Read to Isabel: I had a Molly doll as a kid and remember really loving her books but as I read them to my daughter, while I love that her story in 1944 feels relatable in many ways to me as a girl in 1991 and now my daughter in 2021 I don’t necessarily love Molly as a character. Most of the story she’s either sullen, catty, or cruel. Obviously I don’t believe 9 or 10 year olds need to be likable all the time or even most of the time, but Molly at least in this book has very little to like about her. I feel almost like Maryellen is a bit of a course correct bc they have a lot of similarities but Maryellen’s attitude towards other people is a lot more positive.