Published on Double X (http://www.doublex.com)
Meet Rebecca
She may be living in New York City in 1914, but Rebecca Rubin faces a plight familiar to 9-year-old girls throughout its history: No one takes her seriously.
By: Meredith Simons
Posted: June 30, 2009 at 1:51 PM
She may be living in New York City in 1914, but Rebecca Rubin, the newest star in the American Girl universe, faces a plight familiar to 9-year-old girls throughout its history: No one takes her seriously. Her older sisters treat her like a baby, her classmates make fun of her, and her father expects her to become a teacher even though she longs to star in movies. To show her family that she can be as grown-up as her sisters, Rebecca decides to earn enough money to buy her own set of Sabbath candles. But her sneaky business idea may upset her family. And when sobering news comes from her father’s family in Russia, Rebecca must decide whether new candlesticks are really that important.
Like any book in the American Girl canon, Meet Rebecca celebrates diversity (using New York immigrant neighborhoods) and moralizes unapologetically. Rebecca’s desire for new things is the occasion for lessons on the value of sacrifice, honesty, and courage. But despite its occasional heavy-handedness, it’s a charming read for little girls as well as their parents. As its title character resolves her financial and ethical problems, Meet Rebecca becomes a buoyant celebration of family, generosity, and entrepreneurial spirit.
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Fear Factor:
(All of the peril in the book belongs to Rebecca’s cousin Ana, who is an ocean away.) -
Heart:
(Rebecca’s family is devoted to helping others, whether poor Italian immigrants shopping in the family shoe store or close relatives in Russia.) -
Attitude:
(Rebecca’s desire to be treated like a big girl borders on whininess, but ultimately she realizes that the well-being of her family is more important than personal recognition.) -
Psst: Rebecca, who is Jewish, is the first American Girl character whose religion is an important part of her family’s life.
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If You Like This: Like each of her other American Girl sisters, Rebecca has a whole series of books. (Just don’t look for a Christmas-themed book..)