Clues in the Shadows: A Molly Mystery

American Girl Mysteries

by Kathleen Ernst, Kathleen Ernst

Molly still does her her patriotic duty to help America win World War Two, but in the spring of 1945 she's weary and troubled. Dad is home safe . . . but he seems different now. Her favorite Red Cross leader abruptly quits. Her archrival, Ronnie Vanko, is driving her crazy. And now someone is sneaking into the backyard shed and messing with the scrap she's collecting for the latest wartime drive. Who is the intruder: Ronnie, her own brother Ricky--or a prowler she spied in the night?

This book includes a richly illustrated "Peak Into The Past" essay.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Historical, World War II

170 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2009

About the author

I grew up in Maryland, in a house full of books! Both of my parents were avid readers, thank goodness. Before we traveled to a new area, my librarian-mom used to bring home historical novels set in that place. It was a great way to get excited about history.

I began writing stories when I was maybe 10 or 11. At 15 I wrote my first novel; I sold my first novel to a publisher 20 years later! Writing was my hobby, so during those two decades I just kept practicing, reading, writing some more. What a thrill to finally hold my first book in my hand! Still, I write because I enjoy the process (at least most of the time).

For years I wrote while working at other day jobs. I spent 12 years working at a huge historic site, which was a perfect spot for someone interested in historical fiction. I also developed and scripted instructional videos for public television. Finally, though, it got to be too much to juggle. I now write full-time, and consider myself enormously fortunate to do something I love.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light on the mystery, light on the Molly but the ending made up for it

"... it's stupid to give kids medals for collecting paper. Medals are for real heroes, like my dad. ... My dad would never leave fighting early like --"
"My dad's a hero too!" Molly yelled.

For two long years, Molly and her family were waiting and hoping and praying for their father to return home.

But now that he's back, Dr. McIntire is a little bit different than they remember and Molly isn't sure how to handle that. She tries to get him to open up,

"Did your hospital ever get bombed?"

But for some reason, her dad won't talk about his time in England. She has no clue why not.

Meanwhile, there's the Eisenhower paper drive happening at her school whose grand prize is an real medal. Molly is a little burnt out on the whole Victory Gardens, Victory Drives, Victory War Bonds...

But when Molly's odious neighbor, Ronnie, makes fun of her, Molly decides to go after the medal anyway and begins collecting with her friends, Susan and Linda.

As Molly returns with papers to store in the shed, she notices a strange shadow, then the outline of someone moving very quickly, and a faint whiff of cigarette smoke.

"I saw a prowler!" she gasped. "A man was by the garden shed!"

More strange things keep happening and Molly decides that she must get to the bottom of it.

Sooooooo....this one didn't work for the first 2/3 of the book but it wrapped up super well that I ended up going to 4-stars.

A Little History:

Each of the Molly Mysteries have a different author and unfortunately, I could definitely tell.

The first one (A Spy on the Home Front) really had a great grasp of Molly's character, even if the mystery element was somewhat lacking. The second book (A Light in the Cellar) was really great - lots of solid development for Molly and a pretty decent mystery to boot.

Unfortunately, the third and final Molly Mystery didn't really capture her personality and the mystery was just kinda meh to me until the last few pages. I almost put this one down to two stars because of it.

I do really wish American Girl would have kept the mystery authors consistent to minimize the variations on her character.

Molly's Character

Surface level, it is mostly fine - though Molly's personality leans towards an earlier version (i.e. Molly from Happy Birthday Molly).

In that book, she isn't very sensitive to her friend, Emily, from England. I do understand that Molly was asking age-appropriate questions but really...asking the war refugee to play bombs in the basement with you? Read the room Molly!

But in subsequent books, companion novellas, and the other mysteries, we see Molly becoming much more sensitive and understanding to her friend - protecting Emily and buoying her when she's upset about the war.

However, in this book, it feels like she's back to the insensitive Molly who doesn't quite grasp the seriousness of war. Towards the end of the book, we see her make great leaps in understanding BUT my gripe is that her character already had this arc. Why do it again?

Further Character Inconsistencies

Additionally, there's little details that just don't make sense if you are reading her whole series.

For example, in Molly's main series, her mom is always referred to as Mrs. McIntire in the narrative rather than "Mom"...and yet here we have her being called Mom throughout the book in this mystery.

When Molly is meeting the soldiers, she says,

"Well, I'm a tap dancer," Molly told him. "I got to be Miss Victory in a pageant."

But if you read book 6 of Molly's story, you'd know that she was going to be Miss Victory but last minute she became very sick and had to stay home (and Allison Hargate was Miss Victory instead).

On the plus side, Molly's dog (Bennett) is included, but Emily and her dog aren't mentioned. After all of the development for that friendship, it just seems odd that she doesn't at least show up once.

So little things like that did bug me.

The Questionable Quotes

Additionally, there's quotes like this, about visiting the soldiers in the hospital:

"The men will be glad to see you, I promise. Wear your nicest dresses! Looking pretty for the men is patriotic, too."

Which, I'm sure isn't meant to be taken in the worst way...but also I think they could have rephrased this one a bit so the vibe couldn't interpreted as 'third grade girls made to look pretty for adult men'.

They could've phrased it as making sure the girls were neat and tidy because the girls are representing the school or something similar - just a slight reframing to ensure the right interpretation interpretation.

The Mystery

For most of the book, I will admit that I wasn't invested in the mystery. Molly's paper collection is rifled with, then some other characters. They suspect a couple of boys and it was all kinda...meh. Not the worst but also not particularly exciting.

But I will say that if you push through the story that the mystery wraps up really, really good.

Kathleen Ernst does a great job of showing depth of character and nuance to war - in a way not many children's books are willing to tackle.

She shows PTSD and how a family can come together in the face of it, the aftereffects of being declared MIA, and the complexity of loving someone who is on the other side of the war.

It was due to the above that I brought up the rating - it was truly amazing to read.

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 - ★★★★☆

Additional History Books
American Girls Cookbook - ★★★★★
American Girl Cross-Stitch - ★★☆☆☆
American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook - ★☆☆☆☆
Everything I Need to Know I Learned From American Girl - ★★★☆☆
The Making of American Girl - ★★★★★
Molly's Cookbook - ★★★★☆
Molly's Cooking Studio - ★★★★★
Molly's Craft Book - ★★★★☆
Molly's Route 66 Adventure - ★★★★★
Molly's Theater Kit - ★★★★★
The Official American Girl Cookbook - ★★★★☆
Welcome to Molly's World - ★★★★★

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)

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

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good story about Molly after the series that touches on the hardships that soldiers (and their families) had coming home from WW2.

Side note 1: (As a student studying psychology) Even though this wasn't the main point, I really liked the undertone of how the person with PTSD (or any mental illness, really) and their support system need to be on the same page when it comes to their action plans for going forward with life.

Side note 2: (As a reader) If you're an author/writer and your MS has miscomunication as a plot device, please change it ASAP. It's not good, and frankly, kind of annoying.

Recommended 10+ for mentions of war and PTSD, and violence

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The American Girls books never cease to amaze me. This mystery - which takes place after the initial Molly books and is for older readers - digs into post-traumatic stress syndrome (known as "battle fatigue" in Molly's WWII era), the emotional and financial struggles faced by families of MIAs, and the usual friendship dramas. It was *excellent* and prompted some incredible conversations with Tessa.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ernst does an excellent job dealing with many difficult topics in this AG companion mystery.

Molly is, for me, once again incredibly relatable. As a ten-year-old, she has to navigate the complicated feelings of war fatigue, of being asked to continue to give when you feel like you have already given so much and are ready to feel hopeful again. (Hits home when you look at the situations going on in the world currently.)

There are also moments when you see how Molly has grown over the series and is more capable of showing compassion and kindness to others.

Plus, Ernst remembered Bennett, the dog that Valerie Tripp gave her in Book 4 and then just forgot about in the rest of the series. So, kudos for that.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this Molly Mystery. It deals with post-traumatic stress disorder and the constant drives kids were asked to participate in. It takes place after Molly's dad is home, so that was cool. All in all, a good Molly book.

[Julia Kerrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far this is the reigning champ of American Girl Mysteries

[Shayla Salazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad we got a focus on the effects of the war and that commentary of how it didn’t end when people came home

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter is reading the classic Molly books like I did at her age and I came across these mystery books on thriftbooks and thought she’d enjoy them. They’re a bit too old for her right now. But I sure enjoyed seeing what Molly was up to as the war was coming to an end.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

When this book came out in 2009, I thought that it was very disappointing, and since this was the final Molly book ever released (until the reboot choose-your-own-adventure novel), I always thought that this was a shame. However, even though the mystery is extremely lackluster, I enjoyed this as a novel while rereading it in my current stage of life.

If I was looking for an exciting mystery, I would still give this a low rating, but focusing on the family and small town elements gives me a different perspective. This book reflects a variety of different issues from the time, such as V-E Day, women losing their jobs as troops came home, soldiers recovering in local hospitals, people struggling with PTSD, the ongoing focus on scrap drives, the fatigue that people felt from their home front efforts, the financial and emotional effects of a father being MIA, and the shift to the focus on the Pacific Theater, etc.

This book tries to do too much, and is crammed with so many different historical details and transitions that it cannot fully do any of them justice. However, it is still very educational, and gives an honest look at what life was like for many different Americans in the spring of 1945. The book's best element is the focus on Molly's relationship with her father, and on how different things are now that he is home. This is the only book that explores their relationship after the war, and I am glad to own a copy now for that alone.

This book teaches a lot about PTSD, and even though the author shows how wonderful it was for Molly's family to be reunited, she also engages with the difficult aspects of this transition, and the readjustments that the family had to go through while welcoming him home. This book gives a very authentic portrayal of the different pressures, griefs, and joys that the family experienced, with a focus on Molly's desire to connect with her father on a prewar level instead of feeling shut out because of experiences that he won't talk about.

I appreciate this book at a deeper level now that I have studied WWII in such depth. This is a very realistic, honest story, and even though I found it disappointing when I was younger, I appreciate the emotional texture and historical detail so much now that I am willing to overlook the story's faults. Also, this book introduced me to the concept of how often men would take up knitting when they came home from the war, since it was a soothing activity that gave them something to do with their hands. Every time I read about that in another book, I pictured Molly's dad, and I'm glad that this story made such an impression on me and taught me so much even when I thought that it was only a two-star story.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in an entire night and I LOVED it! The mystery was good too, better than what I expected from a childrens' mystery book. Molly is such a lovable character and I love anything set during WWII! A must-read!

[Shazzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

May American Girl Book Club selection.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The great American Girl marathon has finally gotten to the last three mysteries.

There's a lot going on here, from a new neighborhood nemesis to Junior Red Cross work, plus the possibility that someone is sneaking around after dark. Molly, our schemer and dreamer, is determined to find out who and why.

But perhaps the most exciting thing about this book is that DAD'S HOME! This is the only one of Molly’s mysteries that takes place after her core series, which is unusual. We get to see the family still adjusting to having Dad back, and they’re all finding each other a little changed. Perhaps not surprisingly, Dad’s working through some PTSD, which he refers to as “battle fatigue” and Mom has the kids kind of tiptoeing around so they don’t disturb him. I love the moment where honesty finally enters the chat and Dad says he misses the way their house always used to be full of noisy kids, and his children are just like AHHHH but Mom’s made us be so quiet JUST FOR YOU.

We're now in spring 1945, so the war is coming to an end. We get to experience VE Day with Molly, and she starts to hear conversations about women getting fired from factories and other war work so the returning soldiers can have those jobs.

Other elements feel less fresh. The kids get involved in a big paper drive, which feels like a re-tread of the Lend-a-Hand project from Lesson. We also spend time with hospital patients, not unlike The Light in the Cellar.

The mystery elements here are things that do seem spooky or suspicious, but turn out to have a totally benign explanation. Some are cases where adults just don’t feel they need to explain themselves to a bunch of ten-year-olds… so the ten-year-olds decide to investigate. And some are cases where it would be easy to let your imagination run away with you — like having all street lights and porch lights off after a certain time. In that respect, more realistic than a whole lot of AG mysteries, if that's important to you.

This is a middle of the pack AG mystery. It’s fine, but if you’re just going to read one Molly mystery, go for Light in the Cellar.

More Molly babble

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

Brave Emily

Molly Takes Flight | Molly and the Movie Star | Molly’s A+ Partner

A Spy on the Home Front | The Light in the Cellar

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing the Molly Story Collection, my son wanted to read this one as our next read aloud as he recognized Molly on the cover. He picked this up along with the Molly's Short Story Collection and I really though he'd rather read the other one since it had pictures. Nope, he picked this one first and was totally fine with no pictures (though still asked once in a while if I saw a picture that he might have missed). I've never read one of the American Girl mystery books as these came out LONG after I aged out of AG. But I honestly can say I really liked this book. It was a nice, cozy little mystery book.

[Erin Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 9 year old and I read this book aloud together. We've read all the Molly books and enjoyed continuing the series. The book peaked further into life in the midwest during World War 2, and addressed topics of conversation including women in the workforce, veteran's mental health (battle fatigue/PTSD), and the importance of fully understanding another's situation before judging or labeling them/their actions.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good! I love that it talked about battle fatigue or PTSD in a way to help young readers understand mental health & mental illness, especially for returning solders & veterans. I also love the twist about Mrs Petrosky & the lesson learned from her story. And of course pride in your country, being compassionate, and showing even kids can make a difference. Very good book!

[Devri · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great little World War 2 mystery!
This is the third Molly Mystery, and I loved the amount of historical accuracy they nailed with this one.
Women working in factories while the men are away, and losing their jobs when the men came home, children collecting scraps for the war effort, soldiers dealing with PTSD, and families pulling together.
I wish there were more of these.

[Little Seal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily my favorite Molly book. While all AG books talk about history and give insight to how life was during the era, there was just something deeply special about this one talking about the hardships of folks who experienced mental health issues coming out of the war.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly's mystery books were surprisingly fantastic.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story and well-written

This is a great story with historical references. Middle grade age will enjoy and learn reading it. Adults will too.

[Meghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Molly does a lot of meddling in the affairs of adults suffering from PTSD, and the timeline of the story feels rushed.

[Meghan Keen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the plot. The ending was unexpected and I would read it again

[Emily Karapcik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to really enjoy reading the American Girl series it was well written , I was always impressed by the illustrations they did a good job drawing it .

[Brittnar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legit great mystery

[S. J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I have to say, Molly was my first American Girl doll and has remained my favorite. I loved her as a character, her time period, and her stories. She is the one that rang more...real to me then many of the other girls. I read one review that says she wavers between peppy and self-centeredness and I kind of agree...most kids do. What I loved about Molly is that her world was turned upside down and she genuinely wanted to give what aid she could to end the war but she was still a kid. Her childhood was changed but not completely damaged. She still acted like a child at times, she still went through basic growing up, but she also, like children touched by such circumstances, wanted to be involved, wanted to help, wanted to do her part. I loved this, even then, because she was the one I could identify with. She wasn't perfect...I didn't want her to be.

So, yes, I had to pick this up when I learned they were doing mysteries of the various American Girls. The fact that this is set for an older age of reader and is a mystery (which I love) made it even better. I also loved the fact that we actually got to see her dad, always a presence in the books though he was over in Europe for the series. He returned at the very end of the last Molly book and I always hated that we never got to know him the way we did others in the series. We get to know him now and he is handled very well. The man they love is there, but he is different; changed as they have been changed by the war. Molly struggles with this as she also struggles with a weariness of the war (something she shares with many others at the time). Experiencing VE day with her, learning about the scars both seen and unseen that many soldiers would carry beyond the war, and seeing the conclusion of some women working outside the home through her eyes was well written and made me love the character even more.

This is well handled book and actually a not bad mystery. She's no Agatha Christie detective, there is no murder or anything major in that respect, but it is a very believable mystery for a young girl to become interested in and she solves it fairly well. It is a technically superb mystery, set up and executed exactly the way the rules say you should. There are red herrings, tangents, but the clues are there and it is very well executed.

I highly recommend this book and plan to buy it and place it beside my Molly books from my childhood. My one complaint is that I wish this had been written when I first received Molly. We would have had a lot of fun solving more mysteries together.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book feeling a little disappointed, because of the plot description. A kid collects scrap for the war effort, discovers that it's being messed with, and goes through some amateur detective heroics to discover the culprit? I read this before. In an American Girl book. (Voices at Whisper Bend) Fortunately, the way the basic plot is handled is very different, and I actually ended up liking it a bit more.

Re-read: This is the only one of Molly's mysteries to be set after the Central Series, and it's set towards the end of World War II. In fact, one of the chapters happens just as V-E Day is announced, and the celebrations are appropriately joyful and emotional. And because it's set at the end of the war, Ernst builds the story on returning vets with PTSD and people, including Molly, getting burned out on the war effort. And the culprit in this book leads to a totally unexpected result. I think this was my favorite Molly mystery.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story takes place in the spring of 1945. World War II is coming to an end and Molly is feeling burned out by all of her war-related activities. Dad is home from the war, but he's different and doesn't laugh and tease the way he used to. Molly worries about her dad and about doing her part to win the war in the Pacific. When General Eisenhower offers a medal to the child who can collect the most scrap paper, Molly is goaded into participating by her rival and her desire to please her dad. Things don't go according to plan when Molly's paper pile is disturbed. Molly is determined to solve the mystery and along the way she learns about wounded veterans with "battle fatigue" (now known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and discovers that the war has taken it's toll on everyone -some more than others - and people aren't always what they seem.

I really enjoyed the honest and realistic examples of what happens when war is over and soldiers come home. This book was more mature than the other Molly stories. Molly has grown up a lot since Meet Molly and I liked seeing her grow and change and become a better person.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Molly Mystery Age 8+

Molly still does her patriotic duty to help America win World War II, but she's weary and troubled. Dad is home safe... but he seems different now. Her favorite Red Cross leader abruptly quits. Her archrival, Ronnie Vanko, is driving her crazy. And now someone is sneaking into the backyard shed and messing with the scrap paper she's collecting for the latest wartime drive. Who is the intruder: Ronnie, her own brother Ricky - or a prowler she spied in the night?

Gotta love these American Girl Mysteries! Kathleen Ernst has done it again! She writes amazing mysteries for American Girl. I can't get enough of the American girl books.

As for this one I loved it and couldn't put it down. I read half of it last night before I went to bed and finished it this morning during breakfast.

American Girl celebrates a girl's inner star - that little whisper inside that encourages her to stand tall, reach high, and dream big.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really liked this mystery. Molly tends to walk a fine line, in general between a little too peppy and a little too self centered, which isn't as noticible when you're the same age as she is. When you get older, however? Things change.

That said, I could really get behind Molly feeling so burnt out by the war and having to constantly sacrifice things for what seemed like a war that would never end. To always keep upbeat, to always have to pretend things were better than they were. Factor her father returning but not acting like himself and you've already hooked me.

The mystery itself isn't really all that interesting nor do I really care about it. But the rest of the things going on in Molly's life are more than enough to pick up the slack.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clues in the Shadows, a mystery novel, focuses on the effects and the aftermath of the war at home.
Molly's father has returned from World War II: however, he has become a somber person, not the light, teasing person he once was.
Molly and her friends continue to volunteer for the war effort: they collect books to donate to hospitalized soldiers, they participate in paper recycling, they sell war bonds and they make friendship bags for soldiers.
Then Molly finds that someone has tampered with her collected paper. Molly observes strange behavior in the unpleasant Fletcher and his negative nephew Ronnie Vanko. Molly's favorite Red Cross leader, Miss Delaney resigns. As Molly states, "Wars don't really end when the shooting stops."

[Lydia Therese · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an easy read and I sped through it - I finished it in about half a day? I remember loving this book when I was younger. Now I find it a bit predictable (I didn't remember ANYTHING about it, I read it such a long time ago). I did love seeing an older, more mature Molly, though. She's a sweetie - I can see why she used to be my favorite American Girl character. :)