Film Review: Kit Kittredge: An American Girl

Genre: 
Historical Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 8-11

Rating
G

Theme:
Family, financial hardship, friendship, book-to-film adaptation


Films with Similar Themes: 
Ramona and Beezus, Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer


Bibliographic Information:
Roberts, J. (Producer), Yeres, M. (Producer),  & Rozema, P. (Director) (2008). Kit Kittredge: An American girl. [Motion Picture] United States: New Line Home Entertainment.

Film Website
 http://www.kitkittredge.com/ 

Plot:  
Ten-year-old Kit Kittredge (Abigail Breslin) is growing up in Cincinnati in 1930's during the Great Depression of the United States. Kit is an aspiring journalist and wants to be published in the local newspaper. When her father (Chris O'Donnell) loses his job and is forced to look for work in Chicago, Kit's mother (Julia Ormond) turns their home into a boarding house in order to keep a roof over their heads. Kit is heartbroken after her father leaves, but also starts to make some new friends, including two hobos named Wil and Countee (Max Tehieriot & Willow Smith) who help the family fix things in exchange for food. The boarders don't trust the hobos, but Kit knows they are good people. When Kit's friend Ruthie's (Madison Davenport) family is robbed, Will is blamed and disappears. Kit knows he didn't do it and has to prove it somehow, but will she be able to do it?


Review:  
This fantastic film touches on many tweens issues such as the role family plays in a tween's life, and the desire to establish independence.The love Kit has for her family becomes very clear when seeing her sadness after her father stops writing. Kit's desire for independence also becomes clear when she continues to insist to Mr. Gibson (editor-in-chief of the local newspaper, played by Wallace Shawn) that her stories are worthy of being printed. She also shows an independent streak when she and her friends try to solve the mystery of who framed will when they do it on their own instead of going to the police. This film is a great tween film not only because it incorporates elements of life that are important to tweens, but it also teaches them about history in a way that many will find much more interesting than what's in their social studies book. The film is also family-friendly and one parents will enjoy as well as their tween. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is a great tween film that will be enjoyed by many!

  
Notable tweens:

Kit- A headstrong yet fun tween with a big heart, Kit aspires to be a journalist. She fiercely defends her friends and family and does whatever she can to help keep her family's home. She adopts a homeless dog, who becomes one of her best friends and a source of comfort when times are tough.

Sterling (Zach Mills)- A classmate of Kit who moves into their boarding house with his mother. His father had been in New York looking for work and had stopped writing back, so Sterling write his mother a letter pretending to be his father to make her feel better. Sterling helps Kit search for the person who framed Wil.

Ruthie- Kit's friend whose father is a banker, the depression has not affected Ruthie's family. Ruthie thinks Kit's house is more fun than her own and spends lot of time there. When they threaten Kit's home with foreclosure, Ruthie convinces her dad to let the Kittredge's stay longer to come up with more money. When Ruthie's family is robbed Ruthie helps Kit and Sterling to prove that Will is innocent.