41 pages • 1-hour read
Anastasia Krupnik
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Literary Context: The Anastasia Series
Lois Lowry’s Anastasia series was inspired by her desire to write something fun and uplifting while publishing other books with a darker tone. Anastasia Krupnik launched an episodic series in which the protagonist deals with everyday ups and downs, thus giving young readers a role model for understanding life’s many challenges. This pattern of confronting the positive and negative sides of events continues in Book 2, Anastasia Again! (1981), in which Anastasia learns that moving involves the sorrow of saying goodbye but also the joy of meeting new friends. In the third installment, Anastasia at Your Service (1982), Anastasia takes a job as a “lady’s companion” to a wealthy elderly woman in her neighborhood to keep her busy over the summer while her friends are away at camp. She realizes her employer expects her to be a maid, which is not what Anastasia intended. Anastasia, Ask Your Analyst (1984) shows Anastasia as a seventh-grader struggling with both internal and external conflicts. In this installment, she relies on a bust of German psychologist Sigmond Freud for advice, only to learn that she truly is relying on herself through the most difficult times.
The theme of Anastasia growing up continues in Anastasia on Her Own (1985), where she tries to run her home while her mother is away and learns that her mother makes taking care of everything look easy. In Anastasia Has the Answers (1986), Anastasia tests the idea that knowledge will fix everything by deciding to become a journalist. Quickly, though, Anastasia realizes that journalists still need to find information—they don’t just have it—and this installment highlights Anastasia learning that the adult world isn’t as clearcut as she thought. This theme continues in Anastasia’s Chosen Career (1987), where she has to pick a career for a school paper and has no idea how to choose. Taking a course in fashion modeling brings Anastasia out of her comfort zone and expose her to new experiences. Anastasia at This Address (1991) received criticism for its portrayal of 13-year-old Anastasia communicating via letters with a 28-year-old man, but the book itself contains no inappropriate situations. Through Anastasia’s relationship with this perspective romantic interest, the book explores what actually draws people together and how things don’t always turn out as expected. Finally, Anastasia Absolutely (1995) sees the protagonist struggling with the right course of action amid a police investigation that might be centered around a mistake she made. Throughout the entire Anastasia series, Anastasia uses her wit and precociousness to explore a world of emotional growth, challenges, and uncertainties with young readers.
Social Context: Children’s Books of the Late 20th Century
The Anastasia series was published in the latter portion of the 20th century, and the books reflect key elements of middle-class America of the time, as well as a growing shift toward books for children that tackled major life issues. Alongside books like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (1970) by Judy Blume, the late 20th century offered a plethora of titles in which young readers could read about kids experiencing struggles similar to their own. Bloome and Lowry’s titles show their protagonists questioning aspects of their identity, such as religious affiliation and personality, as well as dealing with external conflicts, such as school and family (as Anastasia does with her grandmother). Books of the late 20th century also started to question the long-established gender-based norms of the home and society. This was particularly important for young female readers, whose parents experienced second-wave feminism in the 1970s. In Anastasia Krupnik, Anastasia’s father (in a typical male role of the time) is the breadwinner of the home while his wife stays home and cares for Anastasia (a typical female role of the time). However, the book also shows Anastasia’s mother hanging curtains while her husband cooks dinner, highlighting a departure from traditional gender roles. The flexibility shown in traditionally gendered family roles and activities set the stage for the third-wave feminism that develops in the 1990s.
Unlock all 41 pages of this Study Guide
Get in-depth, chapter-by-chapter summaries and analysis from our literary experts.
- Grasp challenging concepts with clear, comprehensive explanations
- Revisit key plot points and ideas without rereading the book
- Share impressive insights in classes and book clubs