AR: 4.2

AR: 4.2

Molly is a lively, lovable schemer and dreamer growing up in 1944. Her stories describe her life on the home front during World War Two. Molly doesn't like many of the changes the war has brought, and she especially misses her father, who is away caring for wounded soldiers. But Molly learns the importance of getting along and pulling together -- just as her country has to do to win the war!

Molly and her brother are quite mean in this book, though it's also very realistic. The end result is that they are shown a comparison between how they are treating each other and the war their father is away helping with, which I believe is the entire point. Many reviewers seem bothered by the way they treat each other, and it certainly isn't the best example for the kids who read it, but hopefully they will pick up on the message at the end.

I thought these books might be silly or feel too light, since these books were written to go along with actual dolls, thus they could have been very quick and simple. However, they don't smack of a marketing ploy; the author did a great job with them, and they're really just like any other book series written for kids this age. Also, the "Looking Back" section at the end of each book is really interesting! I love that it gives a little history of the time period, generally relating to the story, with pictures and even examples of ads/posters/propaganda from that time period. The focus is on children and even women, which is something that you really aren't going to see a lot of places. I think these books could be a great resource for teaching kids age 7 about the time period, how kids lived in those days, and the hardships they had to deal with. If I'd gotten to these books when my daughter was younger, I would have had her read them and then discussed them with her afterward. ( )

Molly lives in 1944 with WWII shortages.