Felicity: An American Girl, 1774

by Valerie Tripp

Felicity Merriman is a spunky, spritely girl growing up in Virginia in 1774, just before the Revolutionary War. Felicity's stories tell of the adventures of this spirited girl, who grows impatient doing the "sitting down kinds of things" that colonial girls are expected to do. Felicity much prefers to be outdoors, especially riding horses In her stories, Felicity learns about responsibility and loyalty -- to her family, her friends, and her new country -- and what it means to be truly free.The perfect way to learn about Felicity is with a complete set of her six books in an attractive slipcase.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Young Adult, American Revolution

412 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Valerie Tripp is a children's book author, best known for her work with the American Girl series.

She grew up in Mount Kisco, New York with three sisters and one brother. A member of the first co-educated class at Yale University, Tripp also has a M.Ed. from Harvard. Since 1985 she has lived in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her husband teaches history at Montgomery College.

Right out of college, Tripp started writing songs, stories, and nonfiction for The Superkids Reading Program, working with Pleasant Rowland, the founder of American Girl. For that series, Tripp wrote all the books about Felicity, Josefina, Kit, Molly, and Maryellen and many of the books about Samantha. She also wrote the "Best Friends" character stories to date, plays, mysteries, and short stories about all her characters.. Film dramatizations of the lives of Samantha, Felicity, Molly, and Kit have been based on her stories. Currently, Tripp is writing a STEM series for National Geographic and adapting Greek Myths for Starry Forest Publishing. A frequent speaker at schools and libraries, Tripp has also spoken at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, The New York Historical Society, and Williamsburg.

Reviews

[Cori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I owned the box set of the Felicity series when I was little- my second favorite American Girl after Kirsten. Awwww.

[Miranda Reads]

This is a collection of the six original Felicity books. I really loved this book series in the beginning, but the longer I read it, the more sour I felt.

Meet Felicity - ★★★★☆

"A willful girl and a willful horse is more than one family can handle."

Felicity is the eldest daughter of the Merriman family and she feels chaffed by all the expectations put upon her. The minute Felicity learns about Mr. Nye's new horse, she becomes smitten with Penny - and fearful for the mare's life. She must save Penny!

I've never read Felicity's story before but this felt like a lovely start to the next American Girl! I feel like every little girl has a secret wish to find their soul horse and be the only one able to tame the unwieldly animal. As an adult - I do reel back in shock a bit. She could have easily been hurt or killed. But it's fiction and I guess we will just have to trust Felicity's take on it.

Felicity Learns a Lesson - ★★★★★

"Felicity Merriman, I will not shout for all the world to hear. Come down from that roof immediately."

Now that Felicity is nearly ten, her parents have decided to start her official finishing lessons with Miss Manderly. There will be penmanship, and dance, and other lessons - including tea time. Felicity struggles with wanting to be the tomboy sneaking off in breeches to tame a wild horse...and yet, maybe these new lessons aren't all that bad...maybe.

I liked how this book balanced the two halves of Felicity's personality. She's still the headstrong young girl BUT she also begins to see the value in using manners and social standing to move about society. There's a tendency of people to dismiss 'woman's work' in history because it is the unglamorous art of keeping everyone alive through winter, clothed in summer, and in good social standing according to the town - and I appreciated having Felicity learn its importance.

Felicity's Surprise - ★★★★☆

"That fancy gown!" He scoffed. "That's all you care about. You've become a selfish, foolish girl. You think only of dancing at the palace in your finery, when you think at all."

At first, Felicity is excited to receive an invitation from the governor and his wife to attend dance lessons at the Palace - especially when her mother allowed Felicity to choose her very own gown. But then Ben's outburst throws her - Who is she? Is she the wild headstrong girl who stole breeches to tame an abused horse? Or is she the prim and proper, with the right manners and social graces? Or is there a way she could be both?

I really identified with this book. Who hasn't gone through a tomboy phase (for years even) and suddenly wondered what it would be like if you just tried the other side? And then to have those exciting, new feelings be dashed as vanity and empty-headedness? I liked how the author portrayed that dichotomy, of who Felicity was and who she wanted to try to be, all without losing the true Felicity within.

Happy Birthday Felicity - ★★★★☆

"But the governor isn't a thief," insisted Felicity. "He wouldn't steal."
Isaac said softly, "A frightened man may do anything."

Felicity feels like she's on top of the world - her birthday is right around the corner, her Grandfather is coming for a visit, and she's doing quite well at her lessons. But she's tempted and eventually takes a gifted guitar out of the house and overhears something extremely troublesome. When she tries to make amends, no one believes her - so she must find a way to regain their trust and help her town!

The plot was overall good if it was a bit predictable from an adult perspective but I feel that if I were younger, I would be absolutely riveted. The gifted lamb from her Grandfather was an interesting choice considering the family lives in the city...and I was also a bit disappointed in Felicity. She seems wholly unbothered by the fact that Isaac (who is black), who is only a little older than her, is living in a shed with his brother. And she seems flippant at best when asking him to do things that would be very dangerous, despite his status as a freed man. Overall, not the worst but also I'm side-eyeing Felicity here.

Felicity Saves the Day - unrated

"It seemed to her that life on the plantation was busy and lazy at the same time. There were a great many things to do, all of them pleasant, and there was never any hurry about getting them done."

It is summer time and that means Mrs. Merriman and the little Merrimen are heading to for a plantation vacation at her Grandfather's. But then word gets to them that Ben has run off - to join the patriots - and then Felicity finds a dangerous secret, one that requires all of her guts to resolve.

Sooo...I wanted to review this one based just on the plot...but at the same time I was completely thrown. I'm a first time reader of this series and I remember from earlier books, Felicity mentions her parents' black servants, Rose and Marcus, and a freed black man, Isaac, so I knew she had some concept of slavery despite her sheltered upbringing and age. Then in this book, Felicity rolls up to the plantation and start pointing out the slave quarters to the audience - it showed that she both knew, and didn't see it as 'wrong' - that it was just part of her life. And I was just shocked.

I acknowledge that as a ten year old girl, Felicity had very little sway over how her Grandfather made a living and that the purpose of these books seem to be to showcase the Revolutionary war, not a bid for freedom for the slaves. And yet, I still think the author should have done more than include a few pages about the hardships of slavery. There's a way to both acknowledge a way of living but also not hide the unseemly bits under a veneer of a fun vacation.

Changes for Felicity - ★★☆☆☆

"Mr. Nye said he would kill Penny before he'd let me have her. He meant it, too."
"He may have meant it when he said it," replied Elizabeth. "But if you do something nice for him, he won't want to hurt you or your horse."

Despite repeated assurances that Mr. Nye is locked up in jail for being unable to pay his debtors, Felicity still nervous about what it means for him to get out. Meanwhile, tensions rise between Loyalists and Patriots in her town of Williamsburg, and finally things have bubbled over. Loyalists are getting locked up, left and right - including the father of a friend.

On the one hand, the book's attempted message - one of forgiveness and extending kindness to those is need - is commendable. On the other hand, the audience has seen Jiggy Nye be incredibly cruel to horses and we were told that he killed his last one. I feel like extending grace and understanding can be a good move if it was done with the parents along, but I didn't like that the message was that these ten year old girls were the ones who needed to make amends on their own.

Overall Thoughts

This series started off so strong - I loved Felicity's tomboy nature, her kind heart, and her bright disposition. But things soured when I realized that her kindness seemed to only extend to white people and animals. She treated the freed black man, Isaac, kindly if a bit ambivalently towards his safety but at the same time, being nice to a black person doesn't make everything okay.

I get that Felicity's story focused on the revolutionary war, NOT racial relations...but even so, if that truly was the only angle that the American Girl Company wanted to take this character, they still had the historical sections at the back of the book that could've given more context. Or they could've chosen to not have her grandfather own a plantation.

I just really think that there was ways to show Felicity feeling empathy for people not in her privileged position instead of completely glossing over the fact that owned slaves.

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit hot and cold on these stories. I really liked Felicity's character growth throughout the books (especially as she starts out particularly strong-headed and selfish), and I enjoyed the material detail throughout. However, I felt that some of the handling of social conditions was problematic (especially as relates to slavery), and I did find a few factual errors that were distracting.

[Siena Hesselink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love felicity a lot beacause I have her!!!!

[Davis Cousar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok felicity slays but book is propaganda

[Hezekiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not going to give Felicity's books to my own children because of the profoundly troubling way the stories deal with slavery.

Felicity's parents and grandfather are slaveowners, and at no point does Felicity have any internal conflict or unease about this. These books depict Virginia as if abolitionists did not exist (they did) and as if slavery was not something talked about (it was).

There are ways to write a setting where slavery is normalized, and the narrative makes it clear that it's not morally neutral. This book wasn't that. It felt really icky to read.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books and read them at least once each season as time passes both in our world and in the books. I adore Felicity's adventures and high spirits, which I feel would not be much diffrent from mine if I lived in that era. I have also collected the doll and as many of the accessories as I can afford (they are quite pricy) from American Girl Co.

[natalie]

Believe in your self.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read these aloud as part of our Revolutionary War study. The kids are completely obsessed (each of them are rereading/relistening to the whole series now). Reading it through adult eyes definitely gives me a different perspective (specifically: how is Felicity able to do many of the "heroic" things she does without being caught. Also, are we not even mentioning that her family are obviously slave owners? I *did* make sure to cover that in our own conversations), but I loved watching my kids fall in love with my favorite American girl and make connections to our wider historical studies.

[Aidan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pulled out my old collection to revisit Colonial Williamsburg with Felicity; these were on repeated rotation in my childhood! I identified with her a lot as a kid who loved to run wild outside and had a love of music and animals. My short horse girl phase can definitely be attributed to Felicity and Penny. The stories are still a delight, though as an adult I of course see how the issue of slavery was glossed over. The “peek into the past” sections offer a bit more context on that, but more would certainly be needed. Still, it’s probably intended to be a gentle introduction for young readers.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with my AO Year 4 student just in time to give her the doll for her 10th birthday.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my mind, none of the recent American Girl books can hold a candle to the 5 (6 if you count Josefina, who came along later) original story collections. Though I’m relying on my Child Brain here, I do remember the stories dealing with some pretty difficult topics, such as slavery, immigration, and child labor. They also do a fairly decent job of teaching about different historical time periods, thanks to some beautiful illustrations and some historical notes. The more recent American Girl books seem childish and simplistic, though I’ll admit I haven’t read them and am solely going off of summaries and descriptions. As an adult, I’m most interested to see how well these books hold up to an adult’s eyes, and if some of the collections are really as hardhitting and difficult as I remember them being.

Since the “books” are so short (approx. 60 pages each), I couldn’t warrant reviewing each one separately, so I’ll be reviewing the 6 story collections I have (the original 5 American Girls, plus Josefina). If you’re not familiar with American Girl stories, they’re all formatted very similarly and each numbered book in each series has the same title and theme. For example, the first books is always “Meet ______,” the second book is always about school, the third book is always about Christmas, etc. There’s also beautiful color illustrations in each book, which I always adore.

Felicity: An American Girl tackles the time right before the Revolutionary War, and the books cover the growing tension between Patriot and Tories, the tax on tea and the Boston Tea Party, and the attempt to steal the militia’s gunpowder from Williamsburg. Outside of that, the books also briefly touch on apprenticeship, the lack of medical knowledge, and what schooling was like for young women. Oh, and there’s a great deal about horses, and lots about friendship. The last book also tackles forgiveness and being kind to people who haven’t been so kind to you.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of writing and how Tripp managed to convey historical detail without sacrificing accuracy (as in, the annoying trope of having characters explain what things are even though they should know what it is being that they live in that time period). These were clearly researched and, though the historical notes often explained topics that were not touched on in the book, covered a comprehensive amount.

I definitely enjoyed the books that dealt more with the Revolutionary War aspect than the others, though none of them were bad. Occasionally Tripp had to stretch the bounds of reality a little bit to get Felicity where she needed to go, as there were many occasions when Felicity was like, “I’m going to do this!” and the older boy and even the adults were like, “Sure, go ahead,” when in reality, most likely the boy would have been sent. But I really liked how Tripp managed to show how friendship and love goes beyond political boundaries, a message sorely needed today.

[Becks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reading Felicity's collection for the first time, so there's a tad of general American Girl nostalgia here, but not a lot. The presentation of this collection (the gold edges, the ribbon bookmark, the illustrations) is lovely. My enjoyment of the content though? It varied. The Christmas Story ended up being my overall favorite, but I found elements I liked in each. The low point with Felicity's stories is how they glaze over slavery, considering she comes from a slave-owning family. It was particularly uncomfortable in the Summer Story as it takes place on her grandfather's plantation. I would've appreciated if that element had been handled differently. Otherwise, I think Felicity shows good character growth in a book for young readers.

My more detailed series review can be found here: https://youtu.be/VKwgkQsW_gE?si=ESl29...

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felicity Merman is growing up in a time of very feirce loyalty and Firey Independence Just as America is about to break free from englands rule! Everyone around her her friends family everyone is taking different sides. With her passion and her courage felicity must find a way to hold both love and loyally in her heart. MEet felicity is all about how felicity tries to get the hoarse she has allways dreamed of from that wretched Jickey Nigh who treats her like dirt. Felicity learns a lesson is all about how felicity learns how to be a prouper young lady. In felicity's surprise felicities mother sadly passes away, but the seamstress surprises her with a beautiful ballgown for the royal ball. In felicity saves the day, Penny felicity's horse is going to have a foal, and jiggie nigh is very ill in jail. Will felicity save him? You will have to read the book to find out! :D
I LOVED this book i even read it on the car ride to disneyland it was so good!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felicity's world seemed the most inaccessible to me growing up, considering that she was the oldest character and her world was far more chartered and organized than mine. I groaned to think of Miss Manderly's lessons and proper parties at the governor's. I was thrilled that she maintained her friendship with Elizabeth, despite their cultural differences. I feared for her horse, Penny, who was abused, for her mother who got sick, for Ben, who perhaps scared me most of all, as his indentured relationship to Felicity's father strayed close to slavery in my eyes. Though the fact that Ben, an adult, and Felicity, a young girl (though certainly viewed in more mature terms in her time,) were close friends didn't bother me at all. I actually liked navigating their relationship, and witnessing humble Ben teaching hotheaded Felicity a few lessons, and vice versa.

[Kasey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these books! They were refreshing after reading huge complicated novels. I enjoyed all the characters and the stories that were filled with such emotion! Any young lady would love to read these books! Reading level is for about 8 years old or older and an experienced reader can finish one book in about an hour. The books average out to about 68 pages and each include 'A Peek Into The Past' section at the end. I think these collection would be a great gift for a young reader or even an older one! Out of the six books my favorite would have to be the sixth one, Changes for Felicity, but all the books were very enjoyable!

[Bilbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this collection on audiobook for the first time in probably over 15 years, possibly closer to 20. I loved these as a kid, but I’d forgotten everything that happened, so it was like reading it for the first time all over again! I love that.

This was the full collection of Felicity’s six books. They’re so short I didn’t really want to add each one individually. The length of each audiobook was about an hour, so the whole collection was only six hours long.

My favorite of the set was Felicity Learns a Lesson. I loved hearing all about tea time and their stitching. Felicity’s stories are so wholesome.

[Kate Howe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was so lovely to be reading an American Girl book again! This has kicked off a Sumner project of reading all the original American Girl books. I think I have an unpopular opinion about Felicity. She honestly seems like a spoiled brat to me and her rich girl problems didn't get much empathy from me.

[Shoshanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as I remember, if not better. Felicity is a shero! I love how passionate and caring she is, and how she is able to stand by her principles, esp when she mounts a political protest while being a lady. A role model, for me at least! ;)

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids (10, 7, 6) and I enjoyed listening to this series on audio. While they aren't "superb literature," I do like the fact that my kids are getting a glimpse into what life could have been like at these different times in history.

[Sami · Rating 4 out of 5]

to always be happy

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

a classic story I recommend any young girl read.

[christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a HUGE American Girl nerd in elementary school! LOVED THESE BOOKS!

[Kirstin Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐, rounding up. I really do like Felicity - she is a spunky, independent girl and her growth as a friend and a person make for endearing stories. I especially like the school and Christmas stories for highlighting this ... but some books feel over the top. An 11 year old girl stops the gunpowder plot in the Williamsburg armory? She'd never be permitted to make many of the choice she makes.

I also really enjoy how much the author incorporates Williamsburg as a real city. The gunpowder plot really happened, just about the same time as Lexington and Concord kick off the Revolution, and the illustrations look just like the real buildings and shops restored in Williamsburg today. Having been there, it was fun to realize the level of research put into the books.

I was bothered, though, by how glossed over the institution of slavery is in the story - and by realizing as an adult it seemed fine to me when reading them as a kid. . Felicity's family clearly owns enslaved people, and while I can believe an 11 year old might not grapple with what her family is doing ... for the authors and illustrators to intentionally use language like "servants" in the text is a choice by the author.
It contrasts sharply with just how clearly its horrors are addressed to readers of Addy's series... which makes me wish I had grabbed that series next to pair the narratives rather than having Samantha waiting for us now, to give a counterpoint.

Reenie's Review: 5⭐

"Felicity was really brave - she helped Ben when he was hurt. She didn't know if Penny would come back to her, but Penny did! Even when her grandfather died, she was brave. She didn't throw a tantrum. She even helped Jiggy Nye - they were enemies, but her best friend Elizabeth helped her help them so they could become friends. The stories were adventurous.

[Emily]

General: Currently reading through the American Girl series with my 5 year old daughter. So far, she loves the Felicity series because it has a horse! Ha. Felicity is growing up in revolutionary America. While the colonies are deciding what to do regarding English loyalties, Felicity is busy learning proper manners and how to be a lady.

Content: One thing I will say as a parent, I did not appreciate Felicity’s defiance of her parents. At one point, she repeatedly disobeys them in order to befriend a wild horse under the care of a mean man. In one aspect, it brought up conversation with my daughter about wisdom and following rules... however, I felt like there was no consequence for Felicity’s disobedience! On the contrary, she succeeds in taming the horse and then sets it free from its owner! Again, conversation about property rights / animal abuse, and what Felicity could have done instead, etc. In a later book in the series, Felicity keeps a secret from her parents and again, receives no ramifications. So yes, this was the one American Girl series where I repeatedly thought, “I don’t want my child to replicate the heroine’s behavior!”

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud book with my four year old: We had two of my old American Girl books in the house (Meet Kirsten and Meet Felicity) and he wanted me to read them to him. He enjoyed both stories so I borrowed each character's complete collection from the library. Felicity's stories were very engaging. He kept wanting to know what happened next. I tried to provide some historical context to the events of the story by explaining the boycott of tea and what the Revolutionary War was about as well as discussing the concept of slavery (even though that's super glossed over in the book and really could have been acknowledged much better considering the grandfather owned a plantation and Felicity's family seemed to have at least two slaves though neither character was explicitly noted as being enslaved in the books). But my son is only four so not sure how much he got out of the conversation. Sad to say that when I read these books as a kid, I didn't even notice that aspect of history was lacking in the books. But he did enjoy the character of Felicity and the adventures that she had. Now on to the Kirsten stories!

[Brooke Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the American Girl series because of the fact that they make stories of the dolls come to life. As a young girl who loves her American Girl dolls, these books are a great series to get your student or child into reading about something that they enjoy. While reading about Felicity you not only learn some valuable life lessons, but some historical information as well. Felicity is growing up in Virginia in the 1770s which is right before the revolutionary war. She is a colonial girl who expected to do the minimal things young girls and women in general did during this time period, though Felicity has a love for being riding horses, playing outside, and being productive in her days. She is adapting what it's like to be free in her new country and the responsibilities she has while growing up into a young lady. I remember reading these books when I was younger and I loved learning the different stories of all the American girls. Again, these are good series for young readers who especially have a love for their American girl dolls.

[Laura Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grading for kids' lit, obviously.

I've always been fascinated by books for kids and I think the American Girl books are far stronger than their apparently commercial aims would suggest. The stories in this collection are of extremely mixed quality (the birthday story is lifeless) but a lot of the emotional scenes land hard and the fairy-tale-like first story about Penny the horse ends up being thematically useful as the story continues.

I picked this up to use in a reading class and I think it's a great choice.

*****Ought to be read alongside the Addy books for best results. Slavery is extant in this book, practiced by a beloved character, and little discussed. I remember this disturbing the hell out of me as a child because I'd already read the Addy books.

[Elaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tone of this short story collection felt very age-neutral. I don't think that a child would have much trouble keeping up with this, but it wasn't offensive to read as an adult. They were somewhat simple stories but still enjoyable to read. I loved the historic details and illustrations -- I can tell that there was research done. Very human and lifelike characters and relationships. (POSSIBLE SPOILER) I also was very fond of the redemption arc for Jiggy. I also enjoyed that there was an obvious chronology and order to the stories, but the stories (books) aren't back to back -- some time passes between the ending of one and the beginning of another. I wish that the stories for Elizabeth Cole were included as well.