Book-It 'o14! Book #26
The Fifty Books Challenge, year five! ( 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013) This was a library request.
Title: Rebecca and the Movies by Jacqueline Dembar Greene with illustrations by Robert Hunt
Details: Copyright 2009, American Girl Publishing Inc
Synopsis (By Way of Back Cover): "Rebecca can hardly believe it when cousin Max invites her to visit his movie studio! Although her parents don't approve of actors or movies, Mama relents and says she may go. At the studio, Rebecca meets the glamorous Lily, a real movie star. When the camera begins to roll, Rebecca knows she must sit quietly and watch. Suddenly the director shouts "Cut!" --and Rebecca finds herself facing an opportunity she never imagined in her wildest dreams. Does she have the nerve for it? And what would her parents say if they knew?"
Why I Wanted to Read It: Remember my remembrances of the American Girl franchise? And my reviews of the the character Kit's six-book series? And my review of the first book about Rebecca? Then the second? Then the third? Okay then.
How I Liked It: The book makes the fourth instance in Rebecca's series of "this-could've-easily-been-titled-under-the-old-system-but-isn't", by which I mean the old book title/merchandise format that served until the Nez Perce character Kaya'aton'my was introduced in 2002.
Just a refresher,the formula generally went "Meet ______" (doll, accessories), "_____ Learns a Lesson" (school outfit, lunch, desk, school supplies), "_____'s Surprise" (winter holiday dress, doll-sized doll, holiday food, other Christmas/holiday presents), "Happy Birthday, _____!" (birthday dress, table and chairs, pet or stuffed animal, other birthday present, flatware and table dressings of the period, birthday treats), "_____ Saves the Day" (summer outfit, summer shoes related to summer outfit, outdoor summer activity accessories), and "Changes For _____" (winter outfit, shoes for winter outfit, winter-related activity accessories, undergarments, and a doll-sized traveling bag/box/case).
In defense of the format (which people have accused the books of only existing to sell the accompanying merchandise, which generally meant they didn't read the books), this was generally a pretty good way to coordinate the merchandise to get a real feel for the era. Yes, of course it was to sell toys, it's a toy company, that's the point. And there was something about having, say, a "school outfit" for girls across the centuries, the same uniting feature that the company claims to promote, that girls of the past had different stories from girls of today (or 1986 or 1994 or 2009) but certain values and struggles (family, independence, feeling like an outsider, et cetera) carried across and by identifying with historical characters, you were investing in a child's sense of history.
There are numerous problematic aspects of the character Kaya'aton'my which have been addressed by American Girl Outsider and AICL, to name a couple. But one gets the idea that the breaking of the format had less to do with cultural sensitivity than line revamping. But back to Rebecca.
In the "Happy Birthday" stories of old, the character would celebrate her birthday (as you might expect), and the accompanying merchandise would include, as I said, springtime dress, table and chairs of the era, flatware/dishes, treats, a pet/stuffed animal, and additional birthday presents. If you want to angle the line as historical education (and also a fun way to get miniature historical reproductions of various things), this format was not necessarily a bad idea. Granted, as I noted with Kit's Surprise, there's occasionally shoe-horning, as in stuff that was barely mentioned in the book that's supposed to go with the collection.
But what does this have to do with the books? Am I setting up a complaint about the book structure? Indeed.
I haven't read the other books that followed "post-format" that are between Kit's 2000 introduction and Rebecca's (2009). They include the aforementioned Kaya'aton'my introduced in 2002 as well as Julie, introduced in 2007. Julie, intended to represent 1974 (and the shifting cultural attitudes of the period; divorce, Title IX, environmentalism), did not return to the format, although she easily could have. Missing from Julie's birthday collection (accompanying Julie's birthday book, Julie and the Eagles) are the usual table and chairs (possibly due to the fact apparently her birthday was a picnic), although she does have birthday treats, a birthday dress, and a pet bunny. American Girl, needing to sell furniture, however, made an odd choice. Although it's not listed as being a part of her birthday collection, a $350 "car wash set" (in the book, she holds a charity car wash) including the "CAR WASH" sign from the story, tools for car washing, and a "1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle car" that's doll-sized, despite the fact the characters the dolls represent being too young to drive. Obviously a car is needed for them to wash to work as an accessory, but it's still an odd choice. Again, what does this have to do with Rebecca? Shoe-horning of other odd furniture choices into this particular story.
Despite her birthday being during Passover, Rebecca has a surprise birthday party from her family and an extra surprise from her cousin Max, the actor. He presents her with a flamboyant hat and an invitation for her to join him for a day on set at a movie studio.
The book is playing up the fact that film studios still existed outside Hollywood at this period, although it's exaggerating that fact a bit.
From there, the book is pretty standard wish fulfillment for its intended audience. Rebecca eagerly visits the studio where, wouldn't you know it, there's a need for a character exactly her age and look. Never mind the mentioned sea of aspiring, experienced actresses and the fact during the period they weren't really sticklers for age (thus why Mary Pickford played a little girl well into her thirties), Rebecca lands the role.
The book attempts to recreate the feel of film-making in the 'teens (for educational purposes), but trips in its glossing (and aforementioned wish-fulfillment) of details, including numerous and often horrific safety hazards (particularly for extras), long and boring hours, and flat out clumsy writing.
While it's expected that a young adult book is going to have to by necessity of its audience sanitize history at least a little, this seems the most obnoxious and egregious example. Rebecca is rewarded/paid for her role with a phonograph given to her by the director (because pre-child labor laws, being picked on the spot for a role isn't payment enough, right?). For some reason, the briefly mentioned settee on which Rebecca sits when the star of the film invites her into her dressing room to watch her put on her make-up is Rebecca's odd (although slightly less odd than a car) piece of furniture to buy to go with the story (given the emphasis on Rebecca's family and tradition, a table and chairs really would've made more sense, despite the fact it would've seated at most only two dolls when her household of nine eats there in the books).
Easily the weakest in the series, as the plot is virtually non-existent, the historical accuracy is "sketchy" at best, and the illustrations have returned to their odd "Babysitter's Club" quality (more about them in a second). The "Looking Back" section also manages to be almost cringingly patronizing. While it offers some relevant and genuinely educational (and accurate) information relevant to this particular story (the rise in popularity of moving pictures), would a child even of seven need to know that "girls still love watching movies"? Wouldn't they know that from the fact they and/or friends and family go to the movies? Even with the rise of Netflix and other watch-from-your-device services, there's still plenty of attractions that put people in the theaters themselves.
Also, there was this bit of obnoxiousness:
“In the days before television, the street was a fun place to play for another reason: it was entertaining, almost like a reality TV show.” (pg 73)
Would a child really have no idea that watching other people do things can be entertaining? Is this a child that has never been to school and/or doesn't go out in public? While not explicit, this is tinged with the (largely Boomer) anti-technology smarm of "kids today" being "so removed" from life thanks to the Internet that they've never learned "basic human experiences" (never mind that this charge has always been leveled at every generation, even, yes, Rebecca's).
Notable: The movie poster that so entrances Rebecca and her friend Rose at the beginning of the book bears little to no resemblance (neither do the posters in the background) to the actual film posters of the period, minor works of art.
You'll note the one they study is intended to bear a resemblance to the 1917 Theda Bara film Cleopatra. Here is a comparison of the two posters.
Title: Rebecca and the Movies by Jacqueline Dembar Greene with illustrations by Robert Hunt
Details: Copyright 2009, American Girl Publishing Inc
Synopsis (By Way of Back Cover): "Rebecca can hardly believe it when cousin Max invites her to visit his movie studio! Although her parents don't approve of actors or movies, Mama relents and says she may go. At the studio, Rebecca meets the glamorous Lily, a real movie star. When the camera begins to roll, Rebecca knows she must sit quietly and watch. Suddenly the director shouts "Cut!" --and Rebecca finds herself facing an opportunity she never imagined in her wildest dreams. Does she have the nerve for it? And what would her parents say if they knew?"
Why I Wanted to Read It: Remember my remembrances of the American Girl franchise? And my reviews of the the character Kit's six-book series? And my review of the first book about Rebecca? Then the second? Then the third? Okay then.
How I Liked It: The book makes the fourth instance in Rebecca's series of "this-could've-easily-been-titled-under-the-old-system-but-isn't", by which I mean the old book title/merchandise format that served until the Nez Perce character Kaya'aton'my was introduced in 2002.
Just a refresher,the formula generally went "Meet ______" (doll, accessories), "_____ Learns a Lesson" (school outfit, lunch, desk, school supplies), "_____'s Surprise" (winter holiday dress, doll-sized doll, holiday food, other Christmas/holiday presents), "Happy Birthday, _____!" (birthday dress, table and chairs, pet or stuffed animal, other birthday present, flatware and table dressings of the period, birthday treats), "_____ Saves the Day" (summer outfit, summer shoes related to summer outfit, outdoor summer activity accessories), and "Changes For _____" (winter outfit, shoes for winter outfit, winter-related activity accessories, undergarments, and a doll-sized traveling bag/box/case).
In defense of the format (which people have accused the books of only existing to sell the accompanying merchandise, which generally meant they didn't read the books), this was generally a pretty good way to coordinate the merchandise to get a real feel for the era. Yes, of course it was to sell toys, it's a toy company, that's the point. And there was something about having, say, a "school outfit" for girls across the centuries, the same uniting feature that the company claims to promote, that girls of the past had different stories from girls of today (or 1986 or 1994 or 2009) but certain values and struggles (family, independence, feeling like an outsider, et cetera) carried across and by identifying with historical characters, you were investing in a child's sense of history.
There are numerous problematic aspects of the character Kaya'aton'my which have been addressed by American Girl Outsider and AICL, to name a couple. But one gets the idea that the breaking of the format had less to do with cultural sensitivity than line revamping. But back to Rebecca.
In the "Happy Birthday" stories of old, the character would celebrate her birthday (as you might expect), and the accompanying merchandise would include, as I said, springtime dress, table and chairs of the era, flatware/dishes, treats, a pet/stuffed animal, and additional birthday presents. If you want to angle the line as historical education (and also a fun way to get miniature historical reproductions of various things), this format was not necessarily a bad idea. Granted, as I noted with Kit's Surprise, there's occasionally shoe-horning, as in stuff that was barely mentioned in the book that's supposed to go with the collection.
But what does this have to do with the books? Am I setting up a complaint about the book structure? Indeed.
I haven't read the other books that followed "post-format" that are between Kit's 2000 introduction and Rebecca's (2009). They include the aforementioned Kaya'aton'my introduced in 2002 as well as Julie, introduced in 2007. Julie, intended to represent 1974 (and the shifting cultural attitudes of the period; divorce, Title IX, environmentalism), did not return to the format, although she easily could have. Missing from Julie's birthday collection (accompanying Julie's birthday book, Julie and the Eagles) are the usual table and chairs (possibly due to the fact apparently her birthday was a picnic), although she does have birthday treats, a birthday dress, and a pet bunny. American Girl, needing to sell furniture, however, made an odd choice. Although it's not listed as being a part of her birthday collection, a $350 "car wash set" (in the book, she holds a charity car wash) including the "CAR WASH" sign from the story, tools for car washing, and a "1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle car" that's doll-sized, despite the fact the characters the dolls represent being too young to drive. Obviously a car is needed for them to wash to work as an accessory, but it's still an odd choice. Again, what does this have to do with Rebecca? Shoe-horning of other odd furniture choices into this particular story.
Despite her birthday being during Passover, Rebecca has a surprise birthday party from her family and an extra surprise from her cousin Max, the actor. He presents her with a flamboyant hat and an invitation for her to join him for a day on set at a movie studio.
The book is playing up the fact that film studios still existed outside Hollywood at this period, although it's exaggerating that fact a bit.
From there, the book is pretty standard wish fulfillment for its intended audience. Rebecca eagerly visits the studio where, wouldn't you know it, there's a need for a character exactly her age and look. Never mind the mentioned sea of aspiring, experienced actresses and the fact during the period they weren't really sticklers for age (thus why Mary Pickford played a little girl well into her thirties), Rebecca lands the role.
The book attempts to recreate the feel of film-making in the 'teens (for educational purposes), but trips in its glossing (and aforementioned wish-fulfillment) of details, including numerous and often horrific safety hazards (particularly for extras), long and boring hours, and flat out clumsy writing.
While it's expected that a young adult book is going to have to by necessity of its audience sanitize history at least a little, this seems the most obnoxious and egregious example. Rebecca is rewarded/paid for her role with a phonograph given to her by the director (because pre-child labor laws, being picked on the spot for a role isn't payment enough, right?). For some reason, the briefly mentioned settee on which Rebecca sits when the star of the film invites her into her dressing room to watch her put on her make-up is Rebecca's odd (although slightly less odd than a car) piece of furniture to buy to go with the story (given the emphasis on Rebecca's family and tradition, a table and chairs really would've made more sense, despite the fact it would've seated at most only two dolls when her household of nine eats there in the books).
Easily the weakest in the series, as the plot is virtually non-existent, the historical accuracy is "sketchy" at best, and the illustrations have returned to their odd "Babysitter's Club" quality (more about them in a second). The "Looking Back" section also manages to be almost cringingly patronizing. While it offers some relevant and genuinely educational (and accurate) information relevant to this particular story (the rise in popularity of moving pictures), would a child even of seven need to know that "girls still love watching movies"? Wouldn't they know that from the fact they and/or friends and family go to the movies? Even with the rise of Netflix and other watch-from-your-device services, there's still plenty of attractions that put people in the theaters themselves.
Also, there was this bit of obnoxiousness:
“In the days before television, the street was a fun place to play for another reason: it was entertaining, almost like a reality TV show.” (pg 73)
Would a child really have no idea that watching other people do things can be entertaining? Is this a child that has never been to school and/or doesn't go out in public? While not explicit, this is tinged with the (largely Boomer) anti-technology smarm of "kids today" being "so removed" from life thanks to the Internet that they've never learned "basic human experiences" (never mind that this charge has always been leveled at every generation, even, yes, Rebecca's).
Notable: The movie poster that so entrances Rebecca and her friend Rose at the beginning of the book bears little to no resemblance (neither do the posters in the background) to the actual film posters of the period, minor works of art.
You'll note the one they study is intended to bear a resemblance to the 1917 Theda Bara film Cleopatra. Here is a comparison of the two posters.
