Here are The Girl’s (age 10) thoughts on Meet Molly by Valerie Tripp, which tells the story of Molly, the World War II-era American Girl doll that she received for Christmas:
Meet Molly is a short book about a historical American Girl doll named Molly McIntire. Molly’s story takes place in 1944 during World War II. Her father has gone to fight in the war, and things are scarce. When you read the book, you will understand Molly’s problems, learn about her family and family issues, and meet her friends.
Will trick or treating with her best friends turn into just a trick and start a war, or will everything go right? How will Molly and her friends get back at her older brother, Ricky, for ruining their homemade costumes? Molly and her brother’s fighting teach them about how wars start.
I really liked this book, and I recommend it to everyone.
Disclosure: I received Meet Molly as a gift. My mom is an an Amazon associate.
© 2011 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Terrific review! I’d like to meet Molly, too! 🙂
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Thanks, Suko! I think Molly’s story is a great way to introduce kids to the homefront during WWII.
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I loved the American Girl books as a kid! I think Meet Molly was the first one I read too. Tell The Girl I recommend them all! There are way more now than there even used to be, I stopped reading after Kit. My favorites were Molly and Felicity though.
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This is the only American Girl book she has right now, since it came with her doll. But I’m sure she’ll come home with some when we visit one of the stores this summer!
I never heard of American Girl until a few years ago. I wonder how long they’ve been around?
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I so vaguely remember reading this book with/to my preteens…when they were preteens. Molly was their favorite….*sigh* the good ol’ days.
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She didn’t want to read this one with me. I’m surprised she’s still interested in dolls…I’m happy for that!
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Sounds like a good book to accompany her doll. I’m glad she’s enjoying Molly! Do they have other books with different adventures that you can buy separately?
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Yes, there are a lot of American Girl books. There are more about Molly. In fact, there’s a sneak peek at another Molly book at the end of this one.
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I love that The Girl is into books set during wars just like her mom is! This sounds like a great way for younger readers to explore World War II. Wonderful review!
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Thanks! I’m so glad that I’ve been able to get her interested in history.
What I like about this story is that if introduces readers to the war in subtle ways. They’re not bombarded with the facts, but what life was like back then is shown in the midst of planning for Halloween. And I got all that from just flipping through the book, as I didn’t actually read it!
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[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by SerenaACAnnaH, Anna Horner. Anna Horner said: The Girl wrote a review of Meet Molly, a book about her WWII era American Girl doll http://tinyurl.com/6zgkcq6 […]
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Sounds like a cute book 🙂
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The illustrations are adorable! They really make the doll come to life.
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Sounds like a good one. My daughter has never gotten into American Girls, unfortunately.
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The Girl became interested in them about a year ago. Her best friend has a pretty big collection (in my opinion) of American Girl dolls and accessories. The Girl will never have that big of a collection, though; they’re pretty pricey, but the quality is great.
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I know these existed when I was a kid because I was a fan but I don’t think I remember Molly. I used to love these though. I still have one of the dolls (I haven’t got a clue which one) in my attic somewhere.
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I must have been living under a rock because I never heard of American Girl until a couple of years ago. I didn’t realize the dolls and books have been around for quite awhile.
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I’ve read all of these books and loved them. Great review!!
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Thanks, Staci!
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A short novel and a pithy review. Thanks Anna
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Thanks, Nana!
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This is a pretty shallow comment to make, but WHEN did they change the covers to that?! Yikes, I much prefer the bright, studious Molly determinedly on a walk to school with her book.
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Well, covers are really important in attracting people to a book. I have no idea what the old covers looked like, but I’m not sure this cover conveys what the book is about.
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I remember reading these books as a child and really enjoying them! The covers look a little different now, but it’s nice to see a new generation enjoying them still.
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I’m sad that I missed out on these as a kid! Well, better late than never, I always say.
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I love the idea of these books with characters girls like and you get to learn about history. Glad you liked this one so much.
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Thanks, Lisa! The Girl liked that she could relate to Molly and it helped her understand a little bit of what it was like to live during WWII.
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[…] Talker by Joseph Bruchac. The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen. Meet Molly by Valerie Tripp. Reviewed at Diary of an Eccentric. Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop. Reviewed by Nicola at Back to Books. Set in France. Someone […]
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