Welcome to Samantha's World · 1904: Growing Up in America's New Century

The American Girls Collection

by Catherine Gourley, Jodi Evert (Editor), Michelle Jones (Editor)

Fans of The American Girls Collection will love these beautiful nonfiction books. Each offers new perspectives on the past as it really was during the times of the American Girls -- from major historical events to the details of everyday life. Filled with exquisite photos, illustrations, and cutaway scenes, these large-format books also feature letters and diaries of real girls and women, boys and men, that bring the voices of yesterday to life for today's readers.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Childrens, Picture Books, Middle Grade, American History, Juvenile

58 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1999

About the author

As a nonfiction author speciailizing in social history, Cathy spends a great deal of time researching the past. Her research has taken her into the belly of a whaleship on an icy January morning in Mystic, Connecticut, deep into a coal mine in Northeastern Pennsylvania, to tenement buildings on New York City's Lower East Side, and even into the Secret Annexe in Amsterdam where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis during World War II. But she also researches the archives of old newspapers and digs for insights to people's past lives by reading their diaries and letters.

Cathy is also the national director of Letters About Literature, a reading promotino program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Additionally, she is the principal curriculum writer for The Story of Movies, a visual literacy initiative of The Film Foundation, Los Angeles and New York City.

Prior to returning home to Northeastern Pennsylvania in 1997 to write full-time, Gourley was the editor of special projects for Weekly Reader Corporation. In this position also she edited Read, a literature magazine for middle school students. In addition, Gourley spearheaded the relaunching of the Barnard College Young Adult Biography Series in 1996-97, working both with Barnard College and the series publisher, Conari Press, Berkeley, CA.

Gourley's first published book was a historical novel, The Courtship of Joanna, that explored the experiences of Irish immigrants who worked in the anthracite coal mines of Northeastern Pennsylvania in the 1880s. This adult book was nominated for the Carl Sandburg Award through the Chicago Public Library and was a finalist for the Jefferson Cup fof excellence in historical fiction.

Radio was the media venue for her first work of fiction, a short story title “Breaker Boy” which she adapted for broadcast on national public radio in 1986 through an award from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

Cathy's hometown is Wilkes-Barre, PA. But she has lived and worked in a number of states: Ridgway, PA, where she first began publishing her short feature stories, Corpus Christi, Texas, where her freelance writing career got started; Chicago, Illinois, where she published her first book, a historical novel titled The Courtship of Joanna; Essex, Connecticut, where she worked as an editor for Weekly Reader's Read magazine. She returned to Northeastern Pennsylvania in 1997 to write full-time.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so freaking cool. SERIOUSLY. I am beyond excited by how well-made and well-researched this companion book is! Without further ado, here's the review!

Welcome to Samantha's World -- Here we get a brief overview of some of the major "new" things happening in Samantha's World. We get a few deep dives into the Hustle-Bustle (how travel inventions affected day-to-day life, as seen in:Meet Samantha), and Newfangled Notions (looking into popular new things, like telephones, phonographs, and electricity).

Chapter One: From Country to City -- This section shows us what life was like in a small town versus a city in the 1900s. We get an overview of the typical small town layout and an overview of the the interior of a mansion and what sort of entertainment was popular among people (like the opera, carousels, or roller skating).

Chapter Two: Health, Fitness and Coca-Cola -- Here we learn about what people did back then to keep healthy, such as the bicycling trend (as seen in Samantha's Blue Bicycle) or other active hobbies (basketball, swimming). We learn about hygiene - as in what people did for shampoo, hair curling, and common medicines. There's even a deep dive on the Roosevelts.

Chapter Three: Happiness Moments -- This section delves into the smaller hobbies - things people collected, how they spent their mornings, and a shout out to the popular toys of the day (like Samantha's doll from Samantha's Surprise). There's sections about popular fashions (pinafores, sailor suits) and wedding traditions (like what we saw in Samantha Saves the Wedding). And finally, we learn about how people liked to decorate their houses.

Chapter Four: The Immigrants -- Here we learn about the process to come to America. How people arrived at Ellis Island, went through a medical check, exchanged money and after a few more processes, were allowed to begin their new lives. We see an example home of a newly arrived family and an honest look into what factory life was like for immigrants. There's also information about what happened to children without parents, which is relevant to Changes for Samantha.

Chapter Five: The Reformers --This section tells us about popular social issues and people who fought for justice. There's blurbs about Ida B. Wells, Hull House, "Little Mothers", and the March of the Mill Children by Mother Jones. We learn about the push to preserve nature along with the suffragist movement, as seen in Happy Birthday Samantha!.

Overall Thoughts

I feel like this was an extremely well done history book and it ties into Samantha's Story wonderfully. There's so many of the little blurbs that applied directly to Samantha's arc and I was so impressed by it all.

This is a wonderful addition to anyone's Samantha collection!

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:
American Girl Cross-stitch - ★★☆☆☆
The American Girls Cookbook - ★★★★★
The American Girls Party Book - ★★★★★
Everything I Need to Know I Learned From American Girl - ★★★☆☆
The Making of American Girl - ★★★★★
Minute Mysteries - ★★★★☆
Minute Mysteries 2 - ★★★★☆
The Official American Girl Cookbook - ★★★★☆
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:
Happy Birthday! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★★
Making a Difference (Little Golden Book) - ★★★☆☆
My First American Girl Boxed Set - ★★★★☆
Samantha Helps a Friend (Step Into Reading) - ★★★☆☆
Time for School! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been an absolute Samantha fan and went into chronic depression when she was retired. The Victorian period/Steampunk era has been a constant fascination of mine, one of my favorite time periods.

These books are very valuable, easy to understand, informational books that combine the lives of the American Girls, photos, and writing together to create a paradise for a history nerd such as myself.

I wish they would make more of these books for the newer characters, but alas they are shifting their marketing focus to the present, not the past. (Not wise. Everyone knows that if you ignore history, it will just repeat itself. And wasn't the original purpose of the American Girls Collection to help girls learn about what it was like to live during hard times in America's history?)

Overall, a wonderful read that was one of the more enjoyable welcome to ___ world's I've read. Highly recommend to all original AG fans.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't care what anyone says. I will always see this as a valid historical source. It was books like these that really encouraged my interest in history. American Girl gave me a way in to the past through the fictional books, but it really stoked the flames of my interest by releasing books like this. I started to love history this way. I still flip through these books sometimes. I remember certain facts and stories that I read here. I'd highly recommend any of the Welcome to... American Girl books to parents looking to get their children into history or American Girl readers interested in a particular time period. They are great introductions to the time period.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book. There's no war going on at the turn of the century so it's all about social issues and basic life at home. The mundane things are the fun things.

[Kristyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grew up reading American Girl books, but have never came across these nonfiction books when I was obsessed reading them in elementary school. Really enjoyed the illustrations, photos, facts, and stories. I loved how the book included stories of real people and their own experiences, between working in a factory, home life with different life styles, etc. Need to read and find the others like this!

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread while going through childhood books. I'd forgotten just how good the 1990s American Girl books were and how much they impacted my love of history, especially the history of daily life. As an adult, I was impressed at the issues presented in an age-appropriate way, such as child labor, the suffragette movement, immigration, and racism. What a great way for children to learn about the early 1900s and then do further reading on any of many topics covered.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book with many pictures, illustrations, and information about the time period, but it's too much politics for my taste. I want the focus to be the life of ordinary people. Regardless it's a great book.

[Rosario]

"I have no time to worry about the past. I'm too busy trying to improve the present." A time of so many reforms, milestones in history. Women were finally given suffrage, workers given safer working conditions, and the growing seeds of efficiency!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is an extended edition of peek into the past, I enjoyed it evem though it doesn't future Samantha much

[Shani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it has lots of interesting information, but I feel like it strayed too far out of the time period a little to often. What I mean by that is the time period of the character's story is suppose to be 1904 to 1906. This often went into the 1910s.

[Tara Frye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always loved these books when I was younger. It really helped young girls to get into history. I recommend it to any parents wanting they're little girls to get into history. It shows pictures of the time the American girl was living and it's very interesting.

[Margaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are so cool and sparked some of my interest in history. This book about Samantha in particular is full of lots of context about the period in which Samantha existed in, giving her stories that much more power. Would definitely recommend to anyone who loved the Samatha stories!

[Annalise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alissa loved the story about Juana Maria Patti who threatened to perform onstage without her shoes in order to force the manager to pay her full salary.

[Little Seal]

Learning about the Gilberts was borderline disturbing. He was upset over his daughter for cutting her hair and then was all good with it because that meant her hair was combed faster? Wild times.

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 rounded up
Such a fun era to learn about, I loved the visuals

[Charlie - disableddaydreamer | itsbarbieparis (looking for mutuals) · Rating 4 out of 5]

don’t mind me combine for raquel potential links lol

[Amy Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have loved this book as a child. It had some really great facts that even I didn't know as an adult. This book really reminds the reader why Samantha was picked as an original American Girl.

[Cws]

J973.91- Ame