2020 review:

Since I'm in lockdown for COVID-19 right now, I'm limited to reading the books that I own. Fortunately, I have lots of unread books lying around, and plenty of old favorites to reread. The scarcity and uncertainty that we are currently facing make me think of Molly and her time period, and I'm enjoying rereading the series.

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2015 review:

I was a big American Girl fan when I was a little kid. I never owned any of the dolls, but enjoyed every series of chapter books and give them partial credit for my love of historical fiction. Not only were they well-written, engaging, and historically educational, but the books present balanced, healthy views of a myriad of topics. One of them is gender: I love how each girl had a different personality, circumstance, and set of interests.

The American Girls consist of no "ideal female" cookie-cutter pattern of any kind. This Molly book opens with her dreaming of a pink Cinderella dress for Halloween, but she enjoys outdoor activities and wears plaid shirts and jeans for much of the series. One does not have to be a girly-girl or a tomboy, a girl subconsciously picks up: you can just be you. The heroines have appropriate senses of self, healthy friendships with other females, and relationships of mutual respect and affection with father figures. American Girl is not responsible for my outlook on human relationships, but these books model positive interactions instead of portraying women as victims or men as oppressors. Nor do they give into Family Angst and Drama like many other chapter books. I can honestly say that I got part of my healthy mindset about what it means to be a woman from these series about little girls.

Molly was always my favorite. During my embarrassingly stereotypical horse phase, excitement about Felicity overshadowed for a while, but I always knew Molly was the best. I had round glasses just like hers when I was little, and I'm sure that in this first book, the phrase about Molly's warm turnips fogging up her glasses won me over. I related strongly to Molly's personality and outlook on life, and the World War II story captured my imagination. A few years later, I would read "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," and I already had a mental context for that time in history. Those books combined developed my long-lasting love for that time period and interest in the war's history.

Last year, I learned that Molly was retired and bought the doll for myself while I still could. Even though she's only a decoration, an idea I would have scorned as a kid, it is special to me to have her in my room and change her clothes occasionally, often thinking how much this character influenced me. I hope I have daughters someday so that I can share this doll and books with them.

I had the Molly doll, so naturally I had the books.

So far Molly seems to be living the best life out of the four books I read. I like the lightheartedness of this book it's quite refreshing since the other three were kind of depressing.

I have loved the American Girls series for as long as I can remember (literally). And I have always been interesting in Molly's books. Unfortunately, it turns out I just don't like the character that much.

That aside, the books are an interesting look into America during WWII, though maybe a little softer than it actually was. I plan on reading the other books in her line (there aren't a lot), and I hope I grow to like Molly more as I go.

We didn't even talk about this one on the podcast and I re-read it just cuz. OH MOLLY your life is very chill compared to Addy's but I still love you.

http://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-76-american-girl/

Certified Classic No Notes!!!!!