“Girl of the Year” Confronts Bullying
Chrissa, the heroine of the newest addition to the American Girl™ character collection is a fourth grade student who must face difficulties of being new at her school, including being bullied by a trio of “Mean Bees” who bully her in class, on the school bus, online at swim club.
Chrissa is the 2009 Girl of the Year®, and part of the American Girl Company’s contemporary line of characters. Each modern-day character comes to life through her own special story and an 18-inch doll plus several outfits and accessories that reflect her lifestyle, interests and activities. The Girl of the Year® books conclude with a “True Story” section featuring real American girls whose experiences provide a connection to the fictional characters, and demonstrate to the girls that there is no limit to what they can accomplish.
Author Mary Casonova tells Chrissa’s story in two fiction books, Chrissa and Chrissa Stands Strong. A new HBO movie will also examine the plotlines based on both books.
The books show what it can be like to be “the new girl” and explore Chrissa’s friendship troubles at school. More importantly, the books share how Chrissa learns to deal with the bullying she encounters when she moves to a new school in the middle of the year—she is greeted by the girls in her fourth grade class with teasing and tricks. Then the biggest bully becomes her swimming rival, and the teasing and taunting go too far. Chrissa must find a way to stand strong and stop the bullying.
Additionally, American Girl has developed a 64-page paperback book, Stand up for Yourself & Your Friends: Dealing with Bullying and Bossiness and Finding a Better Way, that coincides with the launch of the Chrissa character. The book is designed to help elementary and middle school students learn how to spot bullying and stand up and speak out against it.
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