It's
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
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at
and #IMWAYR day
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I'm trying to find it funny that the 90s are trending, especially 90s childhoods and parenting, because that's when my own daughters were small. And it was thirty years ago; in 1978 when we were wearing poodle skirts for 1950s days when I was in middle school and watching Grease and Sha Na Na's variety show, we were only looking back twenty years, and that seemed like ancient times! With the Sestercentennial, it's a great time to take a look at some historical fiction.
I no longer have the American Girl books in my middle school; they fell apart a while ago, but I would definitely have repurchased them for an elementary library. My daughters and I read them all, and I've enjoyed some of the newer titles, like Gilly and Valentine's Julie and the Blue Guitar.
We never bought any of the dolls; at the time, they were very much out of our price range, (the outfits were $22, and I wouldn't pay more than $2 for a pair of jeans at the thrift store!) but we spent many hours paging wistfully through the catalog and looking at the dolls, clothes, and furniture. I remember thinking vague thoughts about saving up for a Bitty Baby for my youngest, but that didn't happen, either. Luckily, both girls had FRIENDS who had American Girl dolls, so they did get to play with them.
If you or someone you know was a big fan of the dolls, this is a wonderfully done book, and probably the best history of a franchise that I have ever seen. Definitely take a look.
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American Girl. The Making of American Girl
Barr, Jennifer Robin. Thunder and Mercy
July 14, 2026 by Calkins Creek
ARC provided by the publisher
In 1979, Theodora Underwood's parents are more interested in following their own scientific interests than in "Thunder", so she is tutored by a nanny in Boston during the school year and shuttled off to various relatives in the summer. She is used to being alone, and has a lot of initiative. When she tires of staying with a college aged cousins, she managed to travel by bus and taxi to Philadelphia to stay with her Aunt Hazel in her crumbling historical mansion in Fairmount Park. Thunder's parents consider Hazel "hippie-dippie", and certainly the organization of the house is more carefree than the methodical ways of the other Underwoods. She is very welcoming to her niece, however, and gives her her own room, specially decorated for her, as well as a notebook. Since most of her relatives were just annoyed to have to deal with her, Thunder is pleased. She is even able to have a storage closet for her own hideaway. When she finds a 200 year old letter there written by Margaret "Mercy" Percy, she carefully handles it, and when she tells Hazel about it, is allowed to keep it and investigate the mystery it outlines. The house had been owned by Benedict Arnold, and the letter mentions his wife, Peggy, and has cryptic clues to the whereabouts of Mercy's journal. Hazel gets help with the house from handyman Mr. Dixon, as well as Pop Jackson, who has two children, Charlie and Heather. Thunder isn't used to having friends, but gets drawn in to the Jackson children's plans, especially when they help her with the mystery. There is also a prowler in the area, purportedly looking for an important ring. After finding Mercy's journal, the children embark on a sometimes treacherous investigation to try to uncover the identities of women spies during the American Revolution. Thunder enjoys the hunt, and loves living with her Aunt and talking to people like Professor Maggie Kenner. As the summer draws to a close, however, will she have to return to being homeschooled?
Thunder is an engaging character who is having trouble understanding why any adults would find her company valuable. Aunt Hazel is delightful and welcoming, and her house, while it needs a lot of renovation, offers much scope for the imagination. There are hidden passages, very old documents, and other artefacts that are quite interesting. I appreciated that Thunder didn't keep too many secrets from Hazel, and Hazel gave her a lot of leeway. Watching Thunder interact with the children in the neighborhood was also interesting, and her desire to remain with a supportive and fun community is understandable, especially since her parents don't seem very pleasant.
The mystery is well developed, and there are a lot of clues and information about the Revolutionary War, which is especially nice during the Sestercentennial! This reminded me a lot of books I read in the 1970s, with plenty of details from the journal about goings on. Fortunately, the journal entries are in a different font that has some characteristics of cursive by is closer to print, so young readers can decode it Real historical characters are referenced, and readers who are interested might want to pick up Sheinkin's The Notorious Benedict Arnold for more information. There is some tension when neighbors are suspected, but I don't want to give away any twists and turns.
There are plenty of details about life in the 1970s, and popular movies and songs are mentioned frequently. Since I was about Thunder's age at this time, I can tell you they are pretty much spot on, although by this time I am not sure we would have been wearing an orange polyester pantsuits. That seems more 1975. Fashions changed incredibly quickly in this decade!
Readers who love history and are up to the challenge of 368 pages of history and clues, and who enjoyed Durst's Spy Ring or Landis' Capitol Chase, will look forward to this title by the author of Goodbye, Mr. Spalding.
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May 12, 2026 by American Girl Publishing
Copy provided by the publisher
The first chapter of this book, detailing how Pleasant Rowland was inspired to create her iconic dolls and chapter books, could be made into a middle grade nonfiction book on its own, but when you add the rest of the information about each of the original six American Girl dolls, as well as chapters about the American Girl magazine and American Girl Place, this book is absolutely everything anyone could possibly want to know about this influential franchise.
I have to applaud Ms. Rowland not only for coming up with the idea of early chapter books featuring stories about girls from different time periods who have adventures and the dolls that go with the books, but for documenting her process and saving all of her papers. It is absolutely fascinating to see letters between her and writer Valerie Tripp, sketches of the dolls and original illustrations, and even fabric swatches for the outfits. There are even reproductions of the covers of vintage magazines like Harper's Bazaar and Good Housekeeping that inspired some of the outfits. There are vintage prints, and pictures of toys and household accessories as well. One of my favorite things was a mock up of the catalog that Ms. Rowland did. How cool was it that the catalogs showed the doll as the actual 18" size?!
The chapters of the different dolls cover so much information! Whether you were a fan of Samantha, Kristen, Molly, Felicity, Addy, or Josefina, you will find everything you can ever want to know about the character. There are illustrations from the original books that portray all of the characters, inspirations for the names and outfits, details about the research that was done, and a two page spread of each doll. I'm a fabric geek, so I adored all of the sketches with swatches, and there are even prototypes of shoes and knitwear. There is information about the storylines, as well as authors and illustrators who were involved in the projects. There are even some fans depicted, some of whom later became involved in the company. There are even some knitting patterns, like the chart for Kristen's sweater!
The chapter about the magazine was also interesting; my daughters had a subscription for several years. There are a few letters and pieces of artwork from fans shown, and some discussion of the stories about the American Girl dolls characters that were included. I somehow missed the paper dolls, but those were VERY cool. There's a little bit of information about the books like The Care and Keeping of You, but I would have been glad to know a little bit more about that aspect of the company.
I didn't know that there was more than one American Girl Store, so the chapter on the brick and mortar retail aspect of the company was fascinating. I did have one friend who took her daughter to the American Girl Place in Chicago, and it seemed like a VERY fancy weekend.
This was an absolutely gorgeous book, but it is 10.5 x 1.2 x 13 inches and almost five and a half pounds! Perfect for a coffee table, but a little much for a middle school student to carry in a back pack. If you are a fan of the American Girl dolls, or know someone who is, this would be a fantastic gift. Now, if Mattel would do a similar book about the creation and evolution of Barbie, that would be great!
July 14, 2026 by Calkins Creek
ARC provided by the publisher
In 1979, Theodora Underwood's parents are more interested in following their own scientific interests than in "Thunder", so she is tutored by a nanny in Boston during the school year and shuttled off to various relatives in the summer. She is used to being alone, and has a lot of initiative. When she tires of staying with a college aged cousins, she managed to travel by bus and taxi to Philadelphia to stay with her Aunt Hazel in her crumbling historical mansion in Fairmount Park. Thunder's parents consider Hazel "hippie-dippie", and certainly the organization of the house is more carefree than the methodical ways of the other Underwoods. She is very welcoming to her niece, however, and gives her her own room, specially decorated for her, as well as a notebook. Since most of her relatives were just annoyed to have to deal with her, Thunder is pleased. She is even able to have a storage closet for her own hideaway. When she finds a 200 year old letter there written by Margaret "Mercy" Percy, she carefully handles it, and when she tells Hazel about it, is allowed to keep it and investigate the mystery it outlines. The house had been owned by Benedict Arnold, and the letter mentions his wife, Peggy, and has cryptic clues to the whereabouts of Mercy's journal. Hazel gets help with the house from handyman Mr. Dixon, as well as Pop Jackson, who has two children, Charlie and Heather. Thunder isn't used to having friends, but gets drawn in to the Jackson children's plans, especially when they help her with the mystery. There is also a prowler in the area, purportedly looking for an important ring. After finding Mercy's journal, the children embark on a sometimes treacherous investigation to try to uncover the identities of women spies during the American Revolution. Thunder enjoys the hunt, and loves living with her Aunt and talking to people like Professor Maggie Kenner. As the summer draws to a close, however, will she have to return to being homeschooled?
Thunder is an engaging character who is having trouble understanding why any adults would find her company valuable. Aunt Hazel is delightful and welcoming, and her house, while it needs a lot of renovation, offers much scope for the imagination. There are hidden passages, very old documents, and other artefacts that are quite interesting. I appreciated that Thunder didn't keep too many secrets from Hazel, and Hazel gave her a lot of leeway. Watching Thunder interact with the children in the neighborhood was also interesting, and her desire to remain with a supportive and fun community is understandable, especially since her parents don't seem very pleasant.
The mystery is well developed, and there are a lot of clues and information about the Revolutionary War, which is especially nice during the Sestercentennial! This reminded me a lot of books I read in the 1970s, with plenty of details from the journal about goings on. Fortunately, the journal entries are in a different font that has some characteristics of cursive by is closer to print, so young readers can decode it Real historical characters are referenced, and readers who are interested might want to pick up Sheinkin's The Notorious Benedict Arnold for more information. There is some tension when neighbors are suspected, but I don't want to give away any twists and turns.
There are plenty of details about life in the 1970s, and popular movies and songs are mentioned frequently. Since I was about Thunder's age at this time, I can tell you they are pretty much spot on, although by this time I am not sure we would have been wearing an orange polyester pantsuits. That seems more 1975. Fashions changed incredibly quickly in this decade!
Readers who love history and are up to the challenge of 368 pages of history and clues, and who enjoyed Durst's Spy Ring or Landis' Capitol Chase, will look forward to this title by the author of Goodbye, Mr. Spalding.
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