https://americangirl.wiki/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Happy_Birthday%2C_Samantha%21Happy Birthday, Samantha! - Revision history2026-11-11T20:02:53ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.46.2https://americangirl.wiki/w/index.php?title=Happy_Birthday,_Samantha!&diff=132&oldid=prevMigrationBot: Imported latest exported content; source attribution retained.2026-09-16T19:44:05Z<p>Imported latest exported content; source attribution retained.</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{infobox book<br />
| name = ''Happy Birthday, Samantha!''<br />
| image = File:HappyBirthday-Samantha-2004.jpg<br />
| imagewidth = 300px<br />
| caption = The last available cover of ''Happy Birthday, Samantha!''.<br />
| published = 1987<br />
| author = [[Valerie Tripp]]<br />
| illustrator = [[Nancy Niles]]<br>[[Dan Andreasen]]<br>Jana Fothergill (vignettes)<br />
| isbn = <br />
| setting = May 26, 1905 - June, Mount Bedford and New York City<br />
| prev = ''[[Samantha's Surprise]]''<br />
| next = ''[[Samantha Saves the Day]]''<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''''Happy Birthday, Samantha!''''' is the [[Central Series|fourth book]] in the '''[[List of Samantha's Books|Samantha series]]'''. With the release of [[BeForever]], it became part of ''[[Lost and Found]]'' and later a truncated version became part of ''[[Samantha: Lost and Found]]''.<br />
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==Characters==<br />
<br />
===Previously Mentioned===<br />
* [[Samantha Parkington]]<br />
* [[Mary Edwards]]<br />
* [[Eddie Ryland]]<br />
* [[Cornelia Edwards]]<br />
* [[Gardner Edwards]]<br />
* [[Agnes and Agatha Pitt]]<ref>This is the first book of the central series Agnes and Agatha Pitt appear in, but they chronologically appear first in ''[[Samantha Saves the Wedding]]''.</ref><br />
* [[Hawkins]]<br />
* [[Mrs. Hawkins]]<br />
* [[Minor Characters in Samantha's Series (A-M)#Ida Dean|Ida Dean]]<br />
* [[Minor Characters in Samantha's Series (A-M)#Ruth Adams|Ruth Adams]]<br />
* [[Minor Characters in Samantha's Series (A-M)#Edith Eddleton|Edith Eddleton]]<br />
<br />
==Chapter by Chapter Summary==<br />
<br />
===Chapter One: Petticoats and Petit Fours===<br />
<br />
===Chapter Two: The Party===<br />
<br />
===Chapter Three: New York City===<br />
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===Chapter Four: Follow That Dog!===<br />
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===Chapter Five: Changes===<br />
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===[[Looking Back]]: Growing Up in 1904===<br />
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Discusses childhood in turn of the century America. Topics covered:<br />
<br />
* How childbirth was handled by families and doctors, and the various ways that babies were pampered and taken care of by nursemaids and nannies.<br />
* The many things a child would do in their playroom, such as play with toys and eat their meals on child-sized tables and chairs.<br />
* Laws and toys that were invented to help children embrace their childhoods, as adults and parents were beginning to understand that childhood was a precious time that should be spent playing rather than working.<br />
* Popular games, toys, and books that children played with, such as teddy bears, dominoes, ''[[Wikipedia:Alice in Wonderland|Alice in Wonderland]]'' and ''[[Wikipedia:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|The Wizard of Oz]]''.<br />
* Similarities young boys and girls had with their clothing styles at the time.<br />
* The expectation for upper class children to grow up to be proper ladies and gentlemen, with many girls beginning to be expected to act more mature at the age of eight or nine years of age.<br />
* Clothing and appearance changes girls endured when they turned fifteen years old and how many upper class girls also began to attend finishing schools.<br />
* Different paths that girls could choose when they turned eighteen, in which they were officially welcomed into the adult-world with coming out or debutante parties.<br />
<br />
==Book Covers==<br />
<gallery position="center" widths="175" spacing="small" captionalign="center" bordersize="none"><br />
Samantha4v1.jpg|First Cover from 1987-1998.<br />
Samantha4v2.jpg|Second Cover from 1998-2000.<br />
HappyBirthday-Samantha-2000.jpg|Third Cover from 2000-2004.<br />
HappyBirthday-Samantha-2004.jpg|Fourth Cover from 2004-2014.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
* Early editions of ''Happy Birthday, Samantha!'' have the word "suffragette," which was what English women for suffrage wished to be called; American women preferred the word "suffragists." Later editions correct this.<ref>Samantha's [[American Girl Teacher's Guides]], pg 28.</ref><br />
* In ''[[Samantha: Lost and Found]]'', the first two chapters with the spoiled party are removed; the book opens with the trip to New York City. Rather than it being in part a make up for a spoiled party, it is considered a special trip for her birthday. <br />
<br />
==Items associated with ''Happy Birthday, Samantha!''==<br />
* [[Lacy Pinafore and Rosebud Circlet]]<br />
* [[Jip the Dog]]<br />
* [[Mohair Teddy Bear]]<br />
* [[Samantha's Party Treats]]<br />
* [[Victorian Lemonade Set]]<br />
* [[Ice Cream Freezer]]<br />
* [[Elegant Doll Pram]]<br />
* [[Wicker Table and Chairs]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
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{{Refs}}<br />
<br />
{{Stub}}<br />
[[Category:Samantha Parkington]]<br />
[[Category:Samantha's Collection]]<br />
[[Category:Books]]<br />
[[Category:Historical Books]]<br />
[[Category:Central Series]]<br />
[[Category:Birthday Books]]<br />
[[Category:Birthday Collections]]<br />
[[Category:Items Released in 1987]]<br />
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''This page incorporates text from [https://americangirl.fandom.com/wiki/Happy_Birthday%2C_Samantha%21 the source wiki] ([https://americangirl.fandom.com/index.php?oldid=131700 exported version], [https://americangirl.fandom.com/index.php?title=Happy+Birthday%2C+Samantha%21&action=history contributor history]), under [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ the original text license].''<br />
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