American Girl: Saige Paints the Sky

Saige Paints the Sky is a film about the difficulties of change and speaking up for what you believe in. Fourth-grader Saige (Sidney Fullmer) is crushed when the art program at her school is canceled for the year due to budget cuts. Also upsetting is the fact that her best friend Tessa (Alex Peters) made a new best friend while she was away at music camp. Saige's grandmother Mimi (Jane Seymour), who is a local artist and horsewoman and has always been Saige's confidant, encourages Saige to take action to save her school's art program and her friendship with Tessa, but a chance accident threatens everyone's resolve--even Mimi's. As Saige fights to preserve the programs and relationships that are most important to her, she struggles to find the courage to act while learning to embrace change. Although the characters seem significantly older than fourth graders and some of the plot points aren't completely believable, the film does a good job of portraying the uncertainties of elementary and middle school friendships and the difficulty of standing up for what one believes in. (Ages 7 and older) --Tami Horiuchi