Samantha's Blue Bicycle

American Girl: Short Stories #23

by Valerie Tripp

Gard and Cornelia are back from their honeymoon--and they've brought a surprise for Samantha. Illustrations.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Short Stories, Fiction, Historical, Picture Books

39 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2002

About the author

Valerie Tripp is a children's book author, best known for her work with the American Girl series.

She grew up in Mount Kisco, New York with three sisters and one brother. A member of the first co-educated class at Yale University, Tripp also has a M.Ed. from Harvard. Since 1985 she has lived in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her husband teaches history at Montgomery College.

Right out of college, Tripp started writing songs, stories, and nonfiction for The Superkids Reading Program, working with Pleasant Rowland, the founder of American Girl. For that series, Tripp wrote all the books about Felicity, Josefina, Kit, Molly, and Maryellen and many of the books about Samantha. She also wrote the "Best Friends" character stories to date, plays, mysteries, and short stories about all her characters.. Film dramatizations of the lives of Samantha, Felicity, Molly, and Kit have been based on her stories. Currently, Tripp is writing a STEM series for National Geographic and adapting Greek Myths for Starry Forest Publishing. A frequent speaker at schools and libraries, Tripp has also spoken at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, The New York Historical Society, and Williamsburg.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Samantha had been waiting impatiently for this visit. She wanted it to be perfect, so Gard and Cornelia would come and visit often."

Samantha's world is constantly changing - the wild inventions of the early 1900s, the new-fangled ideas about women's rights and now her home life is going through a significant upheaval.

Aunt Cornelia and Uncle Gard just came back from their honeymoon and they have a surprise for Samantha:

"With a dramatic woosh, Gard pulled the canvas tarp off the back of the auto. Samantha gasped when she saw what was there: three shiny new bicycles."

At first Samantha is excited, but she becomes quite frightened after a rough crash on the new bicycle.

Uncle Gard tells her to practice but Samantha is intimidated and afraid. If she can't figure out the two-wheel bicycle, will Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia even want to visit anymore?

This was a lovely companion book. It was short, sweet with a lot of heart packed in.

Valerie Tripp does such a great job with the short stories. She finds that universal childhood experience and always manages to spin a wonderful tale.

Who hasn't tried to act braver than they felt in order to impress their friends/relatives? Who hasn't worried that they will be left behind?

I really liked how Tripp showed just how vulnerable and worried Samantha was over the bicycle. As an adult, you know that Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia probably aren't going to leave Samantha behind because she can't ride a bike but that doesn't dissuade those very real childhood fears.

P.s. The only thing that really threw me off this book was how Samantha referred to her aunt and uncle by their first names. Every other book they are called Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia (or if they weren't married yet in the main series, Uncle Gard and Cornelia).

I could understand Samantha not quite used to Cornelia being Aunt Cornelia, and probably slipping up.... but she would still call Uncle Gard "Uncle", right?

I think this is just an error because the American Girl series has so many authors but still...it bugs me.

A Peek into the Past

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

In this Peek into the Past, we learn about bicycle riding in 1904 - why it became popular, what accommodations women needed to make to ride a bicycle, and how tandem bicycles were popular for couples.

From there we transition into activities that the young one can do such as - Start a Bicycle Club (self-explanatory, but it gives rules and suggestions for bicycle clubs), Ten-Pin Rides (a game involving riding a bike around bowling pins), Beanbag Balance (balancing a beanbag on your helmet as you ride), Riding Relay (a way to race bicycles) and Bicycle Un-Race (a race, but super slow).

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:
The American Girls Cookbook - ★★★★★
The American Girls Party Book - ★★★★★
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:
Samantha Helps a Friend (Step Into Reading) - ★★★☆☆
Happy Birthday! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★★
Making a Difference (Little Golden Book) - ★★★☆☆
Time for School! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading as an adult. Gard and Cornelia, newly back from their honeymoon, bring Samantha a bicycle. She's excited to learn to ride, but after a crash scares her, she's hesitant to try again. More than the bike itself, however, she wants to keep up with the aunt and uncle she adores. Grandmary helps her work through the problem, offering a solution for Samantha that she wouldn't have chosen for herself.

For serious. Sam's books always talk big about how exacting and rigid and proper Grandmary is, and it's all a facade. Some of this is changes in author, but the seeds are there, even in Meet and Lesson.

Originally published in American Girl Magazine as "The Beautiful Blue Bicycle" in March/April 1995.


More Samantha babble:
Meet Samantha | Samantha Learns a Lesson | Samantha's Surprise | Happy Birthday, Samantha | Samantha Saves the Day | Changes for Samantha

Nellie's Promise

Samantha's Winter Party | Samantha and the Missing Pearls | Samantha Saves the Wedding | Samantha's Blue Bicycle | Samantha's Special Talent | Samantha's Short Story Collection

The Curse of Ravenscourt | The Stolen Sapphire | The Cry of the Loon | Clue in the Castle Tower

The Lilac Tunnel: My Journey with Samantha

[Sarah Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The American Girl short story books do such a good job at providing a full and well-rounded feeling story in few pages and this one was no different. Gard and Cornelia have just returned from their honeymoon and gifted Samantha a bike. While Samantha is excited to learn to ride it, she gets scared after a fall.

This is once again such a relatable story even for children of today. One of my children has been learning to ride a bike so we read this at the perfect time. It's a great lesson in not giving up and that new skills require patience, practice, and often some bravery to conquer. I also particularly love the way this story paints Grandmary in a new light. In much of the books she comes across as rigid and old-fashioned but in this we see she is willing to change her mind and be open to new practices. She is so kind to Samantha in this and really saves the day despite initially being very opposed to Samantha learning to ride a bike at all.

I just wish these stories would indicate when in the series they should be read. This one came in between a couple of the later books, and I would have read it before finishing the full-length series had I known that.

[Bulk Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute story that touches on the history of bicycling in the Edwardian period. Everyone in the story has character development: Grandmary prioritizing Samantha's self-esteem over her conservatism, Cornelia and Gard pressuring Samantha to ride because feminism, Samantha feeling like she has to please her aunt and uncle by being "plucky." Samantha sure is a people pleaser, isn't she?

The Looking Back section seems to contradict the story a bit. One major plot point is that Samantha's skirts keep getting caught in the gears, so she ends up wearing bloomers. But apparently in the 1890s, the "safety bike" was invented to prevent this from happening, and bloomers existed simply to make riding the bicycle easier. Soooo would the gears still even have been an issue in 1904? Also confusing that Samantha's official merch features a three-wheeled bike, which did not even appear in this story. But fortunately, it's still a very pretty toy.

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is from the perspective of a mother.

This is one of the first times I've read a book and felt like I was really meeting Samantha. In her core series, the action seems to happen all around her, with little emotional interaction. But in this case, we actually get in inside Samantha's mind and understand her worries and fears. That's the good news.

The bad news is that she's a bit of drama queen and doesn't express herself very well for a 10-11 year old. But by the end of the book, all is well.

The best part of the AG series are the Looking Back sections, and this one in particular is stellar, with lots of information on the bicycling craze that grabbed middle class America at the turn of the century.

[Miri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha's uncle Gard and aunt Cornelia are back from their honeymoon and they've brought Samantha a wonderful gift, her first bike! Samantha is excited to learn how to ride her new blue bicycle, but it's difficult with her long dresses that keep getting caught in the bike chain. After Samantha crashes her bike she's scared to get back on it, she's frustrated that she can't seem to learn and scared that her aunt and uncle will leave her behind if she can't ride, but with a little help from grandmary, Samantha learns there are solutions to every problem if you are determined and never give up.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly good book. I thought it had a good message and that some kids might be encouraged from reading it. I felt like Samantha was a little overly dramatic, but that might be because of my age. I am a tad bit older then the nine-year-old main character. I would recommend for fans of the American Girl series or the like.

*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2009...

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha's Aunt and Uncle give her a brand new blue bicycle. Her grandmother disapproves of girls riding bikes, but Samantha wants to please her Aunt and Uncle. She tries to ride the bike but her skirt gets caught and she falls.

The rest of the story revolves around Samantha trying to overcome her fear of getting back on the bike, a problem that can be solved with her grandmother's help.

There is also a very interesting section on the history of bicycles and bicycling riding in the U.S.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If at first you don't succeed...

Samantha gets a bicycle, but all doesn't quite go as planned. Her first 'real' ride lands her in the pond and now she's not sure she ever wants to get on a bicycle again as long as she lives!

But this is Samantha after all, and this girl has spunk! I love how she faces her fears and finds a way to make things work. GrandMary really shines in this book too!

[Rubi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Samantha was having a hard time between frustration with something she was first excited about then scared of, to the fear of letting loved ones down. But surprisingly it was her Grandma who not only took the time to listen but went out of her way to make her granddaughter happy and secure. So much love and relatable moments. Loved it ❤

[Charlie - disableddaydreamer | itsbarbieparis (looking for mutuals) · Rating 3 out of 5]

the end with the organize your bicycle club made me laugh because i was trying to imagine doing it and then quickly realized child me would have definitely tried.

these would have been so so much funnier as a kid but this is cute and light.

another samantha read down- mildly hyperfixated on her story right now

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though Grandmary understood Samantha’s fear surrounding the bicycle, I don’t think she addressed it as well as she could have. Also felt like Gard and Cornelia should have been able to reassure Samantha.

[Faith Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lively story that, short as it is, has lovely messages about trying again, overcoming fear, and mistaken first impressions. Samantha's as likable as always with her spirit, determination, and vivaciousness, and there are some fun and funny facts at the end!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

encourages the reader to keep on trying when faced with a difficult challenge.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uncle Gard is the best. That is all.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is sweet. I love Grandmary's progression throughout the Samantha books and this one is no different.

[Fatima]

Marina ISBN(s) 1584854812

[Katie Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one's important for Cornelia and Grandmary's relationship.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonder what Samantha's life would have been like without Gard and Cornelia? They are such huge parts of why she became the person she is, and this story is a testament to that.

[Little Seal]

Good on Grandmary for understanding Samantha's fears and found a solution that she may not have done herself, but knew Samantha was growing up in a different time!

[Jessica Arend · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jocelyn Crawford]

Samantha has had TWO bikes in her collection but neither were blue….

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was fairly ho-hum for me but I really enjoyed the back matter with all the insights into cycling in early 1900s America. It was really interesting to learn about the cycling clubs (including indoor cycling clubs so one could ride in any weather!) and gymkhana festivals, "the new craze from India" in which riders would participate in relay races, fancy riding exhibitions, and a grand march. "At the end of the evening, men and women 'danced' the Virginia Reel on their bicycles." I knew about bloomers and the opportunities bicycles afforded to women and girls (who sometimes called them "freedom machines") but the content here is good and I appreciate the inclusion of photographs and illustrations from the era.