An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids An American Girl:Chrissa Stands Strong |
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| Screenplay by | Christine Coyx |
| Directed by | Martha Coolidge |
| Starring | Sammi Hanratty Austin Thomas Kaitlyn Dever Adair Tishler Ariela Barer Shelby Harmon |
| Composer(s) | Jennie Muskett |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Mark Amin Ellen L. Brothers David Higgins Andrew Reimer Cami Winikoff |
| Cinematography | Johnny E. Jensen |
| Editor(s) | Elba Sanchez-Short |
| Running time | 91 minutes |
| Production company(s) | HBO Films Sobini Films The End Productions |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release | |
| Original network | HBO |
| Original release | January 5, 2009 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Kit Kittredge: An American Girl |
| Followed by | An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars |
An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong is a 2009 American TV movie. It is the fifth film in the popular American Girl movie series. The movie stars Sammi Hanratty as Chrissa Maxwell. It is based on the Chrissa books from the American Girl collection, written by Mary Casanova.
The film was directed by Martha Coolidge. The story was written by Christine Coyle Johnson and Julie Prendiville Roux. This movie won a Gold Award in 2009 from the National Parenting Publications (NAPPA).
Contents
The Story of Chrissa
A New School and New Challenges
Chrissa Maxwell and her family move from Iowa to Minnesota. They want to be closer to Chrissa's grandmother, Louise "Nana" Hanlon, after a sad family event. At her new school, Chrissa finds it hard to make friends. She soon becomes a target of bullying by three girls known as the Mean Bees: Tara James, Sonali Matthews, and Jayden Johnson.
Chrissa tries to befriend another girl named Gwen Thompson. Gwen is also being bullied by Tara, Sonali, and Jayden. At first, Gwen avoids Chrissa. Chrissa later learns that Gwen was avoiding her because she was living in a shelter and felt ashamed. After this, Chrissa and Gwen become best friends.
Friendship and Betrayal
Later, Gwen tells Chrissa that her mom got a job and they are moving into an apartment. Tara, Jayden, and Sonali overhear their conversation. Gwen asks Chrissa to cut her bangs in the bathroom. Tara, Jayden, and Sonali enter. Tara offers to cut Gwen's hair. She purposely does a terrible job, telling Gwen she looks like a homeless person.
Gwen gets angry at Chrissa. She thinks Chrissa told Tara about her living situation. The girls are sent to the principal's office, Mrs. Ziminsky. Tara lies and says Chrissa told her about Gwen. Jayden also lies, saying she saw nothing. However, Sonali tells Mrs. Ziminsky the truth. The principal suspends Tara for three days, and Sonali and Jayden for one day. After her suspension, Sonali apologizes to Gwen. She leaves Tara and Jayden and becomes friends with Chrissa and Gwen.
Standing Up to Bullies
After this, the bullying gets worse. Tara and Jayden spread mean rumors and posters about Chrissa, even online. Chrissa quits her school swim team because of the teasing. This happens after an incident involving her older brother, Tyler.
Chrissa gets advice from her art teacher, Mrs. Rundell. She tells Chrissa to talk to her parents about the bullying. When Chrissa tells them, her parents help her understand something important. Sometimes, bullies are mean because they want to feel better about themselves. They try to do this by insulting others.
Finding Confidence and Making a Difference
With new confidence, Chrissa and her friends show everyone they are happy with who they are. They do fun things like wearing homemade painted headbands. Their happiness makes Tara and Jayden annoyed, but the three friends ignore them.
Chrissa decides to create a project to make people aware of bullying. She also rejoins the swim team. A big swim competition is coming up. Chrissa realizes that she and Tara must work together to win the relay race. Even though Tara is not happy about it, Chrissa tells her that they can still work together to win, even if they are not best friends. Their teamwork helps them win the race, and they even hug!
The 4th-grade class presents their project. It shows how bullying affects everyone and how friendship can overcome it. Chrissa's best friend from her old school, Amanda, visits her for the summer. Amanda becomes friends with Sonali and Gwen, and the four girls become best friends.
Main Characters
- Chrissa Maxwell - (Sammi Hanratty) - Chrissa is a 10-year-old girl who is bullied by Tara, Sonali, and Jayden. She doesn't want to tell anyone at first, thinking it would make her a tattletale. Chrissa joins the school's swim team but quits after an accident with her brother, Tyler. She later realizes that quitting shows weakness to her bullies. She then works with Tara to win a swim meet. Her best friends are Amanda, Gwen Thompson, and Sonali.
- Tyler Maxwell - (Austin Thomas) - Tyler is Chrissa's older brother. He joins the school's swim team but has to quit after getting hurt. He plays a small part in Tara's bullying plans.
- Gwen Thompson - (Kaitlyn Dever) - Gwen is a shy girl who lives in a shelter called Sunrise House. She is very lonely until she meets Chrissa. Chrissa becomes her friend after hearing Gwen play her violin and offering her cookies. Gwen's father passed away 18 months before the story.
- Tara James - (Adair Tishler) - Tara is the leader of the Mean Bees and a bully at Chrissa's school. She and her friends, Sonali and Jayden, are mean to anyone who gets in their way. Chrissa, Tyler, and Gwen are her targets. However, she works with Chrissa in the final swim meet, and their teamwork leads to a win. She eventually realizes her bullying has consequences and becomes friends with Chrissa.
- Sonali Matthews - (Ariela Barer) - Sonali is a friend of Tara and Jayden at the start of the movie. She soon realizes they are being very mean. She makes up with Chrissa Maxwell and Gwen Thompson and becomes best friends with them. Sonali is loyal, sweet, caring, and sensitive. She loves arts and crafts, like Chrissa. They become very close while painting a bowl for Gwen's shelter.
- Jayden Johnson - (Shelby Harmon) - Jayden is a friend of Tara who helps with her plans. She stays loyal to Tara, unlike Sonali. Jayden gets angry after Sonali leaves their group. She is the only one who blames Sonali for getting her and Tara suspended.
Minor Characters
- Meg Maxwell - (Annabeth Gish) - Chrissa's mother. She works as a doctor. She tries to protect Chrissa from bullying. At the end, she gives Chrissa the idea to stop bullying. She tells Chrissa that standing strong is important when you or a friend are bullied.
- Paul Maxwell - (Timothy Bottoms) - Chrissa's father. He suggests that Chrissa's 4th-grade project should be about bullying. He also runs a pottery studio.
- Louise "Nana" Hanlon - (Michael Learned) - Chrissa's grandmother and Mrs. Maxwell's mother. The Maxwell family moves into her house. She is always there for Chrissa and helps protect her from bullying.
- Mrs. Ziminsky - (Joanne Baron) - Chrissa's new school principal. She tries to help Chrissa and the other girls stay out of trouble.
- Mr. Beck - (Don Franklin) - Chrissa's teacher at Edgewater Elementary and her swim coach. He also tries to help Chrissa and the other girls.
- Mrs. Rundell - (Jennifer Tilly) - Chrissa's art teacher at Edgewater Elementary.
- Ms. Janine Thompson - (Jennifer Parsons) - Gwen's mother. She lives with Gwen at Sunrise House and later in an apartment.
See also
In Spanish: An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong para niños
