Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1231383 in Books
• Published on: 1991-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 65 pages

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.

Ingram
Molly, who schemes and dreams on the home front during World War Two. You can share their worlds--their friends and famililes, their struggles and successes, their sad times and celebration, and many more adventures.

Customer Reviews

"Changes for Molly" is the Best Molly Book
Molly lives in 1944 and wishes to be Miss Victory in the tap dance recital. Her older sister helps with her hair and when it comes time for auditions, Molly takes off her glasses because she wants to look the part of a star.

MOLLY GETS THE ROLE!

Right before the big show, Molly catches a cold. She can't be Miss Victory. However, on the day of the show, Molly gets a surprise that is better than tapping in the sparkling Miss Victory costume.

This is the best Molly book.

The last chapter of the book explains what it is like in 1944 with the war and the efforts on the home front.

My favorite Molly book!
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!

Changes for Molly rules!
In Changes for Molly, Molly gets chosen to dance and be the star. When her and her friends decide she needs a permanent wave and it doesn't work out, Molly's sister has a brillant idea. Then, somethig changes and Molly might not be able to dance for Dad! Oh no! At the end of the book, Molly has more hope that Dad might be able to see her dance after all... even if it's not in the program.

I thought this book was great. You will love this book. It's about love, hope and something more than just haveing the glory.

This book is worth the money. I've read it millions of times and I've never tired of it. It's so touching, it just makes you want to get up and hug every member of your family.

I really wanted to meet Molly's Dad though.