Felicity Learns a Lesson: A School Story

American Girl: Felicity #2

by Valerie Tripp

Felicity is sent to Miss Manderly's house to learn to be a polite gentlewoman. She practices stitchery, dancing, penmanship, and the proper way to serve tea. Two sisters from England join the lessons, and one of them, Elizabeth, becomes Felicity's best friend. Learning to serve tea is great fun, until Felicity's father decides that the king's tax on tea is unfair. He refuses to sell tea in his store or to drink it at home. How can Felicity continue the tea lessons she loves and still be loyal to her father?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Juvenile

69 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

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

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

Felicity may wear the proper attire for a lady in the 1700s, but she's not a proper lady - not by a longshot. (For now).

Now that Felicity is nearly ten, her parents have decided to start her official lessons with Miss Manderly. And when Felicity learns what the lessons will entail, she cannot hold back her disappointment.

"I don't see why girls aren't educated, too."
Mrs. Merriman looked up from her stitching and spoke. "Girls should be educated. Not in Latin and Greek, but in things they need to know to be accomplished young ladies."

Begrudgingly, Felicity attends lessons in dance, stitchery, manners, and tea time. Luckily, she meets a friend (Elizabeth) and unluckily, she meets an enemy (Annabelle) in Miss Manderly's class.

And when Felicity is home, there's even more she must learn. Pickling, preserving, and so on.

"It seems to be a great deal of work for a little bit of butter. I don't think it's worthwhile, she said. And once the apple butter's eaten, there's nothing to show for all the hard work."

Felicity could not be more frustrated. Why can't she learn Greek and Latin? Why must she learn the proper way to pour tea? And what's even the point of learning tea time rituals if no one's going to drink it anymore thanks to the King's tax??

Will Felicity see a value in her education? Or will she need to take things into her own hands?

In the first book, I had mentioned that there's this dichotomy - the lessons that Felicity is being taught aren't the ones she wants to learn (even though they are important to her life).

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.

I liked how this book showcased that balance - where Felicity is still the headstrong young girl BUT she also begins to see the value in using manners and social standing to move about society. She starts to learn why it is important to follow her mother's cooking lessons and how they can be used for her future.

I rather liked the addition of the sisters - Elizabeth and Annabelle. They did a great job of showing to the audience why some people chose to be 'loyalists' to the king and why others may be a bit more on the fence.

Also, the tea scene at the end? TALK ABOUT A MIC DROP. The book was four stars and then that scene happened and I was like "here's your extra star. You earned it Felicity."

Drinking tea has never been so cool.

Review to come

[Bronwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

About to start the American Girls podcast, so I’m rereading my AG books before I listen to the episodes.

I really enjoyed this one. For some reason, I remembered the opening scene of the book before I even read it again. I remember really liking Elizabeth and I still do. The “lesson” Felicity learns is well done, Mother is wonderful, and the book brings more of the Revolutionary themes into the stories.

(My mom made me Felicity’s school dress for fifth grade colonial days and it was basically the best thing ever.)

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

{July 2025 Reread}

Shout-out to this series for being the first place I learned about the Boston Tea Party (I assume?). Weird that the AGD Company decided to make the Elizabeth doll blonde when she is so clearly described as brunette in the book. Int'resting . . .

"And we can discuss questions of general interest all the day long!" made me laugh out loud.

(Also not Ben making the inside joke with Felicity in the first chapter!! Otp frfr)

[Olde American Spirit (Shannon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"How lovely it must feel to fly wherever you want to go, with nothing holding you down."

If I could only transport myself into Felicity's world. I think I'd fit right in. :)
In other words, I should live within Colonial Williamsburg full-time!

So many lessons and quotes in this 2nd book. Love it.
And I shall take no tea. :)

[Morgan's Endless Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felicity is so iconic! Also love Elizabeth!

[Hannah Showalter · Rating 4 out of 5]

boo annabelle. loved the lesson here though!

[Danae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like that these books teach about Patriots vs. Loyalists and how that affected the children. I feel like the awkwardness between Felicity and Elizabeth can be applicable to today as well as their decision that they can be friends despite their parents' differing political beliefs.

[Maggie Lunsford · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute. Much less morally confusing than the last. Felicity’s parents gave her excellent guidance and encouragement, and she makes hard decisions with confidence and grace.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, I enjoy Felicity's courageous spirit. Brought up some good discussion with my daughter.

[Katelyn Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of nostalgia reading today!!! Can never go wrong with American Girl Books!!!

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one! This book really demonstrates disagreeing respectfully and how to navigate differences of political opinion. I loved how her dad talked about politics with her, trying to help her decide for herself instead of telling her what to believe. The way she forms her convictions and gracefully, yet assertively, stands up for them was a joy to read. Also, Miss Manderly’s response to the tooth incident made me smile. I love that she didn’t shame or embarrass Felicity; it was a lovely, heartwarming detail.

[Jordan Sisson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I reread my first edition copy of this book - for the first time since childhood - with my 7 year old daughter. Annabelle is the literal worst, almost unnecessarily so. The plot felt less exciting after all the drama and build up with Penny in book 1, but overall it does a decent job at distilling down themes of the American Revolution to a format that elementary school-aged kids can understand. Also, Felicity absolutely is ADHD coded and I feel like my neurodivergent daughter is loving this series at least in part because she identifies with Felicity.

[Blessing Bloodworth (naptimereaders) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud with 5yo girl.

Pleasantly surprised by the strong Christian content in this one - Felicity declares God to be King of the whole world while helping her little sister practice reading The Lord’s Prayer. Not entirely thrilled with the unkind attitudes portrayed or the encouragement to “do what your heart tells you”.

[Zoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back then in Felicity's time the people that the England king had ruled got very angry so they threw the tea!!!

[Ruby Boswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. Merriman spitting bars on friendship and emotions, Felicity being a little protestor with her “I shall take no tea”, and nine year olds trying process the American Revolution!!!! what more could you ask for in an American Girl novel!!!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, doing some rereading because I discovered the Dolls of Our Lives podcast (nee the American Girls podcast).

This one appeals to me more than the first one for a couple of reasons. First, I'm always a sucker for school stories. I'm also a sucker for underdog stories, and Felicity is set up in a situation where (a) her established characteristics seem likely to work against her and (b) she's faced with classmates who have more experience than she does. Plus, Felicity's friendship with Elizabeth really is charming.

As an antagonist, Annabelle is just as completely over the top as can be. She can barely open her mouth without saying something mean. (The irony is that when she isn't insulting Felicity, she's bragging about her own accomplishments: good manners are clearly not among them.) As an adult, this feels way overdone, but I think it made Felicity and Elizabeth's triumphs very satisfying when I was the target age for the book.

I also like the way the debate about taxes and governance trickles into the story. It's all fairly high level and feels like the way real families might have wrestled with it.


More Felicity babble

Meet Felicity | Felicity Learns a Lesson | Felicity’s Surprise | Happy Birthday, Felicity | Felicity Saves the Day | Changes for Felicity

Very Funny, Elizabeth

Felicity’s New Sister | Felicity’s Dancing Shoes | Felicity Takes a Dare | Felicity Discovers a Secret | Felicity’s Short Story Collection

Peril at King’s Creek | Traitor in Williamsburg | Lady Margaret’s Ghost

[Sumnerd Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to re-read some of my childhood favorites. This has been on my bookcase since Elementary school.

Despite not having read this in more than 20 years I immediately remembered the beginning with Felicity sitting up on top of her roof eating fresh-picked, sun-warmed apples. I was soaked in nostalgia. Felicity is your classic spunky female protagonist.

The reason I didn’t rate this higher is the uncomfortable and unnecessary maidservant characters. They are slaves. This is Colonial Virginia, they are enslaved, not employed. I get a childrens’ book not wanting to confront the horrific reality of Slavery...so just don’t include these characters. They are in no way fleshed out nor do they otherwise contribute something to the story. It is also uncomfortable to be confronting themes of freedom while having undeveloped slave characters with no sense of irony.

[Anna Schubert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The OG American Girl stories are frankly fantastic for capturing the challenges of a historical period in a short, accessible story with vivid characters. They are appropriate for kids without whitewashing, which is a pretty impressive accomplishment.

[Rivkah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how Felicity did what was right for her family and what was right morally even when it wasn't easy for her.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felicity is a super great book to read

[Goshen PL Childrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this one immediately after finishing the first one, so it felt like more of a continuation instead of a new book. Again my favorite part of these books was the lack of "and this is what Felicity learned" often times books tend to tell you what it wants you to have learned, but it does a good job of making the "lesson" fairly clear without actually spelling it out. Also, this book gets more into the historical happenings of the times, which was one thing I really enjoyed.

[RaspberryRoses · Rating 3 out of 5]

The character of Annabelle is such a mean-spirited hatesink of a character. Valerie Tripp, you will never be Connie Rose Porter writing Harriet as an antagonist. You will never have her grace and skill. You will also never address slavery like she did, but I already got into that in my review of book 1.

Overall though, I did like this book more. Elizabeth is sweet, and I think the final scene of Felicity not taking the tea was incredibly well done.

[Asho · Rating 3 out of 5]

S discovered these books at my mom's house when we were visiting this summer and quickly read through all of the American Girl books that she still has at her house. I happily re-read this one after he finished it. It holds up well, I think. It's a good introduction to the Revolutionary War time period and spunky Felicity is a good heroine.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book II is where the series first begins to explain the American Revolution. It is (of course!) incredibly simplified, but I think it's done well as an introduction for young children. Showing how it impacted even the children and their friendships is a good lesson to learn, since it's easy to get caught up in the stories of the people actually fighting the battles.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know it says I read this in a day, but that’s not true. I’m rating this five stars, because I have so many great memories reading American Girl books! Felicity is my favorite, and it’s a real shame that they stoped making her doll. But the books are still around for a new generation of readers :)

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly forgot I read this already. Clearly it was not a memorable book for me since I had to peek inside and flip through it to remind myself that I indeed read this book. That being said, I liked the story, but overall it was just okay. Still want to read the rest of them though!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's funny, because Felicity was my favorite American Girl as a kid, but for some reason I thought her series wouldn't hold up as an adult (the only other non-20th century series I've read so far was Kirsten's, which I wasn't a fan of). This is a fun look at America on the cusp of revolution, and lowkey this is a good example of striking/not crossing a picket line for kids.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a little more interesting than the first, in my opinion. It focused a little less on gender roles and a little more on the beginnings of the Revolutionary War.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

AG says civil disobedience is cool <3

[Court]

Don’t you hate when the girl you definitely have a crush on has a sister who calls your dad a traitor :(