Happy Birthday, Molly: A Springtime Story

American Girl: Molly #4

by Valerie Tripp

Molly is excited to learn that an English girl is coming to stay at the McIntires', and just in time for Molly's birthday! But Emily Bennett turns out to be different from the glamorous girl Molly pictured. Emily is shy, and seems unfriendly. Then Molly discovers that Emily is worried about her father, and the girls become good friends. They even plan to turn Molly's tenth birthday celebration into a real English tea party. But they can't agree about what's important, and it takes a special birthday surprise to help them patch up their hurt feelings.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Young Adult

65 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

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 2 out of 5]

"It's a bomb shelter, like you have in England. We play in it all the time." She lifted the edge of the blanket and showed Emily the dark space under the table. "Want to go in?" she asked. "Come on. It's fun."

Jeez Louise Molly. Read the freaking room... maybe the war refugee doesn't want to play "the house is bombed" with you.

*ahem* In this book, Molly is so excited to have a real, live "English Girl" (TM) stay with her and her family. Molly and her best friends, Susan and Linda, cannot wait to meet Emily and hear all about exciting things she's lived through, being so close to the war!

Only when Emily arrives, she's not like any of them expected.

"She won't smile or anything, and she wouldn't play in the bomb shelter either."

Emily is so much more closed off than Molly, Susan and Linda expected. Susan tries to start the conversation rolling about the exciting bits, but Emily stonewalls her the entire time.

"Did you ever see other houses being bombed?" she asked
"Yes," said Emily.
Susan’s eyes were wide. "What did they look like? Did they catch on fire? Did you see the bombs? Were you scared?"
"It was loud," said Emily.

To be frank, Emily isn't like any of them imagined. She's so quiet, and polite...and boring.

"After a while, everyone more or less ignored Emily at school... No one said it, but everyone thought Emily was a disappointment."

Oh.My.God. I swear, I am still reeling from this one. The second hand cringe. The open-mouthed shock. The freaking audacity.

(Spoilers ahead) (and Imma gonna get ranty)

Okay, I want to start off by saying what Molly and her friends do (and wonder about) IS very normal for nine-year-olds.

They are living through a war (even if it is on a different continent) and using play to act out otherwise scary events or scenarios is a normal way to process things. HOWEVER it really was on the mother to say, 'yes Molly, playing bombs is fun but we aren't going to do that when a war refugee is in our house.'

AND I will admit that the questions Susan had (and the other characters had) for Emily are very real things that children wonder about (and ask after)... HOWEVER I would also say it was on the parents to sit the girls down and discuss what is and isn't appropriate to ask someone coming from a traumatic situation.

Granted this was the 1940s, so there probably needs to be further accommodations for that. And even further considerations for how Molly and her family were living through a lot of heavy propaganda - war WAS an exciting adventure to her. Yes there was danger, but there was also rescues, daring escapes and more.

That being said, ohmygawd did I cringe so hard every time Molly and her friends tried to talk to Emily about the war. There were so many behavioral clues coming from Emily that she did NOT want to discuss the tragedies, and yet Molly & Co. just bulldozed right through it.

Now, Molly and Emily did end up bonding over their shared love for the English princesses (Elizabeth and Margaret Rose). So much that when Molly's birthday theme came up, she decided that she wanted it to be an English tea party theme and to share it with Emily (since Emily didn't get to celebrate much in England).

But as Molly began planning her birthday, she gets frustrated every time she asks Emily for advice and Emily provides it.

For example, Molly asks after what kind of birthday cake they should have. And Emily replies with something along the lines of, 'well, if you want it to be an English tea party, there wouldn't be cake. We'd have a lemon tart.'

And as Molly asks more and more questions (and receives honest answers), the angrier she becomes, until this bursts out of her.

"In England! I'm so tired of hearing that! If it's so great in England, why don't you just go back there?"

I was absolutely reeling from that one. As if Emily had a choice in where to go? As if Moly doesn't know that Emily was sent to America to avoid the deadly bombing of London?

Jeez. LOUISE. Molly.

The book ends with the girls tentatively making up, both getting puppies, and cuts right before the actual party starts.

I don't feel like Molly really internalized how hurtful she was being towards Emily throughout the book (but especially in that last comment) but that gets brushed aside as a 'both sides were being mean' kind of resolution.

As an adult, I'm really wondering why Molly's mom would give Emily a puppy (who knows how long Emily is going to stay with them/in America). AND Molly's puppy doesn't even show for the last two books from the main series (Emily also disappears, with only a single mention in book 6 by Jill talking about the English girl that temporarily stayed with them).

AND THEN we don't even get to see the English Tea Party? ALL that fuss and we don't see it at all?

What a freaking bummer.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m still enjoying re-reading these books, but Molly thinking a bomb shelter was a “fun pretend game” was really cringe-worthy. Her new British friend was right - Molly has no idea what the war actually means.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a little girl, I wanted to have a birthday party just like Molly's with fancy British tea and little cakes. I love these books!

[Olde American Spirit (Shannon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I bet she looks like one of the princesses, Margaret Rose or Elizabeth.”

Maybe this one should have been 'Molly learns a lesson.' She learned some important things, like war bombings are real. The English girl that comes to stay with them knows all about those.

Molly's little brother continues to be a little brat and cracks me up.

This was an interesting one and I learned a few things!!

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book more than any other American Girl book, because it was one that my sister randomly happened to own. I never liked how petty Molly and Emily were at the climax of this book, hence the three-star rating, but the story is full of interesting dynamics related to how British and American children experienced World War II differently.

The "peek into the past" section is also interesting. It goes through what the average American girl's life was like from birth to emerging adulthood in Molly's era, and it was here that I first learned that the 1940s invented the concept of a "teenager." Since I hated teenagers and dreaded becoming one, it helped me tremendously to learn that our culture's view of this age group was socially constructed several decades ago, and that I wasn't guaranteed to lose my mind and be unbearably rebellious and obnoxious as soon as I turned thirteen.

Of course, nothing that this book says conveys a negative view of teenagers. It just helped me deal with my biases and anxieties to learn that people's behaviors during this age were culturally influenced and prescribed for them, not guaranteed simply because they were a certain age.

Also! Earlier this year, I read a book that is set in the 1400s and narrated by contemporary characters. When these people from the Middle Ages referred to some boys as teenagers, I laughed out loud and watched all my suspension of disbelief shatter onto the floor. Clearly, more people should have benefited from this Molly book's peek into the past!

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad this British girl came along to tell Molly and her friends that they were being cringe

[Hannah Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

these american girls do not know how to read a room sometimes

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keeping up with the kiddo with this read. ;) This is an excellent introduction to what the war was like for a British child, and the history is conveyed smoothly. But the girls were so petty in this story, it was frustrating. I found it difficult to believe that the children wouldn't have gotten a little more explanation from adults to encourage compassion.

[Molly Strzelecki · Rating 3 out of 5]

January 2018

3 stars

[RaspberryRoses · Rating 4 out of 5]

wasn't sure if this deserved 3 or 4 stars but i decided to give it the bump for featuring my name-twin. bomb-shelter-gate is molly's most infamous crime, and i mean. yeah it was very thoughtless of her. that's kind of the point of the book.

But also... what the hell happened to Molly's dog after this book??? I'm not a fan of dogs so like. It's not like I was crushed to not get further dog content. But it seems wild to introduce a dog and then have the dog disappear so swiftly.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

July 9, 2023 – 4 stars: Molly and her friends after demanding Emily tell them about the most traumatic experiences of her life: gee, I wonder why this silly English girl won't talk to us!

March 12, 2025 – 5 stars: I think this is actually such an excellent way to explore the different experiences of war between British and American children. I've been thinking a lot lately about how American Girl is very much supposed to be an introduction to U.S. History for young girls. Some would likely criticize Molly's books for not actually showing the war, which is unfair as American children were obviously not in Europe during WWII. But I think Happy Birthday, Molly! is the perfect way to gently introduce that the war was very different and far more traumatizing for European children and there's more to learn, eventually, when you're old enough.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly, an American girl in 1944, during WWII, thinks she has it very tough. She misses her father terribly and doesn't like that they have to live without some things. An English girl named Emily comes to stay with Molly and her family and she thinks Molly is spoiled compared to her. Molly then realizes that she has it easy compared to Emily in some ways. Her and Emily plan a birthday party together that is going to be a princess tea party, but they disagree on some things. Will they put their differences aside and have a great party?
I enjoyed this story because it really showed the differences between the Americans' lives during the war and the British. It showed how different kids grew up during this time and how hard it was for both countries.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading for the first time in many years, I was surprised that the book ends before the party! I could have sworn I remembered a party scene, but I must be conflating the Molly catalog spread with Happy Birthday Samantha.

The main thing I remembered was Molly feeling overlooked and acting out on her birthday because everyone was paying attention to Emily. Which, unlike the party, is an element that is actually in the book, though it's only one moment in a much longer journey. I liked it better than I remembered, which is always nice.

I did vaguely remember that the British princesses come up in this one. If Molly is still alive in 2020, she is 200% following The Crown. Avidly.

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story Molly and her family end up hosting Emily, a girl from England, for a few weeks. She helps teach Molly empathy as she realizes that Emily has had a very different wartime experience than she has had. While planning a birthday party, the girls get into an argument, but are able to learn to appreciate and value each other's experiences, which is an important lesson to learn.

Update: I think my kids enjoyed this one. Bringing in an English friend was a nice way to contrast the way Americans experienced WW2 with how children closer to the war did.

[Miri · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this Molly story there is a new arrival at the McIntire home, Emily Bennett a refugee girl from England has been sent to America to escape the bombings and is staying with Molly's family. Molly is excited at first, but finds it really hard to get to know Emily, she hardly talks and never smiles, but soon Molly learns how to befriend Emily and they end up planning Molly's birthday party together.

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

I love Emily so much!

[Violette Bray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book in the Molly series so far!!!!
There were some VERY real conversations about war in this book that I didn’t remember being quite so heavy, but I liked that Emily taught Molly about the realities of war and that it isn’t something to take lightly (ie no more play bomb shelters 😳). I also loved the dialogue between Molly & Emily as they compare English and American cultures, because they’re a lot like conversations that Glenn and I have had!! I ADORE their birthday dresses and crowns, and was so excited all over again by the introduction of Yank & Bennett. 🐶🐶

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly is not what I would consider delicate in her friendships. The first thing she did when Emily (who is seeking refuge in America from England during WWII) is suggest they play in a pretend bomb shelter. Yikes! Eventually the two blow up at each other but resolve their argument quickly after a night of rest.

[Qt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd read this before when I was closer to Molly's age, but it didn't stick as well as some of the other ones. I would have liked more actual birthday scenes (this mostly takes place leading up to her birthday) but it was still an interesting little story.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a hot second where Molly realizes how messed up it is for her to play "bomb shelter" when Emily came to the US to escape the bombings, and then she's back to being selfish.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading out loud to Tanner. Surprisingly funny/witty. I like how Molly manages to be a flawed heroine with a reasonably complex emotional portrayal given the short length of these books.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be my favourite Molly book so far!

[Amanda Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was tougher to get through. Molly was a bit tone deaf. Glad it ended nicely, but slightly concerned about the puppies…? Are they loaners or did Mrs. McIntyre buy two puppies as a single mom of four DURING A WAR..?!

[Shayla Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a child and I had forgotten it until now. I love everything about this book!

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was 8 I was still struggling to read. I found this book at a yard sale one day and was so bored that I started reading it. It immediately interested me and I read the whole book. It the first time I ever read a whole book by myself because I wanted to. I then started reading more American Girl books and then just lots of books. And it was the start of my interest in history. I am very thankful for this book because it was to first book that I enjoyed reading when I was a kid!

[Ashlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked some of the character development Molly had throughout the story but I can’t imagine how she thought a bomb shelter would be a good place to “play pretend” in. It took her a while to see through Emily’s eyes but I think once she did, it was much better. I’m glad I listened to this one and I’m looking forward to the rest of this series!

[Lizzie the Book Hoarder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly was my favorite American Girl growing up. I loved reading these stories.

[Kristi Drillien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean, it's kind of strange that there's a book dedicated to Molly learning a lesson, considering that she learns a lesson in pretty much every book in the series. Again, I feel for Molly here, as she regrets her decision to share her birthday with the displaced English girl. No one wins when you play the who-suffers-most game, except in fiction.

I thought these books might be silly or feel too light, since these books were written to go along with actual dolls, thus they could have been very quick and simple. However, they don't smack of a marketing ploy; the author did a great job with them, and they're really just like any other book series written for kids this age. Also, the "Looking Back" section at the end of each book is really interesting! I love that it gives a little history of the time period, generally relating to the story, with pictures and even examples of ads/posters/propaganda from that time period. The focus is on children and even women, which is something that you really aren't going to see a lot of places. I think these books could be a great resource for teaching kids age 7+ about the time period, how kids lived in those days, and the hardships they had to deal with. If I'd gotten to these books when my daughter was younger, I would have had her read them and then discussed them with her afterward.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of telling, very little showing. We don't even get to read about the birthday party at the end.

I did like the introduction of Emily into the series as it shines a light on what children in a war zone endure. I also like that she eventually understands how Molly feels with her dad gone for so long and sympathizes with her despite her own hardships. Molly, on the other hand, wasn't all that interesting in this book, although it was nice of her to offer to share her birthday with Emily. I didn't expect such a generous gesture from Molly.

I read the historical notes about toys at that back of the book with interest. My dad would have been about Ricky's age when the U.S. entered WWII and the biggest toy he and his friends were interested in was one not mentioned. War cards. The cards came in a pack like baseball cards and were traded in the same manner. The bloodier the better. I think that would have been an interesting tidbit to add into the notes, especially as it emphasizes Emily's point. Children who are lucky enough not to live in war zone don't truly understand what it's like. I sincerely doubt kids in London or Germany or Japan or France or Italy would have been trading war cards.

[Kell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plowing through the original American Girl books, #16: Happy Birthday, Molly

This.... is complicated to me, because I absolutely think there are lessons to be learned here (like how America, to this day even, is out of touch with what war is like for people in other countries and it's not a game and for gods' sake please read the room, Molly). However... both Molly AND Emily were acting like little bitches here. In different ways, obviously. But Emily doesn't get a pass just because she's been through hardships. She was still being unnecessarily confrontational at times, and it was shitty of her. So what I'm saying is that even though I think there is merit in this, and kids should read it, it's so cringy.