Nellie's Promise

Nellie's Promise is the book for Nellie O'Malley; it is considered a companion book to the Samantha series. It is included with the Nellie doll when she is purchased and can be purchased separately.

Facts

 * Author: Valerie Tripp
 * Illustrators: Dan Andreasen,
 * First Published: 2004
 * Setting: Early Spring 1906, New York City
 * In relation to Samantha's Central Series: After the Events of Changes for Samantha

Recurring from Samantha's Series

 * Gardner Edwards: Nellie's adoptive father; Samantha's uncle.
 * Cornelia Edwards: Nellie's adoptive mother; Samantha's aunt.
 * Bridget O'Malley: Nellie's younger sister.
 * Jenny O'Malley: Nellie's younger sister.
 * Samantha Parkington: Nellie's best friend.
 * Mike O'Malley: Nellie's uncle.

Only in Nellie's Promise

 * Miss Brennan: a teacher at a settlement house.

Chapter One: The Luckiest Girl
Nellie skips down the sidewalk, thinking to herself that she is the luckiest girl in New York. It is late afternoon in March; the wind is strong enough to cause Nellie's coat to flap open. Nellie tucks the newspaper she is retrieving for Gard under her arm and tucks her chin further into the collar of her coat. She sort of enjoys being cold as she knows she will soon be cozy and warm. She thinks fondly of the fact that she has a home with her sisters, Jenny and Bridget. They have been living with the Edwards for a month--ever since the events of Changes for Samantha, where her parents died, her Uncle Mike abandoned, and she and her sisters were sent to an orphanage and nearly separated until the Edwards. Nellie looks at the houses she's passing; she remembers a time where she wouldn't have even looked at the houses and would scurry past and only imagine what it was like inside. She feels good helping Gard and Cornelia and likes to run errands for them and coming home.

Nellie walks past a group of men doing road work. One of the men drops his wheelbarrow full of dirt and stones and grabs Nellie by the arm roughly, saying that he's found her. It is her Uncle Mike, and Nellie's heart stops as she is extremely unhappy to see him and wishes he had gone away forever. Uncle Mike notices her fine clothing and remarks that in the time he's been gone she's clearly found some rich people to care for her and her sisters, and asks where they live. Nellie is scared but doesn't answer. Uncle Mike calls Nellie a stubborn Brat and says that he'll find out where she is anyways and come take her and her sisters away to live with him since he has that right--and that he'll put them in the factories to work and give all the money to him. Nellie screams not to come near them and stomps on his foot, then twists out of his grasp and runs away. Uncle Mike stars to give chase but falls over his wheelbarrow and the crew boss yells at him to get back to work.

Trivia

 * Many copies include a "sneak peek" at Meet Samantha: it has sections from Chapter Two.