Jess (American Girl Today)

I am glad I was able to find a Meetup Book for the American Girl doll Jess that I have. Thank you for carrying it at an affordable price.

this book is about 10 year old jess who goes to beliz with her arceologist parents. She meets a friend sarita. They discover a cave. Jess gets a lot of firsts even 1st time to share her story at a dig. Good book!

I'm an adult reader, and I really enjoyed this young adult book. It's about Jess, a 10 year-old American girl with archeologist parents. Jess gets to travel with her parents to the Central American country of Belize to study Maya ruins for five months. She'll be away from her home, her school, and her brother and sister, and she's both excited and scared. Mr. Bol, a local guide in Belize, has a 10 year-old daughter, Sarita, and she and Jess become fast friends. After a brief but strong storm, the girls find a parrot too young to survive on its own, and they decide to care for it until it can fend for itself. When Mr. Bol offers to take Jess and Sarita on an eco-adventure he's leading for a visiting couple, the girls take the parrot with them. Jess spends the night in Sarita's house and learns that they live quite differently in Belize. They wash their clothes by hand, and the whole family sleeps in one room! While on their adventure, the parrot sneaks away from the girls, and they go searching for it. Jess finds the parrot and reaches for it, but she stumbles. Her fall dislodges a rock that's covering a hole in the ground. Could it be an undiscovered cave? This book really held my attention. It was very educational without seeming like a textbook. The author clearly researched Belize and the Maya culture well, and the book flowed nicely. It didn't seem like the educational stuff was just thrown in for education's sake. I recommend it for all ages.

Received in great condition and my kids loved reading them.

Great story about a homeschooler!

LOVE the American Girl Stories! A+++ Rating!!!

It's really good because there is nothing inappropriate and no swear words. I think it has great words and it's not scary at all and I think it's really fun to look and see all the pictures. I learned that in ancient times some Mayas would strap boards on their foreheads to make their foreheads slanted like a jaguars. (by Sonja, 7 years old) Great book for kids. Interesting to learn about archeology, modern day Belize, and the ancient Maya culture. Jess is a headstrong, brave but polite girl but realistic, too, with her feelings of homesickness and here desire to find a friend. She meets Sarita, a local girl who is the daughter of a tour guide, and visits her at her home in the jungle. Having spent a lot of time in developing countries, I thought the author did a good job depicting Sarita's home in a realistic light. Enjoyable, educational, and a bit inspiring!

Mary Casanova's lastest book, "Jess," follows the story of ten-year-old Jess and her first trip with her parents at an archaeological dig of ancient Maya ruins in the Central American country of Belize. Within her first few weeks living in Belize, Jess spends her lonely days without a friend in the world, until she meets a girl named Sarita, who helps Jess overcome her deepest fears and experience the adventure of a lifetime. While undertaking the wild life of caving and canoeing, Jess not only learns about herself and what's truly in her heart, but also the somewhat poverty-stricken life Sarita's family must live, without the modern conveniences Jess is accustomed to. However, as both girls work together, regardless of their numerous differences, they soon discover a piece of the past that no one has ever uncovered before them. While it can be said "Jess," apart of the American Girl book series, is an enthralling book for your young reader, once read it is clear that "Jess" focuses primarily on capturing the adventurous side of kids, and is somewhat dry for the much-older (teenage) crowd. But overall, "Jess" represents the the cultural background of Central Americans and their way of living, which long-time American Girl fans can greatly appreciate and benefit from.