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American Girl: Molly
Chances and Changes: My Journey with Molly
What if you suddenly found yourself at summer camp with Molly at the end of World War Two? The two of you can go on an overnight nature hike, perform in the talent show, or compete in the swim meet. Your journey back in time can take whatever twists and turns you choose, as you select from a variety of exciting options in this multiple-ending story.
184 pages, Paperback
First published February 19, 2018
About the author
Valerie Tripp
278 books474 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.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 21, 2018
Chances and Changes is all about spending time with one of my favorite American Girl characters, Molly. The book is about Margaret (which I was surprised to see the character named. It seems like usually the first person perspective character in these Journey books aren't given names.). Margaret lives with her grandmother and is excited to spend every day with her best friend, Bea. But when Margaret gets a full scholarship to a music camp, she is torn on what to do. Her grandmother wants to go and Bea wants her to stay. When thinking about her hard decision, she finds a pin that when she rubs it, transports her to Camp Gowonagin in 1945. There she meets Molly and her best friend Linda and they have lots of adventures together.
Overall, I really liked the book. I don't know if I would say that it was my favorite American Girl Journey book though. It was fun to get to see Molly again after not having a new Molly book in almost a decade (Clues in the Shadows, a mystery, was published back in 2009). I also liked the summer camp setting. As a child, I had always wanted to go summer camp but never did, so it was fun to see all the traditions that happens at camp.
If you're a Molly fan, this is definitely a must read.
Overall, I really liked the book. I don't know if I would say that it was my favorite American Girl Journey book though. It was fun to get to see Molly again after not having a new Molly book in almost a decade (Clues in the Shadows, a mystery, was published back in 2009). I also liked the summer camp setting. As a child, I had always wanted to go summer camp but never did, so it was fun to see all the traditions that happens at camp.
If you're a Molly fan, this is definitely a must read.
March 10, 2022
One of the endings I really didn’t like how they took her home during a bad moment and didn’t resolve the bad feelings between the girls. Not a tidy or happy way to end that sequence.
Also the POW line felt very abrupt that oh yeah there’s this OTHER camp up here that no one talks about and holds prisoners while right next to a camp for kids? That’s more than dubious for security purposes.
Also the POW line felt very abrupt that oh yeah there’s this OTHER camp up here that no one talks about and holds prisoners while right next to a camp for kids? That’s more than dubious for security purposes.
July 15, 2019
This story features a main character named Margaret and her best friend Bea. Margaret lives on a wildlife preserve with her ranger grandmother, Gem. Bea has a farm nearby and the girls are excited to help raise a brand new colt at Bea's farm. Then Margaret gets some surprising news- she has earned a scholarship to music camp! She didn't even know about the camp but her flute teacher put her name down thinking she would get a lot out of it. How can Margaret leave the new foal? Should she go to camp? What if she doesn't like it? She can't decide so you get to decide for her! When Margaret finds a pin in the woods and rubs it, she finds herself transported back in time to Camp Gowonagain in 1945. She learns about camp life from her new friends Molly and Linda. Choose your own ending and help Margaret make decisions.
This is one of the few Journey books that has a named main character and not just a "you." She also has a named best friend and lengthy backstory. I liked Margaret and could relate to her anxiety over making decisions. Yet as an adult I found her annoying. Of course she should go to music camp! There will be other foals, other summers with Bea but a scholarship is a huge deal! Also, Margaret is not known for her decision making skills yet in the story she constantly displays leadership skills and makes informed decisions. It's Molly who acts without thinking. If you didn't like Molly before (um yes that's me) you may like her better now. She's not so selfish and bratty. Molly has matured a lot and learned what it takes to be a good friend. In some ways she's still the same old Olly Molly who acts without thinking. What I hated about this story is that when Molly and Margaret make poor decisions they don't get disciplined. Their camp is supposed to be a sort of junior army and how can the kids expect to be in the army if their big mistakes get laughed off or overlooked? Linda is more practical and level headed than both Molly and Margaret at times. Linda is still no-nonsense but I didn't like how her character completely changes in two storylines. She becomes more like Molly. Susan is absent without explanation.
The story takes place solely at camp so the decisions you make for Margaret are limited. The storylines involve making/keeping friends, homesickness, making decisions and overcoming jealousy. There is one different storyline that I found really interesting and fascinating. Unlike Molly and Linda, I read a popular novel so I knew such things existed and were not quite what the girls think it should be. The decision making her is crucial and can be construed as political. Do you do the right but hard thing or the kind thing?
I didn't like the inconsistencies in this story. Susan is missing without explanation. Molly has never seen the special surprise at the end of the hike. Um what happened to the story "Molly Marches On?" Poof! It doesn't exist and enter Margaret into the timeline instead. At first I was also confused why Molly was in camp in 1945 but later she explains it's her second year at camp and Molly Saves the Day was the year before (just after D-Day). I was also confused as to why Molly's dad wants to take HER on the fishing trip? Isn't that something he would want to do with Ricky? Or did he do that already with Jill and Ricky before the war? Another inconsistency is that Dad is back from the war and his jolly old self. He's busy working around the state and not at the Veterans' home as in the mystery. Different authors ruin the consistency of the storyline.
I DID like the parts that talked about the war and how it affected the kids. Rationing was a huge deal except Valerie Tripp got it backwards. Hot dogs were hard to get and franks and beans would have been well known to Molly already. Bacon was rationed but you could get it. Unsliced vs. sliced was the question. How many points did you have to spend? They have marshmallows but not s'mores which I think is accurate. Fresh fruit is hard to get but I was surprised that basics like berries were a rare treat for Molly. Maybe they don't grow in Jefferson, Illinois?
If you are a Molly fan and want to know what happens next after Changes, you'll like this one.
This is one of the few Journey books that has a named main character and not just a "you." She also has a named best friend and lengthy backstory. I liked Margaret and could relate to her anxiety over making decisions. Yet as an adult I found her annoying. Of course she should go to music camp! There will be other foals, other summers with Bea but a scholarship is a huge deal! Also, Margaret is not known for her decision making skills yet in the story she constantly displays leadership skills and makes informed decisions. It's Molly who acts without thinking. If you didn't like Molly before (um yes that's me) you may like her better now. She's not so selfish and bratty. Molly has matured a lot and learned what it takes to be a good friend. In some ways she's still the same old Olly Molly who acts without thinking. What I hated about this story is that when Molly and Margaret make poor decisions they don't get disciplined. Their camp is supposed to be a sort of junior army and how can the kids expect to be in the army if their big mistakes get laughed off or overlooked? Linda is more practical and level headed than both Molly and Margaret at times. Linda is still no-nonsense but I didn't like how her character completely changes in two storylines. She becomes more like Molly. Susan is absent without explanation.
The story takes place solely at camp so the decisions you make for Margaret are limited. The storylines involve making/keeping friends, homesickness, making decisions and overcoming jealousy. There is one different storyline that I found really interesting and fascinating. Unlike Molly and Linda, I read a popular novel so I knew such things existed and were not quite what the girls think it should be. The decision making her is crucial and can be construed as political. Do you do the right but hard thing or the kind thing?
I didn't like the inconsistencies in this story. Susan is missing without explanation. Molly has never seen the special surprise at the end of the hike. Um what happened to the story "Molly Marches On?" Poof! It doesn't exist and enter Margaret into the timeline instead. At first I was also confused why Molly was in camp in 1945 but later she explains it's her second year at camp and Molly Saves the Day was the year before (just after D-Day). I was also confused as to why Molly's dad wants to take HER on the fishing trip? Isn't that something he would want to do with Ricky? Or did he do that already with Jill and Ricky before the war? Another inconsistency is that Dad is back from the war and his jolly old self. He's busy working around the state and not at the Veterans' home as in the mystery. Different authors ruin the consistency of the storyline.
I DID like the parts that talked about the war and how it affected the kids. Rationing was a huge deal except Valerie Tripp got it backwards. Hot dogs were hard to get and franks and beans would have been well known to Molly already. Bacon was rationed but you could get it. Unsliced vs. sliced was the question. How many points did you have to spend? They have marshmallows but not s'mores which I think is accurate. Fresh fruit is hard to get but I was surprised that basics like berries were a rare treat for Molly. Maybe they don't grow in Jefferson, Illinois?
If you are a Molly fan and want to know what happens next after Changes, you'll like this one.
April 24, 2018
It was a decent book but it could have been better. The only problem is that there was no going to a page you already passed by, but didn't read. You only ever went forward.
March 3, 2018
When American Girl started releasing choose your own adventure books about journeys with their characters, I was like, "That's really corny and contrived, and I'm not interested."
When American Girl released such a book about Molly, I was like, "OH YES."
This is the first new Molly book that American Girl has released in almost a decade. The company retired Molly years ago, and when they revamped their line, releasing the books in a different format and without their illustrations, Molly was not included. The original Molly books at the library where I work are getting old and worn, and since I refuse to contemplate a future in which kids don't read about this character, I'm thrilled that the company has now re-released her books and published this new one.
Best of all, this choose your own adventure novel is written by the original Molly author. It's entertaining and fun, and since I wanted to experience all of the stories, I read the book cover to cover. My middle school years reading fantasy novels have left me well-equipped for holding multiple storylines in my head at once, so I was able to follow each different narrative thread, and they all had interesting attributes. I enjoyed how consistent this new book was with the former series, and since I had always wanted more detail about Molly's camp experiences, this was great.
Molly's fear of putting her head in the water gets further treatment in this book, and I love that, because I was afraid of swimming as a kid. When I first read the series, I couldn't get over the fact that Molly had glasses AND regarded swimming with terror, because it was hard to find representation in fiction for either of those things, much less both of them together. I related to Molly so much, and she has a very special place in my heart. The swimming part of this story was well-handled, convincing, and sympathetic, taking water fears seriously while also showing that it's possible to overcome them. I love Molly, and I'm so glad that now, as an adult, I have gotten to read a new book about her.
When American Girl released such a book about Molly, I was like, "OH YES."
This is the first new Molly book that American Girl has released in almost a decade. The company retired Molly years ago, and when they revamped their line, releasing the books in a different format and without their illustrations, Molly was not included. The original Molly books at the library where I work are getting old and worn, and since I refuse to contemplate a future in which kids don't read about this character, I'm thrilled that the company has now re-released her books and published this new one.
Best of all, this choose your own adventure novel is written by the original Molly author. It's entertaining and fun, and since I wanted to experience all of the stories, I read the book cover to cover. My middle school years reading fantasy novels have left me well-equipped for holding multiple storylines in my head at once, so I was able to follow each different narrative thread, and they all had interesting attributes. I enjoyed how consistent this new book was with the former series, and since I had always wanted more detail about Molly's camp experiences, this was great.
Molly's fear of putting her head in the water gets further treatment in this book, and I love that, because I was afraid of swimming as a kid. When I first read the series, I couldn't get over the fact that Molly had glasses AND regarded swimming with terror, because it was hard to find representation in fiction for either of those things, much less both of them together. I related to Molly so much, and she has a very special place in my heart. The swimming part of this story was well-handled, convincing, and sympathetic, taking water fears seriously while also showing that it's possible to overcome them. I love Molly, and I'm so glad that now, as an adult, I have gotten to read a new book about her.
August 9, 2019
I'm so happy that Molly has a brand new story. In this book, you step into the shoes of a girl named Margret who finds herself meeting Molly at Camp Gowanagin in 1945. Margret is very indecisive and can't decide whether to go to a music camp or spend the summer with her best friend. Throughout the book, Margret learns about trying new things and the importance of giving new people a chance,
The "Inside Molly's World" section talks about summer camp in the 1940s as well as the camps where prisoners of war were sent.
The "Inside Molly's World" section talks about summer camp in the 1940s as well as the camps where prisoners of war were sent.
October 6, 2026
I couldn’t even finish the ending of my version of the story, because it asks me to choose a path and one says go to page 91 and the other (that I wanted) says go to beforever.com/endings. That no longer exists so I’ll never figure out how my story ends! It’s a book, I shouldn’t have to go online for the ending, especially considering they’ve changed brands away from beforver and forgot about this entire line of books needing access to that website!
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April 30, 2024Probably my least favorite of the My Journey With... series so far (I haven't read all of them at the time of this review) but it wasn't bad. I think because I didn't care for Molly's original camp story, I just felt it was more of the same (but I do like this book better than the camp story from the original series).
June 15, 2021
Loved this one!
March 22, 2023
Here for the vibes. It delivered.
April 1, 2018
Molly's era of the 1940s has always been one of my favorite eras in history, my favorite movie being "A League Of Their Own", which takes place during that era.
I was only slightly disappointed that this travel-back-in-time story didn't take place at Molly's house, but it was still a good story. I loved all the different adventures (hiking to a lake or exploring an all-girls camp, etc.) and think that fans of the 1940s homefront (like me) or of American Girl should read this.
I was only slightly disappointed that this travel-back-in-time story didn't take place at Molly's house, but it was still a good story. I loved all the different adventures (hiking to a lake or exploring an all-girls camp, etc.) and think that fans of the 1940s homefront (like me) or of American Girl should read this.
June 18, 2019
Three stars for Chances and Changes: My Journey with Molly. The prose wasn't the most engaging and the internal logic felt loose, but if you're an AG fan, it is fun to imagine spending time at camp with Molly!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews