chores, cleaning, and caring for the baby.

There's something so frightening about being powerless against the behemoth of nature, especially when there are no adults around to guide and reassure them. We see Kirsten and Lisbeth have to comfort the little ones and then each other. I wish we had seen Lars and Mama come home rather than just seeing Blackie coming up to the house.

I really enjoyed all the little 'news articles' in the Looking Back section, particularly about Miss Minnie May Freeman. Minnesota winters were wild!

[Sandy Carmichael · Rating 2 out of 5]

good read for girls to learn of other times

[Little Seal]

Oh my, I'm very glad I live in modern times.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

For such a short book, this one was really good!

[M Mina]

I love the American girl doll books

[Jessica Wagstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surreal to read this on day one of a big ice storm in DFW. Especially the news stories from the 1880s at the end.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Kirsten Snowbound!, Kirsten's parents make a trip to town for supplies. Kirsten must think carefully and work with her siblings to keep the family and the farm safe during a blizzard.

Kirsten Snowbound! would be appropriate for readers between seven and ten years old. Children that enjoy historical fiction, stories about prairie life and stories about siblings may enjoy the book. Readers that enjoyed The Little House on the Prairie series may also enjoy this book.

The book would be appropriate for teaching theme and vocabulary. The characters do not seem genuinely developed and have no readily identifiable personalities. The book does provide accurate historical context and facts for the characters, but children may not find the characters particularly engaging.

[Marya · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Kirsten books have these short story extensions that clearly pick up just where the series left off. In this case, we revisit a popular theme: how to die of exposure! Except instead of placing Kirsten in danger with her father or brother, in this lovely tale we leave all the young'uns home alone during a snowstorm. End result: I now have to explain how babies might freeze to death. Thank you, American Girls!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short and simple. But I have a lot of questions as I imagine this happens a lot on the frontier.