Molly's Surprise: A Christmas Story

Christmastime is hard for a lot of people, and Molly's situation is not an easy one. As she tries to make Christmas as close to normal as possible, she learns that it's just as much fun (or even moreso) to be the one giving surprises as to be the one getting them. I love the ending of this one. I may have teared up a little.

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 show more 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. show less

ISBN 0937295256 – The American Girl books are quickly becoming favorites of mine, mostly for sentimental reasons. I'm not sure that that reason translates for young girls, but their little consumer-driven hearts will enjoy the "real" stories of their dolls anyway. With a war going on now, this book seemed very appropriate, so I bumped it up the to-be-read list.

The McIntires, like most of America, faced the Christmas of 1944 with a combination of hope and worry. Molly's older sister, Jill, was encouraging everyone to be "realistic", and not waste time hoping for fun presents because they'd be disappointed when everything they got was practical. Their father was off in Europe, in danger every day, but it was still hard to believe that show more the magic of Christmas would wane this year. No gifts had arrived from Dad and Molly, for one, was certain they would show up soon. In the meantime, the McIntires will have to learn to make do and create their own special surprises for one another.

There are some spectacular moments in this story, including the conversation between Molly and Jill, where the girls reveal their real concern about the lack of gifts from their father: if he hasn’t sent anything, not even a card, how can they know he's okay? The current wars don’t really equate to WWII, and the level of patriotism and sacrifice are not exactly the same, but the belief in Santa, the joy of Christmas, the love of family and the worries for the people serving our country… those are always the same. Molly's Surprise captures them very well – I think adults will even find themselves enjoying this one. The educational material at the end of the book is a nice bonus.

- AnnaLovesBooks show less

Wow, I've had this book maybe since I was 8. It's the only one of my AGC books I've kept (and I used to be obsessed with American Girl and collecting them); I read it every Christmas. To me it helps capture the hope and uncertainty of a child at Christmas during hard times, and the joy of surprises and the certainty of family love.

I liked this book for two reasons. I liked the language. It was descriptive and detailed, and also used a wide range of figurative language so that the audience is more engaged in the story. For example, the author writes, "Her cheeks were already as red as Christmas bows" (p. 35). This simile helps the audience envision how red Jill's cheeks were in an interesting and unique way rather than using boring word choice and stating how red her cheeks were. By using engaging and detailed language, the author creates a more intriguing story while providing details so that the audience can imagine the story in their minds as they read. I also like the illustrations in the text. While they are few and spaced out throughout the chapter book, the show more illustrations help the audience understand terms that they may not be familiar with. Because this takes place in the 1940s, young readers may not have all of the background knowledge to understand everything that is written. For example, the author writes of a soldier's hat and a canteen on page 4. Some students may have never been exposed to this kind of language, so the corresponding illustration can help the readers understand what these things are so they can fully understand the text. Overall, the big idea of this story is the importance of family and good relationships. show less

Nine-year-old Molly McIntire wants nothing more than for this Christmas to be the same as the last one, but everything is different because of the war. Most of all, she misses her dad, who is a doctor serving in England. But her mom reminds her that Christmas is a time for surprises, and with the help of her sister, Molly makes a few surprises of her own.
"Molly's Surprise" is a wonderful short novel full of Christmas spirit. Valerie Tripp does a great job of showing the sacrifices that regular Americans made during World War II. I'd recommend it for girls ages 8-12.

Summary: Young Molly is a child experiencing life on the homefront during World War Two. Her father is overseas and the entire family is having to brave through Christmastime without him. Molly is certain that her father will surprise the family with gifts even while he is away. However, her family is not as hopeful. In the end, though, Molly and her siblings and their mother all realize that Christmas always comes with a few surprises.

Personal Reaction: I would have to say that Molly is my favorite American Girl. This book gives a great account of what it was like for families. Not just during the war, but during the holidays on the homefront. This would be a great book for any elementary age level second grade and up as it teaches show more children about life during that time period.

Classroom Extension: Students could pretend that they are living on the homefront and they are writing a letter to a friend or family member overseas. They would have to choose why they were out of the country (soldier, doctor, nurse, etc)
and the reason they had for writing to them. Also, another project would be to have children make practical gifts such as the ones given during the 1940s, and exchange them with a classmate. show less

Molly's Surprise is about a girl named Molly McIntire who is living during World War II era. Molly, like any nine-year old, expects for Christmas to be the same as previous years'. But to Molly's surprise some circumstances bring about changes along with new adventures.

This book is apart of the American Girl Collection. I first read the book in the second grade. These books are great for helping children to identify more with history.

A great idea is to have children read the story and identify story parts and to have them look at the similarities between Molly's time and today. Be prepared to let kids do further research about the time period which is found in the back of the book.