Bottom line:: Samantha: An American Girl Holiday will delight American Girl fans with a touching story set in 1904. The story shows how one little girl's compassion and love turns into a Christmas miracle.
MPAA Rating: NRGenre: Family
Guide Age Recommendation: 6+
Runtime: Approx. 86 minutes
Samantha: An American Girl Holiday - Overview
Having lost both of her parents, Samantha lives with her wealthy grandmother, who loves Samantha dearly, but is somewhat formal in her treatment of her granddaughter. When Nellie, a servant girl, comes with her family to work for the neighbors next door, a best friendship is born. Samantha and Nellie are inseparable, and Samantha tries to help her new friend by teaching her to read.
The two girls are heartbroken when Samantha is sent to live with her Uncle Gard and his new wife Cornelia in the city. Although Samantha adores her uncle, she is clearly worried that he will not have as much time and attention for her now that he is married. She begins to grow closer to Cornelia, though, and she enjoys writing letters to her beloved friend Nellie.
Then, Samantha receives the devastating news that Nellie's father had passed away. Nellie and her sisters had been sent to an orphanage. Luckily the orphanage is located in the city, where Samantha can go and see them. But, when Samantha sees the sad situation of her dear friend and her sisters, she has to do something about it. With the help of her aunt and uncle, Samantha shows that love and friendship can make a Christmas miracle happen.
Samantha: An American Girl Holiday - Guide Review for Parents
Despite her privileged situation, Samantha shows unbiased kindness toward anyone she comes in contact with. Samantha's character provides a great example to viewing kids as she befriends a servant girl and takes the time to teach her to read. Then, when Samantha sees injustice occur, she stands up for what is right and does everything in her power to make a difference. Not only does the movie present a great message for kids, it also tells an exciting story set in a historical time period, allowing children to experience a little bit of what things might have been like at the time. Samantha is a wonderful holiday movie, delightful for young girls and the whole family, and perfect for the spirit of the holiday season.
As with many heroines in the American Girl stories, both movies and books, Samantha is a young girl with good intentions who does break a few rules in her efforts to do what's right. Many of the American Girls put themselves in prohibited, or even illegal or dangerous, situations, but it is always in an effort to do something to help another or right a wrong. Although our children find the American Girls' actions admirable, as parents, we don't want our kids thinking it's okay to go off on their own in a like manner. Although I love many of the American Girls stories I have seen or read with my girls, I often have a talk with them about real life versus fiction and reiterate that they should never put themselves in a dangerous situation without talking to a trusted adult first.
