An American Girl Story - Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance

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“Sometimes the decision you make just has to be right for you” – Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance

Another American Girl Original from Amazon Original

What do you do when your dreams and passions don’t align with your family’s culture? The latest Amazon Original Special,An American Girl Story – Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance, follows the story of 10-year-old Chinese American girl Ivy, who is challenged with finding balance between her two cultural identities. The third original American Girl special for Prime Video debuts March 24th, 2017 and was inspired by Ivy Ling and Julie Albright from American Girl’s BeForever Historical-Inspired Character Collection.

It’s 1976 San Francisco, a time when minority families felt the weight of assimilating while still holding on to those core values and traditions that distinguished them. I distinctly remember my own parents’ purposeful decision to place me in a predominantly Caucasian school. I didn’t learn Spanish until I was in high school. Ivy Ling’s story is not new, but her character is inspiring.

All Ivy wants is to be like her American best friend Julie. Everything from the Chinese food her family eats to mandatory Chinese school on Saturdays is at odds with Ivy’s dreams. She talks about the one thing that defines people, and for her it is gymnastics. When her family’s Chinese New Year dinner falls on the same day as her gymnastics tournament, Ivy finds herself torn between her passion and her family obligations. Julie, who has just experienced the divorce of her parents, provides support and guidance as she navigates this difficult decision.

Another American Girl Life Lesson

I watched the first American Girl Story, Melody 1963: Love Has to Win with my kids and was pleasantly surprised at how affective and inspirational these films are. Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance address the importance of family and culture and how to achieve balance when they are at odds. I personally loved how Ivy’s grandparents helped her understand what it meant for them to immigrate to the US and how she ultimately learned to value her Chinese culture. Ivy is a wonderful role model for young girls wishing to pursue their dreams. She is disciplined, working hard to overcome set-backs and using her failures as a platform for growth. Ivy and Julie’s friendship is inspirational, showing young girls what it means to be supportive and caring while also providing accountability to do the right thing. As a parent, I appreciate that the filmmakers do not shy away from real-life circumstances that children may face, such as divorce.

An American Girl Story – Ivy & Julie 1976: A Happy Balance is available for Amazon Prime members. You can view all three specials by visiting Amazon.com/Prime.

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Caryn Bailey

Caryn is a NICU nurse by day, blogger by night and mom 24/7. She savors the warm Southern California sun and loves to travel, shopping, baking, reading and frequenting her local tea room. Caryn created the column Lavishly Green for Peekaboo Picks Magazine to share her best tips for going green in style, she is the Former editor for Family Review Network, former OC Family Magazine online contributor, former Orange County Moms Blog contributor, former Evenflo Savvy Parent contributor, former member of the Totsy Advisory Board and former freelance writer for CBS Los Angeles.