What do you think?
Rate this book
American Girl: Maryellen #1
The One and Only: A Maryellen Classic
Maryellen Larkin is nine years old and longs to stand out, but in a family with five brothers and sisters it's easy to get lost in the shuffle! A painting mishap gains her some attention, but not the kind she's been longing for. Being invited to stay in at recess and practice her handwriting earns Maryellen a new friend, but what does that mean for her old friendships? Then, Maryellen is wishing for a white Christmas like the ones in the movies (not very likely in Florida!). Will she find a way to make her dream come true?
217 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2015
About the author
Valerie Tripp
278 books470 followersValerie 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
January 17, 2016
This rating is part protest.
I am dismayed by the change in format from the previous Historical American Girl books. I find it difficult to rate the story because of it. The story is perhaps 3-stars worthy, but after re-reading some American Girl books in the old format, the new Be Forever format seems so...drab, lifeless. The old books feel special with their beautiful artwork. The full-page images were almost always beautifully done and—along with the various small illustrations throughout the text and the opening family and friends portraits—they helped to bring the historical world to life. Particularly when the thing illustrated is a thing modern children are unfamiliar with. Now kids will be expected to run to wikipedia I guess. Even the Looking Back history section lacks visuals. There are no historical images. No photographs or illustrations. Nothing but text aside from the cover which I also didn't like as much as the old covers. The Be Forever font makes it look cheap.
I think the changes take away a lot from the experience of reading these books and I hope the change is not permanent because I loved the American Girl books so much as a child. They helped foster my life-long interest in history. I hate that girls of today might miss out on that.
I am dismayed by the change in format from the previous Historical American Girl books. I find it difficult to rate the story because of it. The story is perhaps 3-stars worthy, but after re-reading some American Girl books in the old format, the new Be Forever format seems so...drab, lifeless. The old books feel special with their beautiful artwork. The full-page images were almost always beautifully done and—along with the various small illustrations throughout the text and the opening family and friends portraits—they helped to bring the historical world to life. Particularly when the thing illustrated is a thing modern children are unfamiliar with. Now kids will be expected to run to wikipedia I guess. Even the Looking Back history section lacks visuals. There are no historical images. No photographs or illustrations. Nothing but text aside from the cover which I also didn't like as much as the old covers. The Be Forever font makes it look cheap.
I think the changes take away a lot from the experience of reading these books and I hope the change is not permanent because I loved the American Girl books so much as a child. They helped foster my life-long interest in history. I hate that girls of today might miss out on that.
December 10, 2015
In addition to keeping track of books on Goodreads, I also write a notebook list. When I recorded this book and its sequel, I wrote heavy quotation marks around "classic." I don't care if this is an addition to the classic American Girl line and gets the same cover/title treatment as their revamp: a book is not a classic at the moment of its printing!
The way the American Girl series has gotten redone annoys me immensely. The old books are repackaged with three in one novel and three in another, which is completely unnecessary and makes it less accessible to younger readers, who are more likely to pick up a super-thin book. In addition to this, all the beautiful illustrations are discarded for mediocre covers and no pictures inside. Why is this necessary? How is this a helpful marketing move? They have retired some dolls, and one of them is Molly, my favorite since childhood. I'm torn between indignation and a sense of relief that they left my childhood favorite character out of this revamped line.
However, the author who wrote the Molly series (and others) wrote the stories for this new character, and even though whoever is behind the aesthetic changes is not in my good graces, Valerie Tripp will always have a special place in my heart for bringing Molly to life and making me want to write. Because she wrote this new series, I got the books from the library immediately, and despite my frustration over the route the American Girl company has gone in the past several years, I enjoyed them. They are very much like the actual classics.
Maryellen is one of many children in a large 1950s family. The characters were distinguishable and amusing, the historical setting was robust and full of detail and consistency, and the story concerns were suited to the time period, such as making friends with an Italian and being regarded with suspicion and anger by others who resented Italians for the country's role in World War II. Because this book was set in a peaceful, ordinary time in American history, it does not have the same oomph as other American Girl series where their daily and childish concerns are set against a backdrop of greater conflict, but the story was still compelling, historical, and well-written. I recommend this book and its sequel both to children and to people like me who are suspicious of new American Girl books but loved the ones from their childhood. This is entirely worth it.
The way the American Girl series has gotten redone annoys me immensely. The old books are repackaged with three in one novel and three in another, which is completely unnecessary and makes it less accessible to younger readers, who are more likely to pick up a super-thin book. In addition to this, all the beautiful illustrations are discarded for mediocre covers and no pictures inside. Why is this necessary? How is this a helpful marketing move? They have retired some dolls, and one of them is Molly, my favorite since childhood. I'm torn between indignation and a sense of relief that they left my childhood favorite character out of this revamped line.
However, the author who wrote the Molly series (and others) wrote the stories for this new character, and even though whoever is behind the aesthetic changes is not in my good graces, Valerie Tripp will always have a special place in my heart for bringing Molly to life and making me want to write. Because she wrote this new series, I got the books from the library immediately, and despite my frustration over the route the American Girl company has gone in the past several years, I enjoyed them. They are very much like the actual classics.
Maryellen is one of many children in a large 1950s family. The characters were distinguishable and amusing, the historical setting was robust and full of detail and consistency, and the story concerns were suited to the time period, such as making friends with an Italian and being regarded with suspicion and anger by others who resented Italians for the country's role in World War II. Because this book was set in a peaceful, ordinary time in American history, it does not have the same oomph as other American Girl series where their daily and childish concerns are set against a backdrop of greater conflict, but the story was still compelling, historical, and well-written. I recommend this book and its sequel both to children and to people like me who are suspicious of new American Girl books but loved the ones from their childhood. This is entirely worth it.
March 27, 2023
The great AG marathon continues...
Maryellen isn't the first AG character to start off a little rough and need room to grow: I feel the same way about Molly, Kaya and Caroline. But the Beforever book design meant that I put it down after about 40 pages and left it there for over a week, wondering if I wanted another 170 pages of mayhem. But it got better.
Speaking of structure, it's very interesting to me how clearly this book is divided into sections that correlate to Meet, Lesson and Surprise. I wonder if Tripp was already working on this when they made the decision to publish as two books instead of six, or if they wanted the continuity with earlier series regardless.
Maryellen herself is impulsive, impish and frankly has it pretty good. Not Samantha levels of privilege, but Tripp gives us a setting that is safe and comfortable. Maryellen's problems are largely of her own making: she wants to prove her maturity, so she makes a mess trying to paint the door; she wants to look sophisticated and unique, so she winds up uncomfortable on the first day of school; she wants the perfect just-like-TV Christmas, but realizes that she misses her big, loud, messy family. It's all very safe - both for Ellie and as a storytelling choice. Getting in fights with her friends is about as big as her problems get.
I wonder whether the other AG girls would be envious or disgusted. Reading this back-to-back with Kit is eye-opening. One character with a lot of very real external problems and one... without. It's very easy to see why some people remember the '50s as the good old days.
To go back to Maryellen's friends, I think it is downright hilarious that her two best friends are both named Karen - something you almost never see in books, but of course see in real life all the time. They get just enough characterization to be reasonably distinct from each other (something the Pitt twins never achieved in two books).
She's also the most Molly character since Molly - Ellie is also a dreamer, and a bit of a schemer perhaps, too - I'm thinking of the door and the room switch and the Christmas trip in particular. I can't decide if they would get along. Either Molly would treat Ellie with the same ten-foot-pole she uses for Alison Hargate, or they would egg on each other's schemes. Question is, would the schemes get more successful, or more ridiculous? Debate.
Maryellen isn't the first AG character to start off a little rough and need room to grow: I feel the same way about Molly, Kaya and Caroline. But the Beforever book design meant that I put it down after about 40 pages and left it there for over a week, wondering if I wanted another 170 pages of mayhem. But it got better.
Speaking of structure, it's very interesting to me how clearly this book is divided into sections that correlate to Meet, Lesson and Surprise. I wonder if Tripp was already working on this when they made the decision to publish as two books instead of six, or if they wanted the continuity with earlier series regardless.
Maryellen herself is impulsive, impish and frankly has it pretty good. Not Samantha levels of privilege, but Tripp gives us a setting that is safe and comfortable. Maryellen's problems are largely of her own making: she wants to prove her maturity, so she makes a mess trying to paint the door; she wants to look sophisticated and unique, so she winds up uncomfortable on the first day of school; she wants the perfect just-like-TV Christmas, but realizes that she misses her big, loud, messy family. It's all very safe - both for Ellie and as a storytelling choice. Getting in fights with her friends is about as big as her problems get.
I wonder whether the other AG girls would be envious or disgusted. Reading this back-to-back with Kit is eye-opening. One character with a lot of very real external problems and one... without. It's very easy to see why some people remember the '50s as the good old days.
To go back to Maryellen's friends, I think it is downright hilarious that her two best friends are both named Karen - something you almost never see in books, but of course see in real life all the time. They get just enough characterization to be reasonably distinct from each other (something the Pitt twins never achieved in two books).
She's also the most Molly character since Molly - Ellie is also a dreamer, and a bit of a schemer perhaps, too - I'm thinking of the door and the room switch and the Christmas trip in particular. I can't decide if they would get along. Either Molly would treat Ellie with the same ten-foot-pole she uses for Alison Hargate, or they would egg on each other's schemes. Question is, would the schemes get more successful, or more ridiculous? Debate.
May 4, 2020
Lauren got this book when Santa brought a Maryellen doll, and she asked me to read it to her. The American Girl books do an excellent job of describing the time period the girls live in -- the 1950s in this case. I loved the description of Maryellen's Florida home and the trouble Maryellen got into when she wanted to do something "extraordinary." Later, we could relate to her desire to have a perfect Christmas-card Christmas with snow falling and a frozen pond to skate on. This book would be a perfect read-aloud to enjoy before Christmas next year.
January 25, 2016
I miss the historical notes and photos at the end of the book as they appeared in the earlier American Girl books. They added depth and background and made the books useful for teaching a historical period.
May 12, 2025
I read this book at my grandmas house it is sooooo good put a like on this if you like American girl dolls! I have Rebecca, Isabel, and Kirsten!
July 8, 2025
(Review of both this and Taking Off.)
Boo. What age is this marketed towards? Why are there no pictures? Why did they half-ass the nonfiction bits at the end? And how did 400 pages of story still not convince me there was anything interesting about the 1950s?
I didn’t enjoy Maryellen as a character. She creates all the problems she deals with, and not even in an entertaining way. Her supposed arc is about standing out as a member of a large family, but aside from a bit about her teacher calling her by her sisters’ names, no one seems to devalue her uniqueness. It’s a bit of a straw man problem. And I’m so annoyed that she stopped being friends with Davy for most of a year for basically no reason.
I did enjoy that her two best friends are named Karen, and that the Karens are kinda racist at the start. Very Karen of them. That was my favorite bit.
And another thing! Making Maryellen a polio survivor whose body and life are not actually impacted by polio was a coward’s choice. They say one of her legs is weaker than the other, but the girl runs and skates and never mentions struggling even in her internal monologue. They should have made her disabled. It would make the character and story more interesting, provide some new to AG representation, and give a lens into a part of the 1950s that we don’t usually see.
(I didn’t realize I had this much to say about Maryellen. Sorry about that.)
Boo. What age is this marketed towards? Why are there no pictures? Why did they half-ass the nonfiction bits at the end? And how did 400 pages of story still not convince me there was anything interesting about the 1950s?
I didn’t enjoy Maryellen as a character. She creates all the problems she deals with, and not even in an entertaining way. Her supposed arc is about standing out as a member of a large family, but aside from a bit about her teacher calling her by her sisters’ names, no one seems to devalue her uniqueness. It’s a bit of a straw man problem. And I’m so annoyed that she stopped being friends with Davy for most of a year for basically no reason.
I did enjoy that her two best friends are named Karen, and that the Karens are kinda racist at the start. Very Karen of them. That was my favorite bit.
And another thing! Making Maryellen a polio survivor whose body and life are not actually impacted by polio was a coward’s choice. They say one of her legs is weaker than the other, but the girl runs and skates and never mentions struggling even in her internal monologue. They should have made her disabled. It would make the character and story more interesting, provide some new to AG representation, and give a lens into a part of the 1950s that we don’t usually see.
(I didn’t realize I had this much to say about Maryellen. Sorry about that.)
May 1, 2017
This book crammed what would've been Mary Ellen's meet book, her school book and her Christmas book into one with just a bunch of chapters and no dividers between where the different stories would be. So I felt like each storyline didn't really get the depth it would've gotten if the books were still written the way they used to be. I was also disappointed in the lack of pictures of Period scenery and clothes. I would've liked to have imagined all of Maryellen's family dressed and looking like 50s people but instead I imagined everyone as if it was modern day. The looking back section basically reiterated everything we'd already learned about the era in the stories. Had no pictures and didn't really teach me anything new which is disappointing because the looking back sections are always my favorite! Even the American girl short stories looking back sections taught me more than this new format does. But aside from that disappointment I really did like Mary Ellen as a character by the time we got to the school story and I enjoyed the Christmas story the best. But I'm just still so sad about the new disappointing format that I'm not looking forward to finishing her series as much as I would've been otherwise :/
January 2, 2017
I enjoyed this way more than I had expected. Maryellen is endearing and well-intentioned. I guess it says something when you start identifying more with the mom in the stories...
November 11, 2024
I am still, and forever will be, unimpressed and frustrated with the Beforever. I want my six books. I want my gorgeous illustrations. I want my vignettes. I want my peak into the past!!
However, this one suffered from the format change a lot less then Nanea. This book was clearly written before this shift was planned, so it's... pretty obviously just the First Three Books of a six book set smushed together. So that's something, at least. I still sorely missed the peak into the past and illustrations. I looked through the abridged versions, which do have some images - but far less then I'd like, and some of them were frankly unsettlingly ugly.
Complaining about format changes aside - Maryellen was a perfectly fun story. Sometimes she was far too quirky for me (painting the front door red... girl...), but I loved seeing all of her clever ideas. She really fought to be heard, and I loved that.
I also loved how connected it feels to the 30s and 40s. Maybe I'm more conscious of this having just read Kit, Nanea, and Molly, but you can really feel the impact that the Depression and WW2 had on her parents, and how it impacts her today.
It's real disappointment that they weren't willing to give her braces for her polio, though. It feels pretty obviously a marketability thing. And it's not like I think stories about invisible disabilities don't need to be told! But AG seems to think an invisible disability means. Invisible from the *narrative*. Being mentioned like, a single time.
However, this one suffered from the format change a lot less then Nanea. This book was clearly written before this shift was planned, so it's... pretty obviously just the First Three Books of a six book set smushed together. So that's something, at least. I still sorely missed the peak into the past and illustrations. I looked through the abridged versions, which do have some images - but far less then I'd like, and some of them were frankly unsettlingly ugly.
Complaining about format changes aside - Maryellen was a perfectly fun story. Sometimes she was far too quirky for me (painting the front door red... girl...), but I loved seeing all of her clever ideas. She really fought to be heard, and I loved that.
I also loved how connected it feels to the 30s and 40s. Maybe I'm more conscious of this having just read Kit, Nanea, and Molly, but you can really feel the impact that the Depression and WW2 had on her parents, and how it impacts her today.
It's real disappointment that they weren't willing to give her braces for her polio, though. It feels pretty obviously a marketability thing. And it's not like I think stories about invisible disabilities don't need to be told! But AG seems to think an invisible disability means. Invisible from the *narrative*. Being mentioned like, a single time.
April 11, 2021
American Girl books and dolls were such an integral part of my childhood, so I decided to track down the unabridged versions of all the AG books I haven’t read—beginning with Maryellen! What a joy it was to read about Maryellen, her family, and her adorably funny dog, Scooter. Her books are written by one of my favorite AG authors, Valerie Tripp, so this one didn’t disappoint. It has all the heart, history, and fun of classics like Molly, Felicity, and Samantha! Maryellen’s personality is so bright and energetic. I loved seeing her navigate life in the 1950’s—trying to find balance between standing out and fitting in. I also love that her stories take place in Florida. You can practically smell the citrus and feel the sunshine. It matches the 50’s aesthetic of bright diners, rock n’ roll jukeboxes, optimism, and fun. The 50’s slang was such a great bonus, too. All the characters felt unique and authentic because of their dialogue. A definite must read for anyone who grew up loving American Girl stories!
March 23, 2026
Maryellen is controversially the first historical American Girl to not have the standard six-book series - instead she has two Beforever novels that are individually longer than the original stories were.
In certain ways, Maryellen reminded me of Molly (which makes sense given that her story in the 50s takes place right after Molly's in the mid-to-late 40s), but I found Maryellen less annoying in the longer format. While I enjoyed the original books, each story definitely felt like its own separate installment and I liked that Maryellen's narrative felt more cohesive in not breaking everything up (making the door, her friendship problems, etc a book on its own).
In certain ways, Maryellen reminded me of Molly (which makes sense given that her story in the 50s takes place right after Molly's in the mid-to-late 40s), but I found Maryellen less annoying in the longer format. While I enjoyed the original books, each story definitely felt like its own separate installment and I liked that Maryellen's narrative felt more cohesive in not breaking everything up (making the door, her friendship problems, etc a book on its own).
October 12, 2024
Valerie Tripp sure does know how to write these books! Maybe I was just prepared for the longer Beforever books this time (I was taken aback by the length of Nanea’s books) but this one really flowed! Tripp maintained the same flow as the original central series- we started by meeting Maryellen, then seeing her at school, then seeing her winter adventures. Maryellen is a cutie! She just wants to be noticed (but not feel too different) in her sea of siblings and gets up to some interesting antics trying to stand out. By the end I think she feels special and also a part of her family. I just hope she mends things with her friend Davy in the next book!
July 24, 2025
This book was utterly sweet and adorable. If I have the timing right, this probably would have taken place when my Grandparents were either about it get married or newly wed. The eldest of my Uncles would have been a tiny child, and both my parents would not even be born quite yet. I love this peak into what life could have been like for my family, and was like for many families.
October 24, 2019
The new release with illustrations and "Looking Back" section added back in really do add to these stories. Lucy keeps stealing my copies, so I'm pretty sure she'll be getting her own for Christmas!
June 22, 2020
Ahhhh.... American Girl Doll books. My childhood.
That's all I have to say. :)
That's all I have to say. :)
August 13, 2026
This book did NOT feel like an American Girl book. It felt like it belonged to an entirely different series altogether. Which isn't BAD, necessarily...but it's not what I expected from American Girl, or what I love about this series. And I don't mean the BeForever format; the BeForever format worked really beautifully in Melody's books, which are my favourite in the entire American Girl series. The issue here isn't the format (although the photorealistic illustrations in the abridged version are kind of creepy, and I'm sad to have no illustrations at all in the unabridged version). But the bigger issue is that this is a quirky but generic book about a sweet and vivid little girl who has a big personality and a lot of ideas, but sometimes those ideas end in catastrophe.
This type of protagonist feels very familiar to me. This book would fit right in with the Ramona series, or Judy Moody, or even Junie B. Jones (she doesn't like Beatrice; she just likes B and THAT'S ALL), or Anne of Green Gables (accidentally getting her friend drunk on not-raspberry-cordial-but-actually-currant-wine seems like something Maryellen would do). It did not feel similar to Addy or Caroline or Kit or Josefina or Kaya or Melody or any of my other favourite American Girls. It felt like it was in a whole other universe.
That's for a few reasons. First of all, this book takes a cowardly route around any actual issues American Girls would have been experiencing in the 1950s. This book reminded me very strongly that Valerie Tripp is also the author of Felicity Saves the Day, where she made a similar swerve to avoid acknowledging the reality of Felicity's family owning enslaved people and in fact Felicity's idyllic home being built on the backs of those people. Maryellen lives in a racially segregated suburb in Florida in the 1950s. Her suburb likely exists at least partially due to white flight, and I'd bet a whole lot of money that Black people are banned from living there.
In this book, Maryellen goes to school, goes to the mall, goes to the beach, takes a train, and travels to Georgia...and not a single mention of race or segregation is made. An adult reader KNOWS that that beach was segregated, that that train was segregated, that Maryellen's grandparents almost certainly voted in a segregationist governor literally the month before Maryellen goes to visit them. And what about Brown vs. Board of Education? That Supreme Court decision came out just before this book starts. Why is there no mention of it, even briefly?
Even if Valerie Tripp didn't want to make this book "about race," there were so many other interesting things she could have focused the book on. She could have focused the book on the process of suburbanization, like having Maryellen move from a big city to a suburb and adjust to life there. She could have focused the book more on the Cold War and Maryellen's feelings surrounding that (basically creating a character with Melody's sensitivity to current events). She could have mentioned McCarthyism and in general anti-communist fervour, perhaps by making someone Maryellen cares about lose their government job because of being accused of being a communist. She could have focused the book more on polio. Maryellen already IS a polio survivor, yet polio seems to barely impact her life at all. This book would have been much more interesting if Maryellen actually contracted polio during the timeline of the book.
The 1950s, contrary to the historical note, were not "years of peace, prosperity, and promise" for EVERY American. For the privileged white people like Maryellen's family, whose father has a stable, well-paying job, sure, it was (for such people, most of American history has been years of peace, prosperity, and promise). But this book seems to buy into the myth of the 1950s being a time of nostalgia and America being "great" in a way it no longer is, and there have been lotssssss of actual historical texts that have analyzed and criticized this myth of the 1950s. Focusing the story of America in the 1950s on a privileged white girl living in a segregated city in the south (without any mention of that) is a disappointing move from American Girl and from Valerie Tripp.
And the only mention of possible tension being this sentence in the historical note was a big miss from the author. "Americans whose lives didn’t match the television version of life sometimes felt out of step— the way Maryellen felt about Christmas in sunny, sandy Florida." Is Maryellen's feeling that Christmas in Florida isn't good enough because it's not what's shown on TV REALLY the best example for how Americans whose lives didn't match the television version of life might feel out of step??? How about...Black people? Poor people? Single mothers? Working mothers? Infertile couples? Immigrants? People with disabilities? COME ON.
This book really doesn't feel historical at all; most of the themes explored in this book (conflict with old friends once you're kind to a new friend who is different in some way; living in a big family and wanting to be noticed; wanting new clothes to look stylish; wanting Christmas to be like it is on TV) could really exist in any era with a few minor changes. As in Julie's books, history in Maryellen's books feels like the backdrop rather than the main driver of the plot. Maryellen feels like the Valerie Tripp who wrote Molly and the fourth and fifth Samantha books; it does NOT feel like the Valerie Tripp who wrote Kit and Josefina, who are both inextricable from their time and place. And it was harder to get invested in the conflicts Maryellen experiences when almost all of them are self-created.
I will say a few things for Valerie Tripp. She succeeded in writing a much more protagonist than Molly McIntire (which isn't saying much, but still, she surpassed the low bar). The characters in this book are very vividly drawn, even the dog (who seems disgusting and like I wouldn't want to go near him - but kudos to Valerie Tripp for creating a fictional dog who makes me wrinkle my nose at the idea of him). Maryellen's siblings feel like real people, not caricatures; they each have their own personality and way of relating to Maryellen. I love Joan's cute little nicknames for Maryellen, and I love Carolyn supporting her and trying to make her feel better about her bangs. It's not QUITE as well done as Melody's books, but definitely a step up from Nanea's books and most of the older American Girl books (Felicity, Kirsten, and Kaya's siblings barely get explored).
The book was very well paced and fast moving; I finished it much quicker than I finished Nanea's books, because I found it an easier and more engaging read (even though the subject matter was less interesting). Valerie Tripp really excels at writing "exuberant little girl unintentionally wreaks havoc" scenes, and they were entertaining. (Maryellen is certainly well intentioned, but she doesn't think through the consequences of her actions; she seems to have some trouble with executive functioning. As I read this book, I thought, "This is a neurodivergent little girl, probably ADHD, and she is trying her best but needs some support to fine-tune her big ideas and lovely imagination.")
Maryellen trying to "make her mom happy" by painting their front door red made me cringe (definitely would fit right into a Ramona book), and when she had the idea to cut her bangs (because movie stars who wear poodle skirts also have bangs, always, right???), I started internally screaming MARYELLEN, NO! And when she thinks how hard could it be to cut bangs...yikes. I was cringing again on her behalf. It felt a bit like a replay of Molly with her perm though (except that Molly got saved by her older sister before she could go through with it...too bad Maryellen didn't talk to Joan or Carolyn first.)
Onto the actual substance of the plot. It made sense to me that Maryellen wanted to share a room with her big sisters and not her toddler brothers, but I can also understand Joan not wanting to share a room with Maryellen given how messy and disorganized she is and also that she lets the dog sleep in her bed (and he snores, sheds, and drools). This would be my worst nightmare!!! If I was born into that family, I would be SUFFERING given that they have a three-bedroom house and six children. Similarly, if I was Mrs. Larkin's friends, I would say, "Thank you for the kind offer to host us, but we will be staying in a hotel." Six kids plus two parents plus a drooling, shedding dog in a three bedroom house is a LOT. I know in the past, people had different ideas about privacy and personal space (Addy's family of five people shares a single room; Kaya's family lives in a longhouse with many other families; Josefina shares a room with her sisters; Melody shares with Lila), but still, it's a lot.
I wasn't so bothered about Maryellen wanting attention from her mom or wanting to be seen as an individual. This line made me very sad and sympathetic to Maryellen's plight: "As one of six children, Maryellen had long ago learned the sad but true lesson that parents had only a certain amount of patience and energy and attention to give, and you couldn’t use more than your share or your parents got mad." She reminded me much more of Rebecca than of Molly in this aspect. But also, her mother understands that Maryellen wants more attention and one on one time; Maryellen is so happy when she gets to go shopping with just her mom. Why does her mom not just...spend more time with her, or at least make more of an effort?
Her mom saying that Maryellen is just one of six children, whether she likes it or not, is...harsh. Some kids need more attention than others. Maryellen is one of those kids. If Mrs. Larkin doesn't have enough time or attention to go around...birth control exists. I understand that back then, parenting norms were different, and parents weren't expected to be as involved in their kids' lives or to entertain their kids or get on their level the way they are today...but high needs and neurodivergent kids have always existed, and they have always needed an extra helping hand in order to thrive.
On the other hand, Maryellen needs some support with perspective taking (understanding what other people actually want) and at predicting the consequences of her actions. I don't think she's "selfish" the way I think Molly is selfish, but I think she has some trouble with executive functioning and with putting herself in someone else's shoes. She has a lot of ideas, but just because she has an imaginative mind that can think of a lot of ideas, it doesn't mean those ideas are all good or worth acting upon. She wants to make her mom happy, for example, but she doesn't seem to have a sense of what her mom actually wants or needs, nor does she consider ASKING her mom or showing any curiosity at all. She kind of reminds me of Felicity in that respect. "Of course my mom will love coming home from picking her friends up and finding I've painted the door red" is an absolutely wild conclusion to come to. She has a LOT of unearned confidence!
She is also not great at solving the problems she creates. She NOTICES when she's creating a problem (e.g. the red paint sealing the dead bugs to the door, her bangs being uneven, recognizing that the conflict with Davy is her own fault), but she doesn't actually take action to fix it. Even by Christmas, she acknowledges that she can't even remember what the fight with Davy was about anymore, and she misses him and wishes they could be friends again, but she doesn't DO anything about the problem (like apologizing and saying, "I'd like to be friends again"). It irritates me how Maryellen continually denies problems when they're pointed out to her even though she can see that the other person is right, like it literally says that Maryellen knows the other person is right but just waves away their concern. Not an endearing trait. She has insight but doesn't use it.
I understand why Maryellen is so upset on her first day of school when her teacher keeps calling her by her sisters' names; this is a normal thing any kid would be upset about. I do understand the teacher's perspective; it's only the first day of school and remembering a class full of kids' names is hard in general, but of course it will be even harder if your student looks like the spitting image of a student you've had in the past; of course your brain will naturally call them your previous student's name. It's obviously not malicious, but it also must be really awful for Maryellen (even if she WASN'T already sensitive to feeling left out or overshadowed by her older sisters).
Her drawing the cartoon of her teacher as Uncle Sam is in fact very witty and clever, and I understand why she was upset at the teacher confiscating the cartoon and then worrying she'd started off on the wrong foot with the teacher, but also, it was NOT Davy's fault. Maryellen is upset at the situation and blaming Davy when he didn't do anything wrong. Davy throughout the books has been a kind, loyal friend and is absolutely lovely to Maryellen's younger siblings. Davy deserves more loyalty from Maryellen in return, and their conflict annoyed me because it's almost entirely Maryellen's fault and within her capacity to fix, but instead of fixing it, she just mopes about it for the rest of the book, which is FOUR MONTHS.
Her teacher also was annoying me a lot when it comes to Maryellen's handwriting. She sees that Maryellen is struggling with handwriting, but she doesn't ask her WHY she's struggling or teach her how to do it properly. She just tells her to do better and gives her a task that requires handwriting (making a dictionary for Angela), without actually solving Maryellen's problem. This reminded me of Miss Winston in Kirsten's books. Teachers really ought to actually TEACH and not just expect kids to figure it out on their own through hard work. The issue isn't that Maryellen isn't working hard enough; the issue is that she's left handed and cursive is taught for right handed people so her letters slope and aren't very legible when she writes with her left hand, this is almost certainly a solvable problem if the teacher was curious and actually taught her.
This irritated me, even though I understand that the purpose of the plot line is to introduce Angela and give Maryellen a reason to get to know her better. And eventually it turns out okay with the teacher saying the handwriting style she's invented works for her and to just keep doing it rather than doing "proper" cursive...but also she could have helped Maryellen actually improve her handwriting if she had wanted to do that. I did like the scenes with Angela though, and I like that while Maryellen teaches Angela words in English, Angela also teaches Maryellen words in Italian and Maryellen loves that. Maryellen isn't just "helping" a new immigrant student from a place of charity; she's also learning from a peer and enjoying it. And I liked Angela giving Maryellen the plastic headband. That was so thoughtful and I love Maryellen being appreciative.
The Karens being prejudiced against Angela because of her being Italian is realistic but not great. This was the part of the book I liked best, where Maryellen finally had some real stakes and stood up for what was right even though it meant losing the Karens for a bit. Maryellen reminds me of Felicity in this way; she has strong moral intuitions that it's wrong to write someone off because of the group they come from, and I like that she is firm in those intuitions and doesn't bow to peer pressure. I also like that she recognizes the Karens are wrong but thinks the important thing is learning from your mistakes and she's willing to be friends with them again if they change their actions (which eventually they do).
The Christmas plot line mostly didn't hit for me, except for this line, which I think captures something extremely true and perceptive about growing up: "One thing Maryellen did not like about growing up was that she saw everything with new eyes. She felt awkward, as if she was standing outside her family looking in. But she couldn’t help it. She knew what Christmas was supposed to look like, and this year, for the first time, she realized that her family’s Christmas did not look right."
Beyond that, it was very hard for me to get invested in Maryellen wanting her Christmas to be like TV when Caroline's dad has been taken prisoner, Addy longs for her whole family to be together in freedom, Kit is saving money to help her mom pay the electric bill, Kirsten is worrying about preserving her traditions and getting her doll back before winter, Josefina is grieving her mother, and even Molly is missing her dad who is away in the war. The resolution to this plot line was very predictable; I knew as soon as she asked Grandpop and Grandmom to go to them for Christmas that she wasn't going to like it and was going to miss her family. But sometimes kids have to learn things for themselves, and sometimes you have to leave home to realize what you appreciate about it. So I wasn't mad about it, just kind of bored. And as per usual for most of the American Girls (minus Julie and Caroline), Maryellen gets all the things she wants for Christmas. Again, not mad about it, just a bit bored. It was fine.
Overall, this book was "fun" like the Ramona books are fun but not really what I like in historical fiction, so in that respect it was disappointing, but as a book (without considering the genre), it's well written and more engaging than some other American Girl books. So probably 3.5 stars, rounded up.
This type of protagonist feels very familiar to me. This book would fit right in with the Ramona series, or Judy Moody, or even Junie B. Jones (she doesn't like Beatrice; she just likes B and THAT'S ALL), or Anne of Green Gables (accidentally getting her friend drunk on not-raspberry-cordial-but-actually-currant-wine seems like something Maryellen would do). It did not feel similar to Addy or Caroline or Kit or Josefina or Kaya or Melody or any of my other favourite American Girls. It felt like it was in a whole other universe.
That's for a few reasons. First of all, this book takes a cowardly route around any actual issues American Girls would have been experiencing in the 1950s. This book reminded me very strongly that Valerie Tripp is also the author of Felicity Saves the Day, where she made a similar swerve to avoid acknowledging the reality of Felicity's family owning enslaved people and in fact Felicity's idyllic home being built on the backs of those people. Maryellen lives in a racially segregated suburb in Florida in the 1950s. Her suburb likely exists at least partially due to white flight, and I'd bet a whole lot of money that Black people are banned from living there.
In this book, Maryellen goes to school, goes to the mall, goes to the beach, takes a train, and travels to Georgia...and not a single mention of race or segregation is made. An adult reader KNOWS that that beach was segregated, that that train was segregated, that Maryellen's grandparents almost certainly voted in a segregationist governor literally the month before Maryellen goes to visit them. And what about Brown vs. Board of Education? That Supreme Court decision came out just before this book starts. Why is there no mention of it, even briefly?
Even if Valerie Tripp didn't want to make this book "about race," there were so many other interesting things she could have focused the book on. She could have focused the book on the process of suburbanization, like having Maryellen move from a big city to a suburb and adjust to life there. She could have focused the book more on the Cold War and Maryellen's feelings surrounding that (basically creating a character with Melody's sensitivity to current events). She could have mentioned McCarthyism and in general anti-communist fervour, perhaps by making someone Maryellen cares about lose their government job because of being accused of being a communist. She could have focused the book more on polio. Maryellen already IS a polio survivor, yet polio seems to barely impact her life at all. This book would have been much more interesting if Maryellen actually contracted polio during the timeline of the book.
The 1950s, contrary to the historical note, were not "years of peace, prosperity, and promise" for EVERY American. For the privileged white people like Maryellen's family, whose father has a stable, well-paying job, sure, it was (for such people, most of American history has been years of peace, prosperity, and promise). But this book seems to buy into the myth of the 1950s being a time of nostalgia and America being "great" in a way it no longer is, and there have been lotssssss of actual historical texts that have analyzed and criticized this myth of the 1950s. Focusing the story of America in the 1950s on a privileged white girl living in a segregated city in the south (without any mention of that) is a disappointing move from American Girl and from Valerie Tripp.
And the only mention of possible tension being this sentence in the historical note was a big miss from the author. "Americans whose lives didn’t match the television version of life sometimes felt out of step— the way Maryellen felt about Christmas in sunny, sandy Florida." Is Maryellen's feeling that Christmas in Florida isn't good enough because it's not what's shown on TV REALLY the best example for how Americans whose lives didn't match the television version of life might feel out of step??? How about...Black people? Poor people? Single mothers? Working mothers? Infertile couples? Immigrants? People with disabilities? COME ON.
This book really doesn't feel historical at all; most of the themes explored in this book (conflict with old friends once you're kind to a new friend who is different in some way; living in a big family and wanting to be noticed; wanting new clothes to look stylish; wanting Christmas to be like it is on TV) could really exist in any era with a few minor changes. As in Julie's books, history in Maryellen's books feels like the backdrop rather than the main driver of the plot. Maryellen feels like the Valerie Tripp who wrote Molly and the fourth and fifth Samantha books; it does NOT feel like the Valerie Tripp who wrote Kit and Josefina, who are both inextricable from their time and place. And it was harder to get invested in the conflicts Maryellen experiences when almost all of them are self-created.
I will say a few things for Valerie Tripp. She succeeded in writing a much more protagonist than Molly McIntire (which isn't saying much, but still, she surpassed the low bar). The characters in this book are very vividly drawn, even the dog (who seems disgusting and like I wouldn't want to go near him - but kudos to Valerie Tripp for creating a fictional dog who makes me wrinkle my nose at the idea of him). Maryellen's siblings feel like real people, not caricatures; they each have their own personality and way of relating to Maryellen. I love Joan's cute little nicknames for Maryellen, and I love Carolyn supporting her and trying to make her feel better about her bangs. It's not QUITE as well done as Melody's books, but definitely a step up from Nanea's books and most of the older American Girl books (Felicity, Kirsten, and Kaya's siblings barely get explored).
The book was very well paced and fast moving; I finished it much quicker than I finished Nanea's books, because I found it an easier and more engaging read (even though the subject matter was less interesting). Valerie Tripp really excels at writing "exuberant little girl unintentionally wreaks havoc" scenes, and they were entertaining. (Maryellen is certainly well intentioned, but she doesn't think through the consequences of her actions; she seems to have some trouble with executive functioning. As I read this book, I thought, "This is a neurodivergent little girl, probably ADHD, and she is trying her best but needs some support to fine-tune her big ideas and lovely imagination.")
Maryellen trying to "make her mom happy" by painting their front door red made me cringe (definitely would fit right into a Ramona book), and when she had the idea to cut her bangs (because movie stars who wear poodle skirts also have bangs, always, right???), I started internally screaming MARYELLEN, NO! And when she thinks how hard could it be to cut bangs...yikes. I was cringing again on her behalf. It felt a bit like a replay of Molly with her perm though (except that Molly got saved by her older sister before she could go through with it...too bad Maryellen didn't talk to Joan or Carolyn first.)
Onto the actual substance of the plot. It made sense to me that Maryellen wanted to share a room with her big sisters and not her toddler brothers, but I can also understand Joan not wanting to share a room with Maryellen given how messy and disorganized she is and also that she lets the dog sleep in her bed (and he snores, sheds, and drools). This would be my worst nightmare!!! If I was born into that family, I would be SUFFERING given that they have a three-bedroom house and six children. Similarly, if I was Mrs. Larkin's friends, I would say, "Thank you for the kind offer to host us, but we will be staying in a hotel." Six kids plus two parents plus a drooling, shedding dog in a three bedroom house is a LOT. I know in the past, people had different ideas about privacy and personal space (Addy's family of five people shares a single room; Kaya's family lives in a longhouse with many other families; Josefina shares a room with her sisters; Melody shares with Lila), but still, it's a lot.
I wasn't so bothered about Maryellen wanting attention from her mom or wanting to be seen as an individual. This line made me very sad and sympathetic to Maryellen's plight: "As one of six children, Maryellen had long ago learned the sad but true lesson that parents had only a certain amount of patience and energy and attention to give, and you couldn’t use more than your share or your parents got mad." She reminded me much more of Rebecca than of Molly in this aspect. But also, her mother understands that Maryellen wants more attention and one on one time; Maryellen is so happy when she gets to go shopping with just her mom. Why does her mom not just...spend more time with her, or at least make more of an effort?
Her mom saying that Maryellen is just one of six children, whether she likes it or not, is...harsh. Some kids need more attention than others. Maryellen is one of those kids. If Mrs. Larkin doesn't have enough time or attention to go around...birth control exists. I understand that back then, parenting norms were different, and parents weren't expected to be as involved in their kids' lives or to entertain their kids or get on their level the way they are today...but high needs and neurodivergent kids have always existed, and they have always needed an extra helping hand in order to thrive.
On the other hand, Maryellen needs some support with perspective taking (understanding what other people actually want) and at predicting the consequences of her actions. I don't think she's "selfish" the way I think Molly is selfish, but I think she has some trouble with executive functioning and with putting herself in someone else's shoes. She has a lot of ideas, but just because she has an imaginative mind that can think of a lot of ideas, it doesn't mean those ideas are all good or worth acting upon. She wants to make her mom happy, for example, but she doesn't seem to have a sense of what her mom actually wants or needs, nor does she consider ASKING her mom or showing any curiosity at all. She kind of reminds me of Felicity in that respect. "Of course my mom will love coming home from picking her friends up and finding I've painted the door red" is an absolutely wild conclusion to come to. She has a LOT of unearned confidence!
She is also not great at solving the problems she creates. She NOTICES when she's creating a problem (e.g. the red paint sealing the dead bugs to the door, her bangs being uneven, recognizing that the conflict with Davy is her own fault), but she doesn't actually take action to fix it. Even by Christmas, she acknowledges that she can't even remember what the fight with Davy was about anymore, and she misses him and wishes they could be friends again, but she doesn't DO anything about the problem (like apologizing and saying, "I'd like to be friends again"). It irritates me how Maryellen continually denies problems when they're pointed out to her even though she can see that the other person is right, like it literally says that Maryellen knows the other person is right but just waves away their concern. Not an endearing trait. She has insight but doesn't use it.
I understand why Maryellen is so upset on her first day of school when her teacher keeps calling her by her sisters' names; this is a normal thing any kid would be upset about. I do understand the teacher's perspective; it's only the first day of school and remembering a class full of kids' names is hard in general, but of course it will be even harder if your student looks like the spitting image of a student you've had in the past; of course your brain will naturally call them your previous student's name. It's obviously not malicious, but it also must be really awful for Maryellen (even if she WASN'T already sensitive to feeling left out or overshadowed by her older sisters).
Her drawing the cartoon of her teacher as Uncle Sam is in fact very witty and clever, and I understand why she was upset at the teacher confiscating the cartoon and then worrying she'd started off on the wrong foot with the teacher, but also, it was NOT Davy's fault. Maryellen is upset at the situation and blaming Davy when he didn't do anything wrong. Davy throughout the books has been a kind, loyal friend and is absolutely lovely to Maryellen's younger siblings. Davy deserves more loyalty from Maryellen in return, and their conflict annoyed me because it's almost entirely Maryellen's fault and within her capacity to fix, but instead of fixing it, she just mopes about it for the rest of the book, which is FOUR MONTHS.
Her teacher also was annoying me a lot when it comes to Maryellen's handwriting. She sees that Maryellen is struggling with handwriting, but she doesn't ask her WHY she's struggling or teach her how to do it properly. She just tells her to do better and gives her a task that requires handwriting (making a dictionary for Angela), without actually solving Maryellen's problem. This reminded me of Miss Winston in Kirsten's books. Teachers really ought to actually TEACH and not just expect kids to figure it out on their own through hard work. The issue isn't that Maryellen isn't working hard enough; the issue is that she's left handed and cursive is taught for right handed people so her letters slope and aren't very legible when she writes with her left hand, this is almost certainly a solvable problem if the teacher was curious and actually taught her.
This irritated me, even though I understand that the purpose of the plot line is to introduce Angela and give Maryellen a reason to get to know her better. And eventually it turns out okay with the teacher saying the handwriting style she's invented works for her and to just keep doing it rather than doing "proper" cursive...but also she could have helped Maryellen actually improve her handwriting if she had wanted to do that. I did like the scenes with Angela though, and I like that while Maryellen teaches Angela words in English, Angela also teaches Maryellen words in Italian and Maryellen loves that. Maryellen isn't just "helping" a new immigrant student from a place of charity; she's also learning from a peer and enjoying it. And I liked Angela giving Maryellen the plastic headband. That was so thoughtful and I love Maryellen being appreciative.
The Karens being prejudiced against Angela because of her being Italian is realistic but not great. This was the part of the book I liked best, where Maryellen finally had some real stakes and stood up for what was right even though it meant losing the Karens for a bit. Maryellen reminds me of Felicity in this way; she has strong moral intuitions that it's wrong to write someone off because of the group they come from, and I like that she is firm in those intuitions and doesn't bow to peer pressure. I also like that she recognizes the Karens are wrong but thinks the important thing is learning from your mistakes and she's willing to be friends with them again if they change their actions (which eventually they do).
The Christmas plot line mostly didn't hit for me, except for this line, which I think captures something extremely true and perceptive about growing up: "One thing Maryellen did not like about growing up was that she saw everything with new eyes. She felt awkward, as if she was standing outside her family looking in. But she couldn’t help it. She knew what Christmas was supposed to look like, and this year, for the first time, she realized that her family’s Christmas did not look right."
Beyond that, it was very hard for me to get invested in Maryellen wanting her Christmas to be like TV when Caroline's dad has been taken prisoner, Addy longs for her whole family to be together in freedom, Kit is saving money to help her mom pay the electric bill, Kirsten is worrying about preserving her traditions and getting her doll back before winter, Josefina is grieving her mother, and even Molly is missing her dad who is away in the war. The resolution to this plot line was very predictable; I knew as soon as she asked Grandpop and Grandmom to go to them for Christmas that she wasn't going to like it and was going to miss her family. But sometimes kids have to learn things for themselves, and sometimes you have to leave home to realize what you appreciate about it. So I wasn't mad about it, just kind of bored. And as per usual for most of the American Girls (minus Julie and Caroline), Maryellen gets all the things she wants for Christmas. Again, not mad about it, just a bit bored. It was fine.
Overall, this book was "fun" like the Ramona books are fun but not really what I like in historical fiction, so in that respect it was disappointing, but as a book (without considering the genre), it's well written and more engaging than some other American Girl books. So probably 3.5 stars, rounded up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2021
Cried
April 7, 2022
Really interesting to see what happened her life at the time she lived in🐱
December 3, 2015
As a young girl I read the other books in the American Girls series. I chose to try this one to see what one of the new "girls" was like. I think the character of Maryellen fits well with the history of the past "girls" and seems to fill a spot left empty by Molly (set in 1944, and my personal favorite) whose character was "retired" by the American Girl company.
What was new to me, and somewhat off putting is the condensing of three books into just the one. The older girls to the series and the older format of the series is that there would be six books total, The three starting books would typically have titles that fit the following: "Meet ___"; "____ Learns a Lesson"; "_____'s Surprise." [Or, to state a different an introductory book, a story set in the school year and the third being set during the holiday season.]
Another missing component for me was the occasional illustrations in the book where there would be a beautiful picture depicting a pivotal scene in the that chapter's plot.
For me, these changes didn't kill the basic enjoyment of the book, just killed the nostalgia factor for this book series and company. If you an "American Girls" reader in the 1990's the set-up and look of these books will be different than what you would know and likely love..
What was new to me, and somewhat off putting is the condensing of three books into just the one. The older girls to the series and the older format of the series is that there would be six books total, The three starting books would typically have titles that fit the following: "Meet ___"; "____ Learns a Lesson"; "_____'s Surprise." [Or, to state a different an introductory book, a story set in the school year and the third being set during the holiday season.]
Another missing component for me was the occasional illustrations in the book where there would be a beautiful picture depicting a pivotal scene in the that chapter's plot.
For me, these changes didn't kill the basic enjoyment of the book, just killed the nostalgia factor for this book series and company. If you an "American Girls" reader in the 1990's the set-up and look of these books will be different than what you would know and likely love..
October 27, 2015
I wasn't particularly thrilled with the new format of the American Girls series; two books that are really meant to replace books 1-3 and 4-6. Sure, the older books really did comprise one story arc, but that was one story arc through all *six* books. Chopping that up into two books makes it seem even more disjointed. All the familiar beats are there, but it lacks a sense of slow development that the individual 6 books had. Adults may be thrilled not to reread the "previously on this American Girl" sections, but the kids love that part. It provides continuity and lets them review what they already know about the character. Isn't that the point of series books for younger readers anyway? Being able to figure out the basic plot structure, characters, settings (which is a BIG deal in these historical books), and themes let the kids get practice at holding together different threads as they are woven into more complex stories. Without those clear distinctions, this book felt rushed.
November 14, 2017
Another A. G. book by Valerie Tripp and this one is really sweet. Mary Ellen Larkin, a middle child in a big family, is always trying to stand out as someone special, like in TV or the movies. To be the “one-and-only”. The author captures the peaceful, prosperous 1950’s beautifully and sends Mary Ellen on a trip searching for the perfect Christmas. Ellie learns some lessons about herself, others, and what really makes Christmas special. A quick, fun read.
December 14, 2015
I was excited to learn that Maryellen was the newest character. The story stayed true to American Girl. I also love the mention of polio. My only wish is that polio could play a bigger part in Maryellen's stort, though that's just a personal preference.
March 12, 2020
This literally took Gabby and I almost a year to finish. As far as American girl stories go, this one was not very historical and I think overall disappointing.
March 30, 2017
This was a cute read! I really loved Maryellen's character, but the plot didn't do a whole lot for me. If this had been available when I was younger, I would have adored it.
September 17, 2018
Another fun family book club selection - -
I remember that time period..... enjoyed Maryellen's version of it!
Married out of high school sounds like a bad idea tho.
I remember that time period..... enjoyed Maryellen's version of it!
Married out of high school sounds like a bad idea tho.
August 24, 2020
Who's an adult woman who requested the Maryellen and Melody books from her local library? that's meeeee (but also, seemed like a glaring omission given they had their mystery books but not the main line). As a consequence of that, the editions they bought are the current abridged ones with added illustrations. When they initially debuted in 2015 and 2016, these were more like middle-grade chapter books ala the Nanaea ones, but last year they decided to rerelease Nanaea, Maryellen, and Melody with interior illustrations like the classic historical series from before. I really appreciate the return of the family & friends pictures in the beginning, along with illustrations throughout. They're maybe more photo-realistic than classic ones, but that's more a matter of art style preference.
With that meta information, I'm curious as to what got shuffled around (wikia has detail on specifics ) but it does feel pretty cohesive. Maryellen is a middle child in a family of six, and desperate to stand out and be taken seriously instead of being one of the little kids. Pretty low stakes- there's a mention of the cold war in class, but otherwise, not much to worry about in 1950s Florida for a 9 year old (and if I'm allowed more meta thoughts, maybe that explains a lot of baby boomer attitude? Not as much to persevere through here).
The holiday sequence was cut from the abridged book, so I wonder if it got added to Maryellen: Taking Off or if it got cut period...
With that meta information, I'm curious as to what got shuffled around (wikia has detail on specifics ) but it does feel pretty cohesive. Maryellen is a middle child in a family of six, and desperate to stand out and be taken seriously instead of being one of the little kids. Pretty low stakes- there's a mention of the cold war in class, but otherwise, not much to worry about in 1950s Florida for a 9 year old (and if I'm allowed more meta thoughts, maybe that explains a lot of baby boomer attitude? Not as much to persevere through here).
The holiday sequence was cut from the abridged book, so I wonder if it got added to Maryellen: Taking Off or if it got cut period...
July 22, 2025
The dropoff in quality of the American Girl historical stories after 2014 is actually insane. And that’s not even nostalgia bias talking where I just think anything released after I was a kid isn’t as good—I read Rebecca, Cécile, Marie-Grace, and Caroline’s stories for the first time as an adult and enjoyed them. It does in fact seem that the Beforever rebrand is specifically to blame for the sudden massive dropoff in quality. I just found Maryellen’s story boring and lacking intrigue. Her befriending Angela and fighting with her friends over it because they’re prejudiced against Italians is the closest this story came to a conflict that felt like it belonged in an American Girl book, and even then it felt like it wrapped up too quickly and neatly even for a children’s book. I feel like part of why I find Maryellen’s story kind of bland and uninteresting is I think a white, middle-class girl living in the suburbs was probably the most boring character to represent the 1950’s they could have chosen and there’s basically no reflection on how her privilege colors the way the 1950’s are presented in this story. Like I found myself unable to stop thinking about how Maryellen’s family probably lives in the suburbs because of white flight, and she lives in Florida so she lives in a state with Jim Crow laws and definitely goes to a segregated school. Absolutely no mention of any of this at all, just a throwaway line in the historical section at the end that most people on TV were white.
January 19, 2026
Love this book, Tripp knows how to pull the inherent emotion from what could be very formulaic plots and I did cry my eyes out at the Surprise Christmas visit scene
I am here because of Dolls of our Lives pod. I did overall enjoy the experience of Maryellen’s story, but probably more because of Tripps strong voice and practice at turning out six book arcs for these AG characters than the quality of depicting 1954.
And Dolls of our Lives already covered this better than I could but it bears repeating that the absence of any discussion of segregation in Daytona Beach FL felt deranged. Especially learning that there’s a HBCU that would have been over 40 years old and expanded significantly post WWII. The absence of any discussion of race in spaces like the public beach, pool, school, train & train station felt so unreal and diminished the quality of the experience for me. I don’t need a huge arc to be about Maryellen watching segregation take place, but for her Learns a lesson section to be all about not stereotyping individuals and it only applying to white passing Italians like Angela who she has in her class felt really disjointed and undercooked
IDK where else to put this but I also headcanon Maryellen as one of the peaceful protesters that wants to ensure Addies AG book isn’t removed form Libraries because of its depiction of Racism in 2025 like Allison, instead of everyone hounding Maryellen as to where she was on Jan 6th
I am here because of Dolls of our Lives pod. I did overall enjoy the experience of Maryellen’s story, but probably more because of Tripps strong voice and practice at turning out six book arcs for these AG characters than the quality of depicting 1954.
And Dolls of our Lives already covered this better than I could but it bears repeating that the absence of any discussion of segregation in Daytona Beach FL felt deranged. Especially learning that there’s a HBCU that would have been over 40 years old and expanded significantly post WWII. The absence of any discussion of race in spaces like the public beach, pool, school, train & train station felt so unreal and diminished the quality of the experience for me. I don’t need a huge arc to be about Maryellen watching segregation take place, but for her Learns a lesson section to be all about not stereotyping individuals and it only applying to white passing Italians like Angela who she has in her class felt really disjointed and undercooked
IDK where else to put this but I also headcanon Maryellen as one of the peaceful protesters that wants to ensure Addies AG book isn’t removed form Libraries because of its depiction of Racism in 2025 like Allison, instead of everyone hounding Maryellen as to where she was on Jan 6th
November 9, 2023
I was pleasantly surprised when my son wanted to read more Maryellen books after we got one of the Maryellen mystery books (because it had a cool sunken treasure aspect and he likes mysteries). He liked these, too. I haven't become acquainted with the American Girls who have joined the collection since my childhood in the '80s and I really enjoyed meeting Maryellen. These books were fun for me given that my parents were children in the '50s and I recognized so much from stories about their childhood in these Maryellen books. Tripp weaves in period details with skill and the characters feel vibrant and relatable. I've always loved a heroine who tries hard but is imperfect and Maryellen's earnest desire to be seen as an individual, not just a younger sister, is so heartfelt even when it takes her off-track. I was somewhat annoyed to find that this and the "sequel", Maryellen: Taking Off are abridgements of the Beforever stories, though these felt full and rich as I read them. I'm going to try to read the Beforever version soon as there are Christmas and winter chapters and it will be nice to spend some time with Maryellen and her family and friends again around the holidays.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews