Brave Emily

Well worth purchasing if you have read the American Girl Molly stories. Fills out the character of Emily, the English child who was sent from London to escape the bombing. Well done.

Nine-year-old Emily Bennett has had a trying year. The London air raids have left her and her family in danger, so, in an attempt to protect their daughter, her parents send her off to America, where she is supposed to live with her Aunt Primrose. However, once she arrives in the new country, Emily quickly realizes that things will be quite different than she had originally expected. For one, she won't be living with Aunt Primrose, but rather with the McIntire family. Two, she'll be attending a new school with a bunch of strange faces. Luckily, Molly McIntire is in her class, and quickly takes her under her wing; attempting to familiarize her with the ways of the United States. Emily feels satisfied that Molly is her friend, and is grateful to know someone in this new, strange place. After all, Molly is excited that Emily has the ability to help her with her math homework, and Emily is just happy to have the ability to please her new pal. But Emily soon finds herself in hot water when she gives off an air of being quite talented in the way of music, only to find herself forced to play a solo on the flutophone at school. Emily feels ashamed for having lied, and is terrified to have to perform by herself in a new place...a place where she feels alone, and shy around all of these unfamiliar faces. Now, it's up to Emily, with a little help from Molly and her friends Susan and Linda, to buck up, and put on a brave face, in an attempt to show her parents (even though they're in another country), that she can be brave for England. I have been a devoted reader of the AMERICAN GIRLS series for years upon years, and try to keep up-to-date on their new releases. Which is why BRAVE EMILY quickly caught my eye. Being a fan of historical fiction relating to World War II, and the London Air Raids; as well as a huge Molly McIntire fan, I found Emily's story to be enchanting, and a great boost in learning history for young/middle readers. Emily is an adorable character, whose uncertainty about being in a new place, away from her family, is heart-breaking, yet quite admirable; as are her attempts to stay cheerful, happy, and to please the people around her. AMERICAN GIRL fans will find Valerie Tripp's latest addition to the series enjoyable, and will adore having the opportunity to read a story from Emily's point of view; while devoted Molly readers will gladly gobble this story up, and find themselves craving more. BRAVE EMILY will leave readers cheering Emily on, while standing up tall and brave themselves, in the face of adversity! Erika Sorocco Freelance Reviewer

In this American Girls "Molly" tie-in, we learn more about the British girl Emily Bennett who temporarily stays with the family. She's desperate to do something for the British war effort although evacuated to the United States and also wants to fit in with Molly and her classmates. It's a pleasant story if nothing earth-shaking, but one can't help admire Emily, homesick but doing her best. My one question (and I went back to look at my Molly books to confirm that this fact was in the previous volumes, because I had forgotten it): why are Molly and her friends in third grade? Molly is nine. At nine I was in fourth grade, so were my friends; none of us "skipped."

Since the premiere of Samantha's movie in 2004, American Girl has introduced a strong and worthy new tradition of not only creating a film about one of the American Girls every holiday season, but also manufacturing a new doll in honor of a special friend from that character's original books. Samantha's story featured her servant friend-turned-adopted sister Nellie O'Malley, and Felicity was accompanied by her best friend Elizabeth Coleman the following year. Now, this Christmas, the spunky and imaginative Molly McIntire (who represents a more contemporary, relatable story about a girl living through World War II) will appear in a new movie this November with her English friend, Emily Bennett. Just like all the preceding books in this rapidly growing collection (more like a phenomenal franchise with all the success that American Girl has found over the years), Emily's story resonates with a lighthearted, sensitive, and well-crafted tale of love and family. Attached to the stories are timeless messages about caring for others and pulling together through adversity, which is a major reason American Girl has surfaced as a beautiful, long-lasting force in the lives of young girls today. "Brave Emily" captures the fear and uncertainty that 9-year-old heroine Emily Bennett experiences when, at the peak of World War II, her parents send her to the United States for a safer life. She will live temporarily with the McIntire family, whose warm welcome initially cannot calm Emily's feelings about being so far away from her loved ones. Over time, however, the shy and reserved girl develops a friendship with Molly McIntire. Their connection begins with a shared interest for dogs and English princesses, and later finds its core in the girls' gradual understanding of one another's pain-stricken lives. As you would expect from a book written through American Girl, this story is powerful and should not be missed. Girls of all ages will love reading this and buying the adorable new Emily doll (and I do mean ALL ages; I am 21 and can't wait to add this doll to my collection!) Then, in just a few short months, we can look forward to seeing the story on film in a brand-new movie that will surely be as good as the original two, and judging from the success of it all thus far, it will most definitely not be the last!