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The MPAA has rated Kit Kittredge: An American Girl G.

When I was a child, our school library had a shelf devoted to great American heroes. I started at one end of the row and read my way through biographies about people like Abigail Adams, Ben Franklin, Babe Ruth and George Washington Carver. I loved the tales of times gone by -- a passion I got from my father. Although based on fictional characters, I would have loved the history-inspired American Girl books too.

Unfortunately, the series came too late for me. But for today's pre-adolescents, the stories, set in a variety of different periods and told from a child's perspective, are both interesting and educational. Now, after having three of these works produced as made-for-TV films, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is opening in theaters.

The movie, starring award-winning actress Abigail Breslin as Kit Kittredge, tells of one family's struggle to survive the Great Depression. Living in Cincinnati, Mr. Kittredge (Chris O'Donnell) works at a car dealership. His wife (Julia Ormond) is a compassionate, socially involved woman who is quick to show kindness to others when hard times fall on them.

But before long, their own comfortable existence is disrupted when Mr. Kittredge loses his job and must head to Chicago in search of work. Kit, an aspiring journalist, and her mother are forced to take in boarders in order to meet the mortgage until he returns. Before long, the house is bursting with a dance teacher (Jane Krakowski), magician (Stanley Tucci), mobile librarian (Joan Cusack) and one of Kit's friends (Zach Mills) along with his mother (Glenne Headly).

However, despite their own shaky circumstances, not everyone is happy when Mrs. Kittredge hires a pair of young hobos (Max Thieriot, Willow Smith) to do handyman work around the house in exchange for food. Worse yet, their dire predictions about her sense of judgment seem to come true when the lock box--with all the household's valuables--goes missing along with the two transients.

Luckily, there is nothing dire about this film. While the characters experience some brief moments of peril, the script is full of adventure, mystery and heart as Kit and her friends try and make sense of a world even adults can't understand. Chronicling her experiences on an old typewriter, Kit learns from her mother to face prejudice, fear and frustration. Along with her friends, she also becomes a gentle and engaging role model -- especially for young readers today.

Beyond the movie ratings: What Parents need to know about Kit Kittredge: An American Girl...

The film contains brief moments of peril for some of the children. One child faints repeatedly. Several families either lose or face the uncertainty of losing their home and material possessions. A man is robbed and a home is broken into and burglarized. One character is hit over the head with a shovel.

Talk about the movie with your family...

In this film, many people are afraid of the hobos and others who have lost their livelihood. They also blame them for the country's misfortunes. Why do people often point a finger at others when times are tough? Why are people often critical of those they don't understand?

What advice does Kit's father giver her about facing adversity? How does that counsel later help him? What comes as the result of her persistence?

What impact did the Great Depression have on families and individuals? http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dustbowl/peopleevents/pandeAMEX05.html

Click here to learn more about the History of the American Girl Company that was started because of an absence of pre-teenaged dolls in the toy marketplace.

Check out the other dolls and their stories, which are each set in different historical time periods at the American Girl Official Website.

Video alternatives...

Abigail Breslin also stars as an adventurous little girl who lives in a remote location in the Pacific Ocean in Nim's Island. Another young sleuth loves to solve mysteries in the movie Nancy Drew. For older audiences, Seabiscuit is about a young jockey who is forced to leave his family and make his own way during the Depression. The Great Depression and racism, as seen through the eyes of a child, are portrayed in the film To Kill a Mockingbird.

Kerry Bennett

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