Changes for Molly (American Girl) [Paperback]

Valerie Tripp (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Series: American Girl

Molly can't wait for Dad to come home--he'll arrive in time to see her dance the part of Miss Victory in the big Red Cross show! Molly isn't worried about her tap dancing, but she wants to look sophisticated so that Dad will know how much she's grown up while he's been away at war. Unfortunately, Molly's hair is all wrong. When Jill finally finds a way to give Molly glorious curls, everything seems to be perfect. Then Molly gets sick. Things couldn't be worse--until the doctor comes just in time.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6 Three more titles about three girls in different American eras, all dealing with some kind of change in their lives. Kirsten, a ten-year-old Swedish immigrant living with her family on the Minnesota frontier in 1854, must deal with her cabin burning down and moving to a new home. Samantha, a wealthy orphan living with her aunt and uncle in New York City in 1904, spends her five chapters helping her poor friend Nellie, who has been orphaned and sent first to a drunken uncle and then to a Dickensian orphanage replete with evil directress. Molly, a ten-year-old in 1944, is pinning all her hopes on being the tap-dancing Miss Victory in a big show at the veteran's hospital, but things don't work out quite the way she plans. The format of each title is the same. All open with a double-spread of portraits and descriptors introducing the main character's family and friends (although all of characters may not appear in all stories) and close with a "Looking Back" section which hits the social history highlights of the United States of that period. The stock types ("Samantha's poor friend," "Kirsten's secret friend, an Indian girl," "Molly's other best friend, a cheerful dreamer") seem to preclude much peripheral character development, but also make it possible for each story to stand alone, without having read previous episodes. The brief stories tend to focus on events and action, which makes for a quick pace but some occasional lapses in explanation and follow-through. The six-page historical sections focus on changes in America, particularly for women, and are generally a good back-up to the stories' smoothly integrated period details. The selection of historical photos is excellent, although the texts are unavoidably superficial and stick to a middle-class lens in viewing American life. Their generalizations can also fail to provide a context for specific story events. The full-color illustrations, in occasional full-pages and frequent small edge-of-text drawings, capture the feel of the periods and give life to the characters (although the expressions in Kirsten's story are frequently awkward). While these aren't top drawer items (Kirsten, for example, is no Caddie Woodlawn, nor is her story of Sarah, Plain and Tall caliber), they're certainly lively and appealing enough to serve as introductions to historical fiction. Nancy Palmer, The Little School, Bellevue, Wash.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: American Girl (September 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0937295493
• ISBN-13: 978-0937295496
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #421,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Change, August 30, 2008

By 

Jill Vanderwood "Children's Author, USA" (Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Changes for Molly: A Winter Story (American Girl) (Hardcover)

Changes for Molly

Molly McIntire and her friends, Linda and Susan, are trying out to be Miss Victory, in their big dance program. Molly practices every day, and thinks she has a pretty good chance for the most important part. She is worried that she won't look pretty with her hair "as straight as sticks". Linda and Susan have an idea to help Molly. They put their money together to buy a home permanent. The girls hide out in Molly's garage to begin the perm. Molly finds out at the last minute, her friend Susan doesn't really know how to roll a perm. She has seen someone with a perm before, but it couldn't be that hard.

Molly's family gets news that her father will be coming home from the war. This makes Molly even more determined to get the part of Miss Victory, and to show her father how grown-up she has become, while he was away.

My daughter Karen saved her own money to buy her 18 inch, Molly, American Girl doll. She enjoyed endless hours reading the American Girl books, and playing with her two cousins who had Kirsten and Samantha dolls.

Kirsten Mini Doll (American Girl)
Molly Mini Doll (American Girl)
The American Girls, Molly, Doll Dress PatternsPaper Dolls: Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly in Their Old-Fashioned Clothes (The American Girls Collection)
Molly's Paper Dolls: Molly and Her Friends With Outfits to Cut Out and Scenes to Play With (The American Girls Collection)Molly's Short Story Collection (American Girls Collection)

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
author: Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Molly book!, September 3, 2003

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Changes for Molly (American Girl) (Paperback)

This is another in the American Girls series about Molly McIntire, a ten-year-old girl living on the home front during World War 2. In this book, Molly gets the good news that the U.S. Army is reassigning her father stateside. To make matters even better, she has a real shot at winning the starring role in a dance production being put on at the local Veterans' Hospital. But, Molly wants to look her best for the role, and she wants to show her father how mature she is. So, Molly begins a war of her own against her straight and unattractive hair, but all wars have their casualties...

I must say, I now think that this is my favorite Molly book! The story is uplifting with a happy ending, and the illustrations are excellent. My twelve-year-old daughter is a fan of Molly, and so am I. We both highly recommend this book, and this series to you!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, May 22, 2009

By 

Veronica P. Garrett - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Changes for Molly: A Winter Story (American Girl) (Hardcover)

This book is about a girl named Molly. Molly is chosen to be Miss Victory, but she gets sick before the show. Even though she gets sick, she gets a surprise!