AmericanGirlFan

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! :)

Sponsor Spotlight Sunday: Generation Grit!

I'm so excited to introduce you all to one of my new sponsors, Generation Grit! Generation Grit is a new company that brings to life a collection of characters, inspiring boys to live their best adventure. Each character has an adventure figure, books, and accessories—all created to spark hours of reading and imaginative play. Their currently on KickStarter to jumpstart their business.

I got to talk with Laura, the founder of Generation Grit and can't wait to share the interview with you!

How did you get the idea for Generation Grit and Mac Mason? What was your inspiration?

The idea first hit me while I was sipping pink lemonade at the American Girl Café with my then eight-year-old daughter Ella and her doll, Kit, from the Great Depression era. Our conversation hopped between historical norms during Kit’s life to more personal thoughts on Ella’s hopes and dreams. I love how the American Girl stories have inspired all three of my girls over the years. As I relished the sweet time with my daughter, I began to wonder about similar toys for my son.

There is a welcome new trend in toys for girls: fantastic toys and books that encourage young girls to reach for the stars, like Roominate, Goldieblox, IamElemental, and of course, American Girl!

But where are the toys and stories that encourage and motivate boys to be their best? I decided to make some.

What is the mission of Generation Grit?

Generation Grit aims to fill the gap by providing male character-based toys who show their strength through adventure, empathy, imagination, and grit, instead of big muscles or superhero powers.

Don’t get me wrong–I love superheroes, but I also long for my son to have heroes who are adventurous, regular boys willing to try, fail, learn and grow. All boys deserve to see themselves in the messages behind Generation Grit, and we want to teach them that there is more than one kind of strong.

Can you tell us a bit more about the Mac Mason story and his character?

Fourteen-year-old Mac Mason’s story takes place in 1943 on the home front during World War II. Although Mac is an avid baseball player, he feels overshadowed when his athletic British cousin William comes to California to escape the London bombings. Things change when the two uncover clues to a fraudulent rations ring, and they have to work together to save a friend from being falsely accused. Mac's adventures include dealing with smugglers and ciphers, solving mysteries, and taking an epic camping trip.

While the book revolves around Mac’s adventures and the ration mystery, it also walks through important issues of friendship, ego, and courage. The World War II context provides visibility into an important time in American history through the eyes of a boy. The book is intended for middle grade readers, ages eight to 12.

Did you have a favorite doll or toy growing up?

I loved my Cabbage Patch doll. Her name was Hettie Felice, and my parents braved quite the line one year to get her at Toys R Us. I also loved Legos growing up. American Girl didn’t launch until I was in high school, and when I first saw one (Kirsten), I wished she had been around when I was a girl!

Is there anything else you’d like to tell my readers?

Just as girls deserve more options than Barbie, boys deserve more than Ken or G.I. Joe.

Let’s celebrate that boys can be strong through more than just muscles. If you love American Girl, you’ll love Generation Grit for the boys in your life. Click here to reserve your Mac Mason and other rewards from Generation Grit. (Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing platform, so if we don’t reach our goal, no funds are collected at all. Your credit card is only charged if the goal is reached.)

Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us, Laura!! Be sure to go check out the Kickstarter and the Generation Grit website and take a look at their great products!

Hope you all enjoy your Sunday! :)

My Questionnaire with The Letters in My Mailbox!

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to be featured on my sweet friend Hannah's blog, The Letters in My Mailbox. She invited me to share what I love about letter writing, how I started writing letters, about having penpals, where I store my letters, and more!

It was so much fun!! Grab a cup of tea or your favorite drink, and check out the questionnaire below:

http://thelettersinmymailbox.blogspot.com/

Do you like writing letters too? :)