What do you think?
Rate this book
American Girl: Julie #1-6
Julie: An American Girl, 1974
The perfect way to learn about Julie Albright is with a complete set of her six books in an attractive slipcase. Set includes "Meet Julie"; "Julie Tells her Story"; "Happy New Year, Julie"; "Julie and the Eagles"; "Julie's Journey"; and "Changes for Julie".
360 pages, Paperback Boxed Set
First published August 20, 2007
5 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
Megan McDonald
295 books738 followers"Sometimes I think I am Judy Moody," says Megan McDonald, author of the Judy Moody series, the Stink series, and THE SISTERS CLUB. "I'm certainly moody, like she is. Judy has a strong voice and always speaks up for herself. I like that."
For Megan McDonald, being able to speak up for herself wasn't always easy. She grew up as the youngest of five sisters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father, an ironworker, was known to his coworkers as "Little Johnny the Storyteller." Every evening at dinner the McDonalds would gather to talk and tell stories, but Megan McDonald was barely able to get a word in edgewise. "I'm told I began to stutter," she says, leading her mother to give her a notebook so she could start "writing things down."
Critically acclaimed, the Judy Moody books have won numerous awards, ranging from a PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Best Book of the Year to an International Reading Association Children's Choice. "Judy has taken on a life of her own," the author notes, with nearly 3 million Judy Moody books in print. Interestingly, the feisty third-grader is highly popular with boys and girls, making for a strong base of fans who are among Megan McDonald's strongest incentives to keep writing, along with "too many ideas and a little chocolate." And now -- by popular demand -- Judy Moody's little brother, Stink, gets his chance to star in his own adventures! Beginning with STINK: THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING KID, three more stories, and his own encyclopedia, STINK-O-PEDIA, Stink's special style comes through loud and strong -- enhanced by a series of comic strips, drawn by Stink himself, which are sprinkled throughout the first book. About the need for a book all about Stink, Megan McDonald says, "Once, while I was visiting a class full of Judy Moody readers, the kids, many with spiked hair à la Judy's little brother, chanted, 'Stink! Stink! Stink! Stink! Stink!' as I entered the room. In that moment, I knew that Stink had to have a book all his own."
More recently, Megan McDonald has recalled some of her own childhood with the warmth, humor -- and squabbles -- of three spunky sisters in THE SISTERS CLUB.
Megan McDonald and her husband live in Sebastopol, California, with two dogs, two adopted horses, and fifteen wild turkeys that like to hang out on their back porch.
For Megan McDonald, being able to speak up for herself wasn't always easy. She grew up as the youngest of five sisters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father, an ironworker, was known to his coworkers as "Little Johnny the Storyteller." Every evening at dinner the McDonalds would gather to talk and tell stories, but Megan McDonald was barely able to get a word in edgewise. "I'm told I began to stutter," she says, leading her mother to give her a notebook so she could start "writing things down."
Critically acclaimed, the Judy Moody books have won numerous awards, ranging from a PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Best Book of the Year to an International Reading Association Children's Choice. "Judy has taken on a life of her own," the author notes, with nearly 3 million Judy Moody books in print. Interestingly, the feisty third-grader is highly popular with boys and girls, making for a strong base of fans who are among Megan McDonald's strongest incentives to keep writing, along with "too many ideas and a little chocolate." And now -- by popular demand -- Judy Moody's little brother, Stink, gets his chance to star in his own adventures! Beginning with STINK: THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING KID, three more stories, and his own encyclopedia, STINK-O-PEDIA, Stink's special style comes through loud and strong -- enhanced by a series of comic strips, drawn by Stink himself, which are sprinkled throughout the first book. About the need for a book all about Stink, Megan McDonald says, "Once, while I was visiting a class full of Judy Moody readers, the kids, many with spiked hair à la Judy's little brother, chanted, 'Stink! Stink! Stink! Stink! Stink!' as I entered the room. In that moment, I knew that Stink had to have a book all his own."
More recently, Megan McDonald has recalled some of her own childhood with the warmth, humor -- and squabbles -- of three spunky sisters in THE SISTERS CLUB.
Megan McDonald and her husband live in Sebastopol, California, with two dogs, two adopted horses, and fifteen wild turkeys that like to hang out on their back porch.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Read
September 22, 2025I simply had to revisit this Liz Bricker childhood classic to supplement my reading of the dolls of our lives. A re-read as an adult uncovered some divorce-related stigma I didn’t pick up on as a child 😅 Kid-lit forever!!
August 5, 2022
Healing my inner child by rereading American Girl books, and I love Julie! Julie didn’t exist when I was a kid first reading these books, so it was so fun discovering her character. She’s literally my hippie badass queen!
August 11, 2020
These books hold a lot of nostalgia and good memories. I was looking forward to rereading this series, but for some reason was not as great as I remember it being.
Meet Julie
From the first chapter of this book it's clear to see that this series is quite different from the others. It takes place in the 1970s and even though there are some clear difference in time period between then and now, it wasn't that different. The characters aren't riding in covered wagons (at least not in this book) and the fact that Julie's family is going through a divorce makes it seem more current than of the others in the American Girl series. This book follows Julie as she attempts to play on the boy's basketball team. This book was longer than the majority of the other "meet" books in other American Girl series, and I feel it gave readers a good idea of Julie's personality. I enjoyed it.
4/5 Stars
Julie Tells her Story
This was the school story in the series. It was a good read. I remember reading this one shortly after the series came out when I was sick. I read it in one sitting, which for someone who had trouble sitting still at eleven was a pretty big deal. This one is okay. You learn more about Julie's family which is nice. It focused quite a bit on how she was afraid to talk about her parent's divorce. It was nice that she became brave enough to do it, but it seemed like a storyline that went on too long. I did like the end of the book, and the subplot with Tracy's spider plant.
3/5 Stars
Happy New Year, Julie!
I usually really love the holiday stories in the American Girl series, but this one didn't bring the same "cozy Christmas" feeling that they usually do. Maybe because the series takes place in San Francisco, and there is no talk of snow or cold weather. Or maybe because this book focuses more on Chinese New Year than on Christmas. I liked that it went into the Chinese holiday traditions. It was a nice addition to the story.
3/5 Stars
Julie and the Eagles
This was my favorite one in the series. I loved the plotline with helping the injured eagle get back into the wild. It was a really sweet story. It was kind of short but I don't feel like it really needed much more to add to the story. I remember really liking this one when I read it before, and those opinions have stayed with me thirteen years later.
5/5 Stars
Julie's Journey
I liked this one but it didn't feel like it really fit in this series. It was kind of interesting learning about the wagon train for the bicentennial of the country's birthday. It promoted some conversation with my parents about their recollections of that specific year. I liked the Little House on the Prairie references but the additional characters in this story were not all that interesting, especially since they are never mentioned again. I also didn't like that Michigan Bob is the antagonist in this book. lol
4/5 Stars
Changes for Julie
Usually the winter story takes place in February, but this one seemed to take place in the fall since it kept referencing the presidential election that would take place in a few months. This book was okay. It seemed kind of strange to introduce Joy, a new character in the very last book. It would have been nice if they would have introduced her in the spring story so she would at least be a somewhat familiar character. I liked the storyline of Julie seeing a problem and wanting to do her part to find a solution. I felt that the author dabbled a little too deep in politics in this book, throwing Nixon under the bus even chance she got. I'm not necessary complaining, but it seems that constantly talking about his faults got kind of old. Still it was a good end book to this series.
3/5 Stars
Final Rating: 3 Stars
Meet Julie
From the first chapter of this book it's clear to see that this series is quite different from the others. It takes place in the 1970s and even though there are some clear difference in time period between then and now, it wasn't that different. The characters aren't riding in covered wagons (at least not in this book) and the fact that Julie's family is going through a divorce makes it seem more current than of the others in the American Girl series. This book follows Julie as she attempts to play on the boy's basketball team. This book was longer than the majority of the other "meet" books in other American Girl series, and I feel it gave readers a good idea of Julie's personality. I enjoyed it.
4/5 Stars
Julie Tells her Story
This was the school story in the series. It was a good read. I remember reading this one shortly after the series came out when I was sick. I read it in one sitting, which for someone who had trouble sitting still at eleven was a pretty big deal. This one is okay. You learn more about Julie's family which is nice. It focused quite a bit on how she was afraid to talk about her parent's divorce. It was nice that she became brave enough to do it, but it seemed like a storyline that went on too long. I did like the end of the book, and the subplot with Tracy's spider plant.
3/5 Stars
Happy New Year, Julie!
I usually really love the holiday stories in the American Girl series, but this one didn't bring the same "cozy Christmas" feeling that they usually do. Maybe because the series takes place in San Francisco, and there is no talk of snow or cold weather. Or maybe because this book focuses more on Chinese New Year than on Christmas. I liked that it went into the Chinese holiday traditions. It was a nice addition to the story.
3/5 Stars
Julie and the Eagles
This was my favorite one in the series. I loved the plotline with helping the injured eagle get back into the wild. It was a really sweet story. It was kind of short but I don't feel like it really needed much more to add to the story. I remember really liking this one when I read it before, and those opinions have stayed with me thirteen years later.
5/5 Stars
Julie's Journey
I liked this one but it didn't feel like it really fit in this series. It was kind of interesting learning about the wagon train for the bicentennial of the country's birthday. It promoted some conversation with my parents about their recollections of that specific year. I liked the Little House on the Prairie references but the additional characters in this story were not all that interesting, especially since they are never mentioned again. I also didn't like that Michigan Bob is the antagonist in this book. lol
4/5 Stars
Changes for Julie
Usually the winter story takes place in February, but this one seemed to take place in the fall since it kept referencing the presidential election that would take place in a few months. This book was okay. It seemed kind of strange to introduce Joy, a new character in the very last book. It would have been nice if they would have introduced her in the spring story so she would at least be a somewhat familiar character. I liked the storyline of Julie seeing a problem and wanting to do her part to find a solution. I felt that the author dabbled a little too deep in politics in this book, throwing Nixon under the bus even chance she got. I'm not necessary complaining, but it seems that constantly talking about his faults got kind of old. Still it was a good end book to this series.
3/5 Stars
Final Rating: 3 Stars
February 12, 2010
I read these a few years ago, and didn't really like them like the other Historical Characters. Maybe becuase her world was close to ours, so it was more contemporary then history. Or that her family is divorced, then you have to deal with the emotional aspect as well.
March 5, 2024
Meet Julie — Julie is growing up in the mid seventies in San Francisco. Her parents have just gotten a divorce and she is moving. She can’t take her bunny or her best friend with her.
Julie Tells her Story — Julie is given a project at school, create a history of her family. With the help of the tape recorder her dad brought her back from Japan she interviews her family. Julie also wants to join the basketball team but the coach won’t let her.
Happy New Year Julie — Julie is navigating the holidays with now having two families. She and her sister struggle to adjust to the new traditions. Julie is also getting ready to celebrate Chinese New Year with her best friend Ivy.
Julie and the Eagles — Julie and Ivy find a baby owl at the park and bring it to a bird rescue. There Julie meets Sierra and Shasta. They are bald eagles that were brought in with their eaglets because of an injury. It is a race against time Julie and her friends must raise enough money to get the eagles released back into the wild.
Julie’s Journey — It is 1976 and the US bicentennial celebration is in full swing. Julie and her sister are flying to Pennsylvania to join the last leg of the covered wagon party heading to Valley Forge.
Changes for Julie — Julie is in fifth grade and wants to see some change in the school. She and her new friend Joy, who is deaf, decide to run for student government and the competition is fierce.
Overall these books were good. Julie is a sweet girl. The books walk the line of being a little too sweet at some points. The writing was sweet and I do love American Girl books.
Julie Tells her Story — Julie is given a project at school, create a history of her family. With the help of the tape recorder her dad brought her back from Japan she interviews her family. Julie also wants to join the basketball team but the coach won’t let her.
Happy New Year Julie — Julie is navigating the holidays with now having two families. She and her sister struggle to adjust to the new traditions. Julie is also getting ready to celebrate Chinese New Year with her best friend Ivy.
Julie and the Eagles — Julie and Ivy find a baby owl at the park and bring it to a bird rescue. There Julie meets Sierra and Shasta. They are bald eagles that were brought in with their eaglets because of an injury. It is a race against time Julie and her friends must raise enough money to get the eagles released back into the wild.
Julie’s Journey — It is 1976 and the US bicentennial celebration is in full swing. Julie and her sister are flying to Pennsylvania to join the last leg of the covered wagon party heading to Valley Forge.
Changes for Julie — Julie is in fifth grade and wants to see some change in the school. She and her new friend Joy, who is deaf, decide to run for student government and the competition is fierce.
Overall these books were good. Julie is a sweet girl. The books walk the line of being a little too sweet at some points. The writing was sweet and I do love American Girl books.
October 27, 2023
This review is specifically for book 5, not for the whole series. Somehow, this is where goodreads put me when I just wanted book 5.
Up until the 5th book, I have found the series to be 4 stars.
Book 5 has a slower pace, and I found the general plot to be less engaging than other books in the series. It's unfortunate that the causes that were mentioned briefly in the "Peek into the Past" section weren't mentioned in the book because I think they are something that Julie would have cared about. (The feelings of indigenous people, the focus on capitalism, etc.)
Up until the 5th book, I have found the series to be 4 stars.
Book 5 has a slower pace, and I found the general plot to be less engaging than other books in the series. It's unfortunate that the causes that were mentioned briefly in the "Peek into the Past" section weren't mentioned in the book because I think they are something that Julie would have cared about. (The feelings of indigenous people, the focus on capitalism, etc.)
Read
April 27, 2023mfw julie is no longer relatable to me bc im a 21yo woman and she is a 9yo child 🙉🙉🙉. but no fr why was she such a bitch to tracey??? tracey is literally out here just experiencing her emotions and processing her parents divorce and julie is like my sister is a selfish fuck. like girl????
April 6, 2020
BCFL checkout.
Read
June 26, 2024My queen
June 13, 2025
Enter the 1970s with Julie!
This was a good collection of stories about Julie, a sweet girl who lived in California during the 1970s. Like many kids in the country, Julie's family is going through a change. Her parents divorced, and Julie and her sister have to live with her mother and only visit her father on weekends. The divorce is hard on Julie because she keeps reliving the memories of times when her family was together. Change can be difficult, but the best thing to do is to take one day at a time and learn to create new traditions and still cherish the traditions you had before. Julie can learn and accept this as the stories go on. Now I don't know why her parents got divorced. I guess it wasn't explained to showcase that the causes of divorces are not the main concern for the kid. However, I might have to challenge that notion since Julie's sister Tracy seems to pin the blame for the divorce on their father.
Other stories that showcased the decade that Julie was living in was when she wanted to join her new school's basketball team but the beefy coach was like "you're a girl and girls can't do sports. Ramble ramble ramble!" But Juliet was inspire by other women who played and dominated sports during the 1970s, to create a petition and got the principal to lay the smack down on the coach so now Julie gets to play.
Then during the Christmas/New Years story, Julie got to celebrate Chinese new year with her best friend Ivy (the only Asian American historical American Girl character and she's only a supporting character. So sad AG). I really love Julie and Ivy's friendship. It's adorable.
One story had Julie engage with her inner hippy and save the American symbol the bald eagles and celebrate earth day. Another story is when Julie joins her sister and cousins to celebrate the countries bicentinnal and stop a thief from taking an important signature. The last story is when Julie decides to run for class president as she wants to change the school's detention policies. She also shows how the deaf are treated when she decided to have Joy her deaf school friend be her vice president.
Overall I did enjoyed reading Julie's stories. There were some 1970s events and people that were mention, like when Nixon was impeached, people protesting about the war and the election of Jimmy Carter. Nothing too heavy was discuss because this is a children's novel, so no mention about the drug culture or greater details of the Vietnam war. Still a good read.
This was a good collection of stories about Julie, a sweet girl who lived in California during the 1970s. Like many kids in the country, Julie's family is going through a change. Her parents divorced, and Julie and her sister have to live with her mother and only visit her father on weekends. The divorce is hard on Julie because she keeps reliving the memories of times when her family was together. Change can be difficult, but the best thing to do is to take one day at a time and learn to create new traditions and still cherish the traditions you had before. Julie can learn and accept this as the stories go on. Now I don't know why her parents got divorced. I guess it wasn't explained to showcase that the causes of divorces are not the main concern for the kid. However, I might have to challenge that notion since Julie's sister Tracy seems to pin the blame for the divorce on their father.
Other stories that showcased the decade that Julie was living in was when she wanted to join her new school's basketball team but the beefy coach was like "you're a girl and girls can't do sports. Ramble ramble ramble!" But Juliet was inspire by other women who played and dominated sports during the 1970s, to create a petition and got the principal to lay the smack down on the coach so now Julie gets to play.
Then during the Christmas/New Years story, Julie got to celebrate Chinese new year with her best friend Ivy (the only Asian American historical American Girl character and she's only a supporting character. So sad AG). I really love Julie and Ivy's friendship. It's adorable.
One story had Julie engage with her inner hippy and save the American symbol the bald eagles and celebrate earth day. Another story is when Julie joins her sister and cousins to celebrate the countries bicentinnal and stop a thief from taking an important signature. The last story is when Julie decides to run for class president as she wants to change the school's detention policies. She also shows how the deaf are treated when she decided to have Joy her deaf school friend be her vice president.
Overall I did enjoyed reading Julie's stories. There were some 1970s events and people that were mention, like when Nixon was impeached, people protesting about the war and the election of Jimmy Carter. Nothing too heavy was discuss because this is a children's novel, so no mention about the drug culture or greater details of the Vietnam war. Still a good read.
August 1, 2011
This was the first of the American Girls Series that covered a time that I could actually remember somewhat (granted, I was only 2 in 1974, but still, I could be considered Julie's contemporary). That, in and of itself, made reading this book a more unique experience. I enjoyed the other eras a bit more, but that's simply my bias for more historical settings. Young readers may be intrigued by the emergence of "Ms." and also the impact of Title IX on women's and girl's athletics. I don't know how many more of Julie's series I will dig into, but this was worth a quick glance. The drawings, as always, are priceless!
August 6, 2024
This was the first American Girl book I've read that's more of the modern and "new" girls. I didn't like it as much as the other original girls. I think it's because with my age, American Girls have always been placed in a period of history that stretches way back and is hard for me to imagine. The 1970's isn't that long ago (even though I didn't live in it) so it felt odd to have a character living in that time. Julie also got on my nerves throughout the majority of the books as well.
I can see how this would appeal to a new generation of young girls, but I definitely didn't enjoy it as much.
I can see how this would appeal to a new generation of young girls, but I definitely didn't enjoy it as much.
March 5, 2015
Vapid blonde with superficial problems and trite story lines (divorced parents, fundraising, writing a school newspaper article, running for class president). Having lived in San Francisco, there's very little historical information to distinguish it from modern day SF. Only book where I learned something about the era other than the fact that they liked to say "Boss" was the bicentennial story "Julie's Journey". Missed opportunity to focus the series on her best friend Ivy, a first generation Chinese American, who I guess also has no problems other than "loving gymnastics".
February 6, 2019
This is only the second time I've read Julie (the first was with a kid I was babysitting) and she's...alright. Something about her lacks spark for AG. I did really like the incorporation of Title IX, but I felt like the author went overboard with the "Far Out!" "Rad!" "Groovy!" My parents were Julie's age in the 70s, and they have affirmed that this was NOT everyday conversation. Maybe in California I guess.
January 5, 2015
I'm trying new genre's in my reading, and this one was of teenage girls and how their family dynamics change. Their parents are newly divorced and the anger the kids deal with and the hopes they have of them getting back together. Their friends, school, and the many things they do in their life experiences. I read them in a day.
August 1, 2022
Children's, Historical Fiction
I read a handful of American girl books around 2nd grade. Sofia was really obsessed with them. I liked them I think Samantha and Josefina were my favorites. I wanted an American girl doll so so bad. It's honestly a little fucked up how this franchise is so inaccessible....but its still fun.
-August 2022
I read a handful of American girl books around 2nd grade. Sofia was really obsessed with them. I liked them I think Samantha and Josefina were my favorites. I wanted an American girl doll so so bad. It's honestly a little fucked up how this franchise is so inaccessible....but its still fun.
-August 2022
February 18, 2025
I loved these books as a child and I really loved re-reading them as well. Julie's character is so sweet but so powerful as she fights to play basketball on the boys team at her new school. I always related to her having divorced parents and feeling pulled on both directions too. I'm excited to read Ivy's book soon!
August 9, 2008
Okay - we've rally only read the first 4 - but we'll finish the last 2 soon. My girsl are really enjoying listening to these - they can realte a little to the 1970's and it's fun to reminisce with them! These are good for readinga loud - they're quick, with good humor and lovely illustrations!
September 26, 2008
I didn't want to like these stories. Something just wrong about thinking of the 70s as a historical period. Heck, I'm a child of the 70s and I don't yet feel historical! But I can't help it, I loved Julie and her family and the themes explored.
January 19, 2009
I loved sharing the 70s with my daughter. While divorce is not new in this day and age, she learned that girls weren't always welcomed in sports. She even decided she wanted to be Julie for Halloween!
October 12, 2014
These books are okay, but they seem much too simply written to be categorized as late elementary school or early middle school grade level. The stories are interesting, but I am not impressed by the overall quality of the writing.
April 14, 2014
Ellie and I just listened to this book set on audio. Some of the themes were a bit over my six-year-old's head, but the books were interesting for both of us and worthwhile reading (listening) for her.
January 7, 2008
loved all of them
January 24, 2008
Changes can be good!
June 26, 2008
I liked having all of the books right beside me so it felt like it was a longer book. (I still wish the american girl books were longer, I read them in 1 day)
Read
December 24, 2008I am reading this series as part of a book club with my daughter
Read
April 9, 2010I have read the first and second Julie books, they're cute for little kids.
I began reading American Girl Doll Books in first grade, so I would recomend them for ages 6-9
I began reading American Girl Doll Books in first grade, so I would recomend them for ages 6-9
July 31, 2010
I love all of her stories I can't wait to read Ivys!!
August 20, 2012
Read this series last year with Emma. Reminiscent of my childhood in some ways.
May 6, 2013
I haven't read any of the books yet, but I have heard its a good book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews