AmericanGirlFan: Book Reviews

Book Reviews

November 05, 2016

Review & Giveaway: DK's American Girl Ultimate Visual Guide and Sticker Collection Books!

American Girl Ultimate Visual Guide and Ulimate Sticker Collection

When I saw the American Girl Ultimate Visual Guide and Ultimate Sticker Collection books, I thought they looked amazing! Thanks to my friends at DK, I get to share them with you too. They sent me these copies to review and we're giving away prize packs of the Visual Guide & Sticker Collection to THREE winners! Before we get into the giveaway, let's take a look into these great books...

The books were recently launched with a new partnership between DK and American Girl. The hardcover Ultimate Visual Guide gives an in-depth look into the story of American Girl, originally founded by Pleasant T. Rowland back in 1986. Never-before-published facts and photos from the American Girl team are in the book, along with information about how the dolls are created, from concept to market.

Right when I opened the book, I was blown away by the gorgeous photos! They are glossy high quality images that are a lot of fun to look through. The book has 197 pages, so it was a lot bigger than I thought it would be! There are two pages for every BeForever doll (including ones that are archived), with facts about them and more about their stories. The one above of Samantha is so beautiful! (You can click on the picture for a closer look.)

Every Girl of the Year doll is featured just like BeForever. The Truly Me dolls get their own separate section with many cute photo scenes of them together.

I love the Truly Me dolls at the hair salon!

There are several more pages that share how American Girl got started and there's an entire timeline spanning 30 years! This book is a must-have for every American Girl Fan. Being a photographer myself, I loved flipping through all of the doll photos. I also learned more about American Girl that I didn't know before.

Next up, is the Sticker Collection book. They are not joking when it says it has more than 1,000 stickers--there are A TON of awesome stickers in this book!

The sticker book features each current BeForever character, Lea Girl of the Year 2016, and a few for Truly Me. Though its mostly about the stickers, it's a real book that has a lot of info about the characters and their items. The fun part is that you have to find which sticker matches each silhouette and place it on there. There are also pages that you can decorate and create your own scenes with whatever stickers you'd like.

I did this one of Maryellen and I love how it turned out!

There are so many stickers to use. It's a great book filled with all of your favorite American Girl dolls! :)

Now, onto the GIVEAWAY! Three lucky American Girl Fans will receive 1 Ultimate Visual Guide & 1 Ulimate Sticker Collection. Yes, you will get both books if you win!

Here's how to enter:

-First have a Parent's permission (if you are under 18)-you will have to give me your home address if you win. The DK Publishing Company will mail your prize to you.

-In your comment say that you would like to enter.

-Say your name or nickname (tell me in the comment or sign the comment with your name.)

-Tell me what your favorite American Girl doll is! Or a few if you can't pick a favorite. ;)

-Make sure that the email address you use to publish your comment is the one I can contact you by.

Be sure to follow those instructions! This giveaway is only open to US residents. You can only enter once, one entry per person.

The last day to enter is Saturday November 12th at Midnight EST. I will pick and reveal the winners on Sunday November 13th. I will pick the winners randomly.

When you write your comment to enter it will be saved until I approve your comment. This means you won't see your comment right away, but it will be posted. Please be patient and it will appear after I approve it.

If you are unsure of how to comment or have questions about my giveaways you can find the answers in My Frequently Asked Questions Page. Also, feel free to ask me by comment or email.

If for some reason the comment section doesn't work for you, please send your entry by email to [email protected] and I will enter you!

Good luck to all!

Jessica American Girl Fan

Posted at 11:18 AM in American Girl Reviews, Book Reviews, Giveaways | Permalink | Comments (49)

May 05, 2015

Book Review of Amelia's Middle-School Graduation Yearbook & Interview With Marissa Moss!

A few years ago I wrote about my favorite book series called Amelia's Notebooks. These books still remain as one of my very favorites! They used to be published by American Girl, along with occasional short stories in American Girl magazine, so that is one reason how I was introduced to these awesome books. I was recently contacted to do a review of Amelia's Middle-School Graduation Yearbook, the last book in the series! Amelia's Notebooks have been going on for 20 years, can you believe it?! This sure calls for a celebration and I'm excited to share my review with you! I was also able to interview Marissa Moss, the author of the books, so keep on reading!!

First, a little info on the series. All of the books are written in notebook form in the point-of-view of a fictional character named Amelia. She writes about lots of things, from school to her older sister Cleo. Every book is about some kind of adventure or life situation she is going through. Amelia has such a fun, quirky, creative, and most of all relatable personality--I have laughed out loud several times reading these books!

In Amelia's Middle-School Graduation Yearbook, Amelia is about to graduate 8th grade. Along with this comes many thoughts and bittersweet emotions, since she knows High School will be a big change. And when she finds out her best friend Carly won't be coming with her to High School, her life suddenly feels out of her control. In her graduation yearbook, drawings and "photos" nostalgically recap her earlier years and notebooks as Amelia figures out how to face the changes ahead. The words in the book are actually hand-written print too, so that is a very fun detail!

I enjoyed the book so much and loved that it included many bits and pieces from the other books! It brought back many memories of when I read the books years back. Amelia has played a big part of my life growing up and it's sad that the books are coming to a close, but the end of the last book left me feeling happy. You must read it to find out what happens! :)

Marissa Moss, the author of the books, has been an inspiration to me as a writer and it was great to be able to ask her some questions! :)

Q: Which book in Amelia’s Notebooks series is your favorite (or was your favorite to write)?

A: Asking which is my favorite book is like asking a parent which is your favorite child. But if I have to choose, I'd say the first one, Amelia's Notebook, because it was the first time I could use a format that felt so natural to me, going back and forth easily between words and pictures.

Q: What inspired you to write Amelia’s Notebooks?

A: The first notebook was based on the notebooks I kept when I was a kid. I wanted to get back to my 9-year-old self and writing in a composition book like the ones I'd had, put me right into that mindset.

Q: When did you know you wanted to be an author?

A:I sent my first book to publishers when I was nine, but it wasn't very good, and they didn't publish it.

Q: Did you have any dolls when you were younger?

A: I had the requisite Barbie doll, as it seemed like every girl did. We didn't have a lot of money growing up, so we didn't have the huge number of toys that kids today have.

Q: What tips would you give to young writers who would love to be an author one day?

A: I think the best way to become a writer is to read, read, READ!!

I highly recommend Amelia's Notebooks and hope you enjoy them as much as I do! If you have read any of them, I'd love to know! :)

Posted at 01:44 PM in Book Reviews, Interviews | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

July 06, 2013

Review & Giveaway of Nicky Epstein's Knits for Dolls Book!

I've always loved to do crafts! When I was little my mom always had lots of art supplies around the house so I could make practically anything! As I got older, I started learning how to do needlework and my mom taught me how to crochet. My mom has taught me to knit too, but I'm still learning. ;)

When I was invited to join in the Blog Book Tour for Nicky Epstein's brand new book, Knits for Dolls I was so excited! (We're giving away a copy too--keep reading to find out more!)

As I flipped through the book I was blown away by the lovely colored pictures and adorable doll knit patterns. My mom looked through it with me and decided to make me something for Mia. (She's awesome!)

My mom knitted the headband and armwarmers from the 'Walk in the Woods' pattern. Aren't they cute?! It was an easy project--it only took her a day!

I love it! :)

Here's a peek at some of the other pages of knitted patterns in Nicky Epstein's book...

The front page with an index of all the patterns...

More great patterns...and for purses too!

There is a wide range of projects in the book, for the beginner knitter to the most experienced.

I love the knitted crown!

Owls!!! (I love how this pattern shows how to add fabric with knitted clothing)

Here's the pattern my mom used for the headband and armwarmers.

The most adorable sock monkey hat!

Some more hats...I spot another owl!

A sweet summer dress!

Finally, some accessories for a beautiful dancer! :)

That's just a tiny peek, there are so many amazing patterns in this book. It's also filled with ideas on how to make hair accessories and jewelry.

Even if you're not a knitter, this book is so much fun to look through and get crafty inspiration!

Are you ready to enter to win it?!

Here's How to Enter:

-First have a Parent's permission (if you are under 18)-you will have to give me your home address if you win.

-In your comment say that you would like to enter

-Tell me your favorite hobby you like to do!

-Say your name or nickname (tell me in the comment or sign the comment with your name)

-Make sure that the email address you use to publish your comment is the one I can contact you by.

Be sure to follow those instructions! Also, I can ship only to the U.S.A. and Canada. You can only enter once, one entry per person.

The last day to enter is Sunday July 14th at Midnight EST. I will pick and reveal the winner on Monday July 15th. I will pick the winner randomly.

If you are unsure of how to comment or have questions about my giveaways you can find the answers in My Frequently Asked Questions Page. Also, feel free to ask me by comment or email.