Samantha Parkington & Nellie O’Malley
Mount Bedford, NY – 1904
Samantha Parkington is an orphan who lives with her old-fashioned Grandmary in New Bedford, New York. Her parents drowned the summer after she turned five. She’s been partially raised by her Uncle Gardner, and wants to continue to be a part of his life, even after he gets married. Samantha is curious and defiant when she feels like she’s been wronged. She finds it challenging to be a young lady. She is loyal, giving, and helpful. She loves to read and is able to play the piano. She wants to either be a painter or the first female U.S. president.
Nellie O’Malley is a young Irish-American girl who lives with her parents and two younger sisters. Her parents are both Irish immigrants, so they are looked down upon by the rest of society. She is shy and withdrawn, and is more practical and level-headed compared to Samantha’s fanciful imagination. She’s extremely protective of her younger sisters and would do anything for them.
Books
Central Series
- Meet Samantha
- Samantha Learns a Lesson
- Samantha’s Surprise
- Happy Birthday, Samantha!
- Samantha Saves the Day
- Changes for Samantha
Best Friend Book
- Nellie’s Promise
Short Stories
- Samantha and the Missing Pearls
- Samantha’s Special Talent
- Samantha’s Winter Party
- Samantha Saves the Wedding
- Samantha’s Blue Bicycle
Mysteries
- The Curse of Ravenscourt
- The Stolen Sapphire
- The Cry of the Loon
- Clue in the Castle Tower
- Danger in Paris
More Information
In 2004, American Girl released a movie, Samantha: An American Girl Holiday. At this time, they also released Nellie as a Best Friend doll with her limited collection.
When BeForever was introduced in 2014, they turned Samantha’s six Central Series stories into two books: Manners and Mischief: A Samantha Classic Volume 1 and Lost and Found: A Samantha Classic Volume 2. The first volume included the first three stories of the Central Series, and the second volume included the last three stories. In addition, they released a special choose-your-own-adventure book, The Lilac Tunnel: My Journey with Samantha.
When BeForever ended in 2019, they repackaged the stories again into two books: The Gift and Lost and Found. The first book included abridged and modified versions of the first two stories of the Central Series alongside two of the Short Stories, while the second book included abridged and modified versions of the last three Central Series stories. The middle story from the Central Series, Samantha’s Surprise!, is completely removed. Several of the stories are heavily truncated.
For more details about Samantha’s books, or see additional versions of books, please see the Official Fandom Page for Samantha’s books.