ISBN 0590459872 – I’ve put off reading any American Girls books because I’ve really disliked the entire AG phenomenon, with extraordinarily overpriced dolls and all the extras. Having finally read a pair of them, I consider myself ashamed of myself for judging a book by the product it promotes.

Felicity is a young tomboy-ish girl in 1774, when her mother decides that it’s time for her to start learning the things she will need to know as an adult – and those things don’t include the education Felicity is interested in. She begins to take lessons from Miss Manderly, along with sisters Elizabeth and Annabelle Cole. Elizabeth and Felicity become friends, but Annabelle is a snobby Loyalist and when Felicity’s father shows himself to be a Patriot, Felicity finds she has to decide for herself what she believes in.

When an unmarried woman, an old maid in her time, is the person who teaches young girls what they’ll need to know in order to be good wives, the world is off-track, I think. I found it mildly offensive that the reader is supposed to believe that Felicity just accepted the role she obviously didn’t look forward to. Even if that’s an accurate reflection of the time, the author could have done better. The information casually sprinkled throughout is nice (“a pomade of hog’s fat and cinnamon” ought to get them asking questions!). The educational materials at the back of the book are a fantastic addition to a pretty good book and the illustrations are awesome, with a resemblance to the illustrations in older editions of Little Women, a rare occurrence in books for older children. But I still don’t like the dolls, et al.

- AnnaLovesBooks ( )

This book is a double of one in my classroom library. Felicity has started lessons with her new friend, Elizabeth. Everything is going wonderfully, until the division between colonists and loyalists begins to touch the girls. Felicity finds a way to politely refuse her tea and keep her friendship intact. She learns that you don’t throw things away just because they’ve become more difficult. Includes “A Peek Into the Past.” ( )

This is the second book of the American Girls: Felicity series. It's a bit better than the first book, but still a fine example of waiting room material. In this tale, Felicity is sent over to a neighbors to get an education in being a "gentlewoman". Despite Felicity's "spunky" and independent nature, she manages to do rather well and even enjoy the lessons. However the process is complicated by her two classmates: Elizabeth and Annabelle. They are recent arrivals from England. Elizabeth is eager to be Felicity's friend, but Annabelle is more interested in pointing out her own superiority as one raised in the mother country. Of course, the year is 1774, and people are starting to take sides over the issue of American independence. It's probably this plot thread that makes this book a bit better than Meet Felicity.
--J. ( )

Felicity has started lessons with her new friend, Elizabeth. Everything is going wonderfully, until the division between colonists and loyalists begins to touch the girls. Felicity finds a way to politely refuse her tea and keep her friendship intact. She learns that you don’t throw things away just because they’ve become more difficult. Includes “A Peek Into the Past.” ( )