Happy Birthday, Molly!: A Springtime Story (American Girl) [Hardcover]

Valerie Tripp (Author), Jeanne Thieme (Editor), David Gaadt (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Series: American Girl

When an English girl comes to stay at Molly's during World War II, she and Molly learn to bridge their differences and ultimately enjoy a wonderful, mutual birthday party.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

ea. vol: photogs. reprods. (American Girls Series). CIP. Pleasant. 1987. PSm $12.95; pap. $5.95. Grade 1-5 Yes, the American Girls series is written to formula, and yes, it is heavily promoted commercialy to sell dolls and related accessories. But the dolls are well crafted and so are the stories. Each book ends with several pages of illustrated factual ``Looking Backward'' information. The writing style is lively, the characters believable although not deeply delineated, and the action in the short chapters is enough to hold the attention of young readers. The birth of Kirsten's baby sister and the making of a friendship quilt along with her tenth birthday party at a barn-raising are the major events of Kirsten's story, set in Minnesota in 1854. The discussion of the dangers of tornadoes and the high mortality of infants in those days add serious notes to the generally happy tale. Samantha's fancy tenth birthday party in 1904 is followed by a trip to New York City and a wild chase after a mischievous puppy, ending at a suffragette meeting. Molly changes her romantic view of wartime England and faces reality when an evacuated British girl her age comes to share her home and birthday. In all the volumes the easy-to-read type and the realistic color illustrations, both full-page and vignette, add to the attractiveness of these unintimidating volumes. Sylvia S. Marantz, Wellington School, Columbus, Ohio
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 62 pages
• Publisher: American Girl Publishing Inc (April 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0937295906
• ISBN-13: 978-0937295908
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,595,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably my favorite Molly book!, August 24, 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: Happy Birthday, 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 is excited when she finds that a ten-year-old English girl is coming to live with them. However, when she arrives, instead of looking like a fairytale princess, the girl is quiet and highly reserved. While getting to know her, Emily learns how different England is from America, and how tragically harder the war has been for the English.

This is probably my favorite Molly book! It shows how traumatic World War 2 was for those who lived it, and yet tells the story in an uplifting and entertaining way. My twelve-year-old daughter is a big fan of Molly, and so am I. We both highly recommend this book to you!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An informative, heart warming read, October 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Happy Birthday, Molly!: A Springtime Story (American Girl) (Hardcover)

With the possible acception of Molly's Suppries, this was my favorit book in the Molly Micantier sieries. Molly and her friends don't realy understand the true gravity of the war. Oh, they know that Fathers and husbands are away on distant battle feilds, that mothers are working in Home-Front Red Cross orgonizations and that certin foods are rationed. They feel the war, but they don't understand the true eviles of the fighting- the innocent European familys starving, and rushing under bomb shelters in there living rooms at the sound of a warning sigren, the soldgers storming a far away beach on D-Day. THese are the things they see on News Reels and in Life Magizien. They even make a game out of it all, by bulding a pretend bomb shelter in Molly's basment! When Emily, a British girl comes to stay with the Micintiers, she shows Molly what the war is realy like. She tells here about distruction left buy bombs in England, about being traped for days in subway cars, and about Bomb shelters that, arn't just a game. Emily brings with her plenty of forgien British terms and ideas- some of wich step on Molly's toes. In the end, thogh, the girls learn to put aside there difrances and dissageements, and enjoy there birthdays as inter-national friends. I thought this book was wonderful. If you are interested in WW2, or if you just enjoy a good read, I recomend this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Birthday To Remember, August 26, 2008

By 

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

This review is from: Happy Birthday, Molly!: A Springtime Story (American Girl) (Hardcover)

Happy Birthday Molly

Molly McIntire is having a birthday. Birthdays were very special during World War 2, since sugar was rationed, and it was rare to have sweets.

Molly finds out that an English girl will be staying with their family for awhile, and she is very excited. When Emily, the English girl, arrives, Molly and her friends, Susan and Linda, try to impress her with the bomb shelter they built in the basement. Emily, is not impressed.

One evening, during a drill, the power goes out in the house. Molly's family gather, in their dining room, to wait it out. Emily is scared. She tells Molly that, in her country, they are not drills; they have real bombing raids. When the raids are over, homes are gone, and sometimes people are injured or killed. She doen't want to play in a bomb shelter, like Molly and her friends, because it brings back bad memories.

Molly finds out that Emily has not had a real birthday party, in years. She decides to share her birthday with Emily. Molly allows Emily to plan an English tea party.

When Emily says they can't have a cake at a real tea party and they have to drink tea, instead of punch, Molly is mad at the stuborn little English girl.

Will Emily ruin everything? Will Molly have a birthday cake? Will the girls ever be friends again?

My daughter and her two cousins planned a birthday party for their American Girl Dolls. They followed the recipes in the American Girl Cookbook and made food from the time period, for each doll. Karen dressed up her Molly doll, in her birthday dress, and the girls had a grand time.

American Girls Cookbook: A Peek at Dining in the Past With Meals You Can Cook Today

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Molly Mini Doll (American Girl)]]Samantha Mini Doll

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The American Girls, Molly, Doll Dress Patterns

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
author: Through the Rug
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