Samantha Saves the Day: A Summer Story

Rating is for Book Five, review is for the original six-book Samantha series published in the 1980s

Historical fiction is my all-time favorite genre, and it isn't hard for me to pinpoint when/where my love for the genre started.

At my elementary school library, I discovered chapter books in The American Girls Collection, published by what was once the Pleasant Company. My favorite series in the collection were (in the order of their eras) the ones about:

• Felicity (1774)
• Addy (1864)
• Samantha (1904)
• Molly (1944)

Well, I recently found out there's an upcoming novel about one of these heroines as an adult. Samantha: The Next Chapter by Fiona Davis. So, I decided to revisit the adventures of nine- then ten-year-old Samantha.

For me show more as a child, it was the turn-of-the-century settings of the stories, combined with the pages of rich and colorful illustrations, that most drew me into the books about Samantha's great times as well as her lessons to learn. History wise, the issue that stood out to me the most in the series was women's suffrage.

Now for me as an adult, I better recognize how much important history the series touches on, and while these relatively short tales don't go deep into character development, I can appreciate Samantha's character a little more.

She's very compassionate, and she's at her most courageous when she's helping others in need. In addition to women's rights, Samantha's stories take a young reader-appropriate but still serious look at issues like race and class. There are also instances of alcohol abuse and thievery, and Samantha begins to learn about the hardships that different families and children face, including cramped and run-down living conditions, child labor, harsh and bleak orphanages, and childhood homelessness.

And even as well-off as Samantha is, she as an orphan herself does have her somber moments when she thinks about the two parents she lost before she would be able to remember them better.

On a different note, features I didn't remember but am glad I've rediscovered about the series are the history sections following the stories, with facts and photographs adding more historical context to the world Samantha lives in—and will live in when she grows up.

Here's hoping my grown-up self will enjoy reading about grown-up Samantha as much as I enjoyed this series, whether the first time I read the books or during my revisit. show less

This is a book about a girl named Samantha, and her summer vacation set in the year of 1904. We are able to learn about Samantha's adventures at her Grandmothers summer home with the rest of her family and friends. We also learn about her adventures to the island near where she is staying as well. It is a very positive book as well.

Samantha couldn't be happier! She is with Grandmary at their summer home(Piney Point) in the mountains. To add to the excitement, Agnes, Agatha, Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia are joining them! And so is Grandmary's special friend and admirer, Admiral Archibald Beemis! Fishing, swimming, and exploring in a canoe occupy the sunny days. And on rainy days, the girls complete jigsaw puzzles, paint pictures, play cards and work on their wildflower scrapbooks. When Samantha finds a sketchbook of her late mother's vacation paintings, she and the twins decide to visit Teardrop Island; Samantha is aware that her parents had a tragic accident there, but what could happen on such a beautiful, peaceful day?

Samantha Saves the Day is the fifth book in show more the Samantha series. Cleverly illustrated by Dan Andreasen.

The "Looking Back" section explores "America Outdoors in 1904." People in towns and cities wanted to escape to the mountains and seashores in the summer. Wealthy families often spent their entire summers at these vacation homes. They may have felt they were "roughing it", but servants made their lives easier. John Muir, Sarah and James Philip, and Theodore Roosevelt were active in early ecological movements. show less

A review by Blake: A really good book. One of the best in the series. Exciting, surprises around every corner. And it was a really good book, so I like it. And I would recommend it to anybody.

Summary:
Samantha Saves the Day is book five in a series of books. In this story the mail character Samantha and her family are on their annual summer vacation at Goose Lake. Samantha and her cousins, Agnes and Agatha, were enjoying their summer trip until one day when a bad storm came and they were forced to stay inside the house and became very bored. The girls decided to go up into the attic of their grandmother’s house to look for paint supplies and they were intrigued to find paintings that Samantha’s mother had drawn of Teardrop Island. Samantha had vowed never to go to the island because both her parents had tragically died there when she was just a little girl. However, after looking at the paintings she decided that she and show more her cousins were going to go there the very next day. The next morning, the girls set out in their boat to Teardrop Island. After enjoying a full day and trying to remember the fun times she had with her parents there a storm started to roll in and the girls knew it was time to head back. They failed to tie up their boat and when they returned to go home it was gone. After they climbed to the top of a tall peek they hear a rumbling in a nearby bush and it turned out to be the Admiral who had come to rescue them, but he had hit his head and was bleeding badly. The girls got themselves and the Admiral safely back into the boat and back home. In the end Samantha decided that she would return again to Teardrop Island to remember her parents.

Personal Reflection:
I remember reading these books as a child, and that is why I selected it to review. Even as an adult I enjoyed reading it.

Classroom Extension:
-This book could be used to introduce children into reading chapter books.
-This book could be used as a tool when teaching of life in the 1900’s. show less

Story of Samantha, an orphan raised by her grandmother; her world, friends, and family.

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