Molly's Story Collection

American Girl: Molly #1-6

by Valerie Tripp, Nick Backes (Illustrator)

Relates the adventures of Molly McIntire, a girl growing up during the difficult days of World War II.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Young Adult, World War II

369 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

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 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of the six original Molly books - of the series I've read so far, this one has felt a bit rough. The stories weren't bad, but they also didn't wow me.

Meet Molly: An American Girl - ★★★☆☆

"None of this would have happened if Dad were home"

Molly is a nine-year-old girl living in 1944 with her Mom, sister and two brothers. Her father is away at war and the family is trying to hold onto some semblance of normalcy - Molly, in particular, wants everything to be like it used to be. Oh, and there's a prank war that goes waaaaay too far.

The first one of Molly's just felt...okay to me. I think part of it is because she's the least 'historical-feeling' girl of the ones I've read - her house, family traditions, and culture all feel rather similar to what I grew up with. But the other part is I just...didn't like her very much. I do want to acknowledge that her behavior isn't out of the realm for a nine-year-old - but at the same time, I didn't really enjoy reading about it.

Molly Learns a Lesson: A School Story - ★★★☆☆

"School is your war duty. Being a good student is as important as being a good soldier."

Miss Campbell (Molly's favorite teacher) announces a school-wide contest called "Lend-a-Hand" where the classes are split into groups and they need to find ways to help soldiers. The girls in Molly's class plan to knit socks, which Molly thinks is stupid, so decides to go rogue.

I still feel like I'm struggling to connect to Molly - she still has mean girl vibes when she 'influences' her best friends to go rogue with her. And I didn't like her treatment of some of the other side characters as well. She did turn around, a little bit, towards the end. So there's that at least.

Molly's Surprise: A Christmas Story - ★★★★☆

"Being realistic meant expecting things to be ordinary and dull. Molly did not want to feel that way about Christmas."

Molly wants the grand, happy and exciting Christmases of the past but her older sister, Jill, keeps talking about how things have to be 'realistic' this year. Molly knows that things are changing beyond her power - but how can she balance the new with the old? Is it even possible to have a good Christmas without her father?

Alright, alright finally getting am upward swing on the Molly books. What I really liked about this book was that it focused on Molly working with her family. I also really liked the bonding of Jill and Molly in this book - I think it showed really nice character development and I'm a sucker for sisters sticking up for and helping each other

Happy Birthday Molly!: A Springtime Story - ★★☆☆☆

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

In this book, Molly is so excited to have a real, live "English Girl" (TM) stay with her and her family....so when the war refugee comes to her house, she decides to invite the girl to play the-house-is-bombed with her. And is bummed when the girl (politely) declines to reenact her trauma. Yes. Really.

All I can really say is - oh my god Molly, where is your mother? And why wasn't she shutting this down immediately? I know that Molly's behavior (playacting dangerous situations) is a very normal way to process traumatic situations for children BUT to ask someone from an active war zone to play bombs with you? Yeeesh. Also, she gets a puppy that literally disappears for the next five books.

Molly Saves the Day: A Summer Story - ★★★★☆

"My dad told us he was scared before he went away to war," she said. "But he said it was okay to be scared because it meant he had a chance to be brave."

Molly and her two best friends, Linda and Susan, went away to summer camp for the very first time. As her two week camping extravaganza wraps up, their camp counselors announce a "Color War" - Susan and Molly are put on the blue team while Linda gets assigned the red. At first the three girls are excited...but quickly what seemed to be a light-hearted games twists as everyone becomes serious.

Honestly, this one was pretty darn good but I feel like this series is giving me whiplash. Also, I do question the Color War idea from the counselors. The camp director Miss Butternut makes it sound like a really fun way to end camp but everyone just seemed miserable. Friendships are stretched to their breaking point, half the girls didn't get lunch, the blue team is immediately captured and spends most of the game just waiting to be rescued by Molly. It doesn't sound very fun to me.

Changes for Samantha: A Winter Story - ★★★★☆

Molly sighed. "Even if I wore your exact same clothes, I still wouldn't look grown up."
"You can't make it happen faster than it's going to happen," said Jill. "And you shouldn't try, anyway."

Molly is beyond excited for her dad to finally return from the war - but when he writes a letter about all the exciting new things he is ready to see, he mentions he can't wait to see his good ol' olly Molly. And for the first time in a long time, Molly actually wants to change - to become grown up and sophisticated and prove to her dad that she's wayyy cooler than olly Molly.

The Molly books have been fairly hit or miss for me but I think this one is my favorite of the bunch. Molly's hypefixation on her hair reminds me of my time as a preteen thinking that once I got my ears pierced how I would become uber sophisticated and everyone would notice how grown up I was (they didn't). I also liked how the mom discussed what it would be like for her dad to return from the war.

Overall thoughts on the series

This series was just not as good as the other ones I've read (Addy, Samantha, and Kirsten).

Molly is a realistic nine-year-old but at the same time, there aren't many nine-year-olds that I'd want to actually hang out with. She's mean, selfish, and rude at times. (She's also kind, caring, and determined, but her negative traits tended to be what stuck with me).

Her stories felt particularly disjointed and I just didn't have that emotional impact that I'm used to from the American Girl books.

Ah well. Can't win them all.

More reviews in the Molly-verse

Main Series:
Meet Molly - ★★★☆☆
Molly Learns a Lesson - ★★★☆☆
Molly's Surprise - ★★★★☆
Happy Birthday, Molly - ★★☆☆☆
Molly Saves the Day - ★★★★☆
Changes for Molly - ★★★★☆
Molly's Boxed Set - ★★★☆☆

Best Friend Book
Brave Emily - ★★★★★

Short Stories:
Molly's A+ Partner - ★★★★☆
Molly Takes Flight - ★★★★☆
Molly and the Movie Star - ★★★★☆
Molly's Puppy Tale - ★★★★★
Molly Marches On - ★★★★☆
Molly's Short Story Collection - ★★★★☆

Mystery Books
Clues in the Shadows - ★★★★☆
The Light in the Cellar - ★★★★☆
A Spy on the Home Front - ★★★☆☆

Beforever (Re-Release of Main Series in 2018)
A Winning Spirit: A Molly Classic Vol 1 - ★★★☆☆
Stars and Stripes: A Molly Classic Vol 2 - ★★★☆☆

Abridged Version (Re-Release of Main Series in 2022):
Molly: A Winning Spirit - ★★★★☆
(NOTE: They have not re-released the second book yet)

Molly's Historical and Activity Books
Molly's Cookbook - ★★★★☆
Molly's Cooking Studio - ★★★★★
Molly's Craft Book - ★★★★☆
Molly's Route 66 Adventure - ★★★★★
Molly's Theater Kit - ★★★★★
Welcome to Molly's World - ★★★★★

Additional Historical and Activity Books Featuring Molly
American Girls Cookbook - ★★★★★
American Girl Cross-Stitch - ★★☆☆☆
The American Girls Party Book - ★★★★★
American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook - ★☆☆☆☆
Everything I Need to Know I Learned From American Girl - ★★★☆☆
The Making of American Girl - ★★★★★
Minute Mysteries - ★★★★☆
Minute Mysteries 2 - ★★★★☆
The Official American Girl Cookbook - ★★★★☆

Beginner Reader & Picture Books
Molly's Christmas Surprise (Step Into Reading) - ★★★☆☆
My First American Girl Boxed Set - ★★★★☆
Happy Birthday! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆
Happy Holidays! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★★
Time for School! (Little Golden Book) - ★★★★☆

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly's books are quiet (at least after the travails of Kirsten) but show an honest look at what US children faced on the home front during WWII. Like many others, I'm sure, reading these books were the first time I learned about WWII. It is a gentle introduction; it only hints at the horrors of war. Yet, there is the sense of something bigger going on that prepares young readers to learn more as they grow.

Molly Saves the Day is my favorite of the series. I love a camp story and that one always riveted me when I was growing up. Still, it's a lot of fun packed into a short book!

[Sarah Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

To my husband's shock, the boys and I listened to this collection on audio. But she's not too girly and the boys love stories set in WWII. Not that the boys will be asking for her doll for Christmas or anything.

The writing and stories actually exceeded my expectations. I guess I was being snobby because of the whole doll tie-in and everything. But this is a solid early chapter book series. Molly's character is realistic and matures nicely over the course of the books. While we don't get to know the secondary characters deeply (this is early chapter book land), Molly's relationships with them reveal a variety of experiences and responses to the era. The historical details are nicely folded into the story with a summary of differences between now and then.

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like you to meet Molly and me. We are American Girls!

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the American Girl books, Molly's stories were the ones that bridged the generation gap between me and my mom. She and I cried together at Changes for Molly and laughed ourselves silly at Meet Molly. Changes for Molly still brings a tear to my eye with a re-read as a young adult. It probably always will.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m continuing to reread the American Girl books alongside the Dolls of Our Lives Podcast, hosted by two millennial United States historians.

The Molly books hit me with a wave of nostalgia. Seeing the images in her books instantly took me back and somehow I knew the plot as if I’d read them yesterday. Molly is a nine-year-old girl living on the home front during World War II. Her stories are somewhat timeless - tales of sibling shenanigans, multiplication bees, summer camp, and friendship. But the war hovers as a specter - in Molly’s father who has been away for two years serving as an Army doctor in England, in rationing, victory gardens, war bonds, and uncertainty. Most poignantly, Molly’s family hosts an English refugee who is horrified that Molly and her friends “play” bomb shelter. As always, the American Girl books do a fantastic job presenting hard topics in age-appropriate ways. Molly’s books are both fun and light, while ultimately reflecting how children attempt to understand and process war. It was a joy being back in Molly’s world!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this title to review a book my great-grandmother wrote and had published titled, "Just Molly." Her name was Marguerite Nye Bell and the book was published in 1980. You can actually search for it on Amazon and it will list some places you can buy it used. So, it is a real book, even if Goodreads says it isn't.
I have had a copy of this book in my possession for most of my life, although I never read it in its entirety until about five or six years ago. I just reread it on the heels of Half-Broke Horses, because I saw a few similarities between my great-grandmother, Molly, and Lily. Both raised during the turn of the century, both "trailblazers" in my mind. I needed to read this book again to refresh my memory, and this time take notes on what I think was a pretty interesting life.
Molly was born in 1888 in Minnesota and is my father's mother's mother. She lived into her nineties and I actually went to her 90th birthday, although I was only four, so I don't have any memory of the party. Molly starts her story with her earliest memory ("flying" down a flight of stairs) and continues on with stories about her siblings and parents. She was a red head and was fortunate enough to go to college to become a teacher. She studied under the "famous" Stella Wood who played a part in bringing Kindergarten to The United States. Molly became close friends with Stella Wood and was ultimately asked to write her biography after she (Stella) passed away. "With Banners" is the first book my great-grandmother wrote and it, too, can be found on Amazon. Molly taught just a year or two until she married, Dwight, whom she was married to for 53 years. They started their family and had seven children, though one passed away as a child. My grandmother, Louise, was the second youngest. The story continues in quite an ordinary way until Molly's first grandchild was born. Molly's daughter complained of the baby kicking off her blankets at night and Molly decided to "invent" something to keep the baby covered. It is hard to picture exactly what she came up with, but it involved snaps and clips for the diapers. Molly continued making the "Nap-Jac" for family and friends and was eventually encouraged to sell it publicly and filled many orders from department stores. She was very careful to research the safety of the product herself and visited many pediatricians and hospitals to show it to professionals and get their approval. She even secured a patent for the invention (I need to do some research on this.) Unfortunately, due to WWII, the factory that was producing the Nap-Jac had to be used for the war effort, and it never saw as much success as it may have had.
Molly's family grew and her children moved out, and some back in, over the years. Her eldest daughter's husband was struck with polio at one point and Molly was actually his main care taker. She worked with him for hours daily, for many months until he regained some use of his legs and he eventually moved to California.
At the age of 67, Molly decided to enter the work force as a secretary. She persevered and was eventually hired by a music company. The owners loved her and she worked there for many years.
When Dwight died in 1964, Molly was worried her children would see her as a burden, so she booked an indefinite trip to Europe. Alone. She booked passage on a Norwegian cargo ship, which welcomed a limited amount of passengers. Molly spent time in Amsterdam and England during her four month stay abroad. She was 76.
On another solo trip to Florida several years later, Molly asked each of her children to write her with some of their childhood memories. Both Molly and Dwight often kept diaries and both kept carbon copies of all of they letters they sent! She had a wonderful written history of her family and decided it was time to organize it all. She was disappointed by the lack of content in the letters her children returned to her with their memories, but she started writing anyway. What it turned into was the story of "an American life." And in the end, a book about the "celebration of freedom in personal relationships." Of course, reading this passage from the last chapter, left me feeling the book was written for me.
"I wondered, after it was rejected by publisher after publisher, if anyone but my children would really find it interesting. I consoled myself by thinking that it might mean something special to my great grandchildren, as a record of what life was like long before their time....After all, I had lived in that ancient period when there were no automobiles and no airplanes--what could be more historic than that in the eyes of today's children?"

[christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of my favorite American Girl stories :)
And the beginning of my WWII historical fiction obsession

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to my girls - Emma especially enjoyed it. She loves history.

I love the American girls books - they teach high moral values and are full of history.

I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 because I don’t like the name calling and meanness between the siblings at times. I know it’s relatable family behavior, and it did inspire discussions of what we think Molly or her siblings could have done better, but I do wish the book contained more behavior to aspire to, rather than trying to be relatable to the reader. There were also a few lines in the historical notes that I didn’t fully agree with.

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second favorite American Girl when I was growing up. My daughter (8) and I just finished the audiobook, and we both really enjoyed it! It also taught my daughter a lot about WWII.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

So nostalgic and fun to revisit!

[claire carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

as always, a fun time with another american girl!! i loved molly as a kid and i still love her now. i really love how valerie doesn’t shy away from the hard topics and can easily make anyone relate to molly’s feelings and emotions. it’s a 10/10!!

[Victoria Kindschi · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mom read the last few chapters to me and was in tears

[Rosemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I'm sure I've said before, I LOVE the American Girls! I especially love the history characters and have read several full sets of books, such as Samantha's stories, (my favorite girl), Julie's stories (her time period is my own childhood) and Kaya's stories (fascinating to learn about Native Americans), to name a few.

But even though I read Molly's Christmas story in a Christmas anthology, I guess I always put off reading Molly's other stories because of the time period. I have never liked wartime stories because they are usually very sad, and World War II was perhaps the most tragic of all. I know that these books do a good job of focusing on the positive lessons of any time period, but I knew I would be able to read between the lines, so to speak.

However, when a friend gave me a book of Molly's stories recently, I decided to read them and was stunned to realize how relatable her stories are to the current Covid-19 situation! We are using war language to talk about the virus outbreak, and as a result, Molly's stories can be read in a whole new light. There are shortages of every day products that are needed for the war effort, there are sentiments emphasizing how people must "all work together" and "are in this together" and lots of concern for loved ones "on the front lines." Reading these stories turned out to be quite amazing and very comforting.

Also, most of the stories are very well written. In one story, an English girl comes to live with Molly's family. Through this character, we learn what the war was like in England and how English people have different views of the war than Americans. The girls talk a lot about wanting to be princesses like the English princesses Margaret Rose and Elizabeth. It was fun to imagine the Queen, whom I've only ever known as an old woman, as the young and much admired princess she used to be. :)

In another story, Molly and her friends go to summer camp and have to play a game called Color Wars. The game is basically a war simulation and a very ingenious way of explaining war strategy to young readers. With campers broken up into two teams, one team has to capture the other team's flag. There are a lot of lessons to learn, for example, one of Molly's friends is on the other team and cannot act like her friend while the game is on.

Only the last story did I feel was a bit weak. In it, Molly is sick with a fever that she gets from going to bed with wet hair (and attempt to curl her straight hair.) She has to stay in bed and miss the show that she was to have a starting role in. While everyone is at the show, Dad arrives home and Molly is the only one home to greet him. I'm not sure if the point of this story was that preparing a special show for Dad to see was not as important as him being home safe? It was a bit strange and ended a quite abruptly - we didn't get to know Dad at all or hear anything he might have had to say to Molly. I really would have liked a little more here, but this was the only weak point in a very strong collection of stories.

Over all, I think Molly's stories are very well done. I have believed for a long time that some books just find us when the time is right, and that was definite the case with Molly McIntire's stories. There is a lot of hope in the fact that Molly got through her time period and things got better. I have to believe we will do the same.

[Samantha Bartley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last summer I attempted to reread all of the American Girl books from my childhood. I got close to completion but there were a few I didn’t get around to reading, including Molly.

Meet Molly: This book wasn’t that great. But then again, most of the meet books never really are. Molly is kind of a brat, and her relationship with her siblings is tense. Compared to some of the other books like Kirsten, Addy, and Kit, who have really good relationships with their siblings, the McIntyre gang are probably more realistic. I wasn’t a fan of the constant theme of pranking and sibling fights throughout the book. It got old fast and wasn’t all that interesting. 2/5

Molly Learns a Lesson: This book once again confirms that Molly is a brat. She loses a multiplication bee to classmate Allison and because of that decides she doesn’t like her. The majority of the book is Molly trying to make her teacher proud by outsmarting Allison. As in the first book, the majority of this one is Molly scheming to make herself look better than anyone else. She does “learn a lesson” though, and at least the end is somewhat pleasant. Although I was hoping Molly would get what she had coming to her more then she did. 3/5

Molly’s Surprise: I liked this one. Definitely has that Christmas feel to it. I like that her relationship with her siblings improve, if only due to the excitement of the holidays. I think this book shows Molly’s maturity quite a bit from the first two books, and the ending is sweet and makes me happy. 4/5

Happy Birthday, Molly!: This one was probably my favorite in the series. I really like Emily’s character, and wish she was in the series more than just one book. Molly learns to think more about others than just herself, and again, you start to see more maturity in her character. 4/5

Molly Saves the Day: This one, similar to Samantha’s summer story doesn’t really seem to fit in the series very well. It doesn’t take place in the character’s hometown where all the other stories do. It felt like it would have been a better companion story. It was a nice change of pace but didn’t like that Molly was willing to be mean to her friend for the sake of winning a game. 3/5

Changes for Molly: This one seemed pretty short in comparison to the others. Molly gets excited when she finds out her dad is coming home and her goal is to prove to him that she changed. I like that Ricky and Jill and Molly have a much better sibling relationship compared to the beginning of the series. I also like that you can see how much Molly has changed for the better, although she still has ways to go. The ending would have been much better if it was longer. I wanted more than just the two or three paragraphs we got of Molly and Dad. Still a pretty good book. 4/5

Total Score: 3.5

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly McIntyre was my American Girl doll so I've been looking forward to rereading her books. She is an American Girl from the 1940's, she lives with her mother, sister, and two brothers while her father serves as a medic in England taking care of wounded soldiers during World War 2. Molly starts the series as a 9 year old but celebrates her 10th birthday through the series. Molly is so down to Earth, she's a dreamer and a schemer but she's also kind and hard-working, always looking to be a good friend. This was a very emotional series as she waits to hear how her dad was doing and when he'd come home. There was the wacky schemes Molly came up with with her friends Linda and Susan. The hair curlers and the poison ivy and the turnips were scenes I remembered from my childhood. The change in illustrators was a little disconcerting but only because I read it as a whole collection instead of individual books. Valerie Tripp has made each girl unique and fantastic and I think any young girl can easily pick a favorite or see themselves in these girls even if they're from different walks of life.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this series intending to read it out loud to my 4-year old daughter, but my 6-year old son loved listening to it as well! (and I didn't mind reading it, unlike Magic Treehouse books. The dialogue is sooo annoying in those...) I was really surprised that he would enjoy them beforehand, but after reading it, it's not overtly "girly", despite being for "american girls". We are going to read the Felicity series next and he is looking forward to it just as much as she is. I think it's a great introduction to WWII for young kids. I wish there was more great historical fiction engaging for young, young kids. I didn't realize there were other "Molly books" until I searched for this series on goodreads. I wouldn't mind checking out some of the others as well.

[Sarah Retired Account · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

great!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, such a lovely set of books! The illustrations are captivating! Wonderful books, and highly recommended for all ages!

[Annalise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly is just a fun girl trying to do her part to help with world war II.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the Molly books are my favorite of the 6 collections I have (though I also really enjoyed Josefina’s books), due in part to the setting (WWII, my favorite historical fiction setting), the focus of each book (book 5 has the best glorification of summer camp and team games ever, and I’m only slightly exaggerating), and my childhood nostalgia. The Molly books were New and Updated and Cool when I got them, so I really treasured them as a child, and that stuck with me even now.

While exact details about World War II are scarce in the novel (there’s a couple of casual mentions of Hitler and the Blitz, with the most of those details being in book 4), there’s a great deal about the patriotic attitude in America at the time, with its rationing, victory gardens, war bonds & stamps, etc. Molly struggles to reconcile the Old Times (pre-war, pre-dad leaving to care for wounded soldiers in England) with the New Times (war, dad gone) and learns a few things about change along the way. While the books focus a little on family, there’s a great deal more about friendship. Each book reads much more like a “school story,” with some small amount of jealousy, cattiness, etc. and book 5 takes place entirely at a summer camp. Molly’s book seem different than the other girls simply because of how much of them take place outside her home with her friends, as opposed to the other books where a great deal of the time the characters were with their families. Also, the illustrations really pay tribute to 1940s’ fashion, so if you love that time period in fashion, the illustrations are great in that regard.

I don’t have much criticism against the series except for the overall concession that they’re tiny, simple books—they’re really great for a fast read, but they leave a lot to be desired for contemplation. They would be great read-aloud books for younger children. The historical notes in the back of the books are interesting, too, though sometimes they don’t match what happens in the book (the birthday book mentions the Blitz a fair bit, so you would expect the historical notes to mention it. Nope, they mention babies and growing up instead). In any case, Molly’s books, like the other American Girl books, are perfect for the times when you want a fast, short historical fiction book, or if you want a book to read aloud to small children (though boys likely wouldn’t be fans).

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story collection was such a nostalgic read for me. I was a huge Molly McIntire fan as a child. I had the Molly American Girl doll, studied home life during World War II for my third grade Independent Study project, and even named our family dog after her.

As an adult, I particularly enjoyed the Looking Back section at the end of each story and preferred reading the stories that had major plot points related to home life during World War II. My favorite story in the collection was Happy Birthday, Molly, in which an English girl evacuated to the United States and, while staying with Molly's family for a few weeks, had a joint birthday celebration with Molly. My least favorite story in the collection was Molly Saves the Day because it was too outdoorsy and did not seem to fit with the other stories in the collection since it was set at summer camp instead of in Molly's hometown of Jefferson, IL.

I also enjoyed the realistic relationship Molly had with her siblings, particularly with her older sister, Jill. I loved seeing the sisters grow closer in Changes for Molly. However, I was not a big fan of the major plot in Meet Molly, which involved a prank war Molly and her two best friends had with Molly's older brother, Ricky. I wished that Molly's younger brother, Brad, had a further developed character. He lacked any sort of personality and was later removed from the 2006 film adaptation.

Lastly, Molly was definitely queer. In Molly Learns a Lesson, she had trouble paying attention in class because she was daydreaming about how beautiful her teacher, Miss Campbell, was. I know straight girls can admire their female teachers too, but Molly's love for Miss Campbell went on for multiple pages. The first sentence in the book was: "Molly McIntire loved to look at her teacher, Miss Campbell." Molly thought Miss Campbell smelled like peppermints. She loved when Miss Campbell pulled down the classroom maps because "[t]he sun would catch a ring on her hand and send rainbows of light dancing on the walls."

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

We're continuing our road trip tradition of American Girl and Lemony Snicket - a weird but workable combination for our family of listeners.

Molly is a favorite for my 7-year-old daughter. She's listened to this collection so many times that she was constantly telling us when to pay close attention and listen for a favorite or funny part.

I found the stories more endearing than Kit's, but I still didn't love them as much as the Addy stories we listened to first. I'm starting to wonder if that first experience was simply more than I had expected and that it's a matter of the rest of the books turning out to be exactly what I now know they are: less-than-subtle character lessons and well-researched history wrapped in a nice story that's engaging for children.

What I'm missing is some snap. Some less predictable behavior and vocabulary. But what's here is enjoyable for what it is.

I especially liked the relationship between Molly and her brother Ricky, which seemed to be the most lively and realistic of all the family connections. We all got a good laugh out of his expression "like fish you do!" It's going to pop up in conversation for some time, I think.

I also appreciate that while the plots tend to work out for good, it's not always the good you go in expecting. The "trials" the girls face are plausible and the average kid will probably relate. That should mean that when Molly learns a lessons about give and take and not always being the star, those lessons ring true to young readers. And that's not a bad way to end a book.

[Bianca Nabarrete-Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly is a girl living in Illinois with her family during WW2. She has to face many issues such as her dad being off in the war, rations, housing a English refugee, and many complicating morals about fighting.

My favorite part was the ending when Molly's dad finally comes back home. It was more bittersweet than I expected. I really expected that Molly would be participating in the Veterans Thank You Show but it was a better twist in that she had to stay home sick but got to be first one to welcome her dad home. But it was sad in that many of her friends weren't so lucky, one of her friend's dad came back without his legs, while a neighbor and teacher lost loved ones.

I think this book really made me appreciate more our people fighting overseas, or just encourage me to help our countries affected by feuds, Americans are very lucky to not face atrocities. I think many people are right to believe after WW2 and the creation of bomb that war should never happen again, although that hasn't been very successful in preventing others, and I don't know what much can be done to stop them, but the least I could do is still try to support those fighting, even if it's through something small like making one blanket or collecting tin.

[Cami Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The “Molly” books by Valerie Tripp used to be some of my favorite American Girl books as a kid because I related to Molly on so many things (expect the part of her having three siblings).

Rereading these as an adult for a work project, I was impressed by how well Tripp incorporated experiences from the American Homefront during WWII into a children’s book. She used a variety of situations that real children experienced and used them as a way to teach about different topics. One of the most clever examples was when Tripp used a capture the flag game to talk about D-Day (“Molly Saves the Day”). But all of the books incorporate lessons on rationing, raising money for the war effort, and adjusting to life during wartime.

Tripp did a great job of not shying away from explaining the facts but still keeping it relevant to the story and integrating it into conversation between characters. It all felt very natural and is a good way to I geoduck kids to WWII history.

[Sarah]

As a 23 year old woman, I am now well out of the recommended age range for this book. However, when I saw it at the library the nostalgia factor was STRONG and I couldn't help but pick it up. And I was surprised to find that the stories of Miss Molly McIntire drew me in just as quickly as they did when I first picked them up sixteen years ago.

To say these books changed my life as a kid is not an understatement. I was hooked from the first pages and made it my mission in elementary school to read all of them. I attribute my love of reading, fondness of storytelling, and fascination with the stories of ordinary people during momentous periods of history largely to the American Girl books I loved so much growing up. Revisiting this was a joy and a lovely distraction. 10/10 would recommend to children and children at heart.

[Rdschislergmail.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly was my favorite AG as a kid because she had glasses and braids. Re-reading her series now, I appreciate that she experiences a full range of emotions and that her development includes realistic conflicts and unresolved disappointments. Although you wouldn’t learn much about the European realities of WWII (and the Pacific front isn’t even mentioned) I think the books capture a relatively accurate (if at times white-washed and heavily sanitized) portrayal of upper middle class suburban family life circa 1944-1945 *as it would have been experienced by the children in those families* That said, there’s A LOT missing in this picture (namely anyone that isn’t white and upper middle class), and any responsible study of the time period should also include books with a broader range of people and experiences.

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounding out the American Girl books I grew up with are the Molly books. My 4 year old has now discovered the American Girl section of the library so I'm sure we'll have to branch out into the other characters that I have no experience with. Molly's stories were fine, some were better than others. I honestly did not enjoy Molly in the first book, but she improved as she grew up over time. Funny, I like the Samantha character better but the stories of the Molly series better. Still rates a 3/5 for me though compared to Felicity and Kirsten. I do enjoy reading the American Girl books to my 4 year old though and he likes listening to them. He even brings them to me to read another chapter as his "bedtime book" which has been nice (in addition to the reading we do from the book in the other parts of the day).

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books 1, 2, 3, 5

I was particularly looking forward to these, remembering having liked Molly the best back when. But while they were still fun, I liked them least of the batch. I'm not sure why; maybe because WWII is the least unknown to me, out of all the historical periods represented in the American Girl series. Maybe because I felt like it was a bit of a repeat of Kit with rationing and making do, and I felt Kit was better executed? It was far from a bad experience - I did enjoy them - just not as much as I thought I would. Plus it was a bummer to have two books missing; I was disappointed to miss out on reading about Emily.