Image Credit: American Girl

These books are relatively quick reads for me, but since I love historical fiction, I try really hard to pay attention to all the details!

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Nanea’s story begins in 1941, on the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Her given name is Alice Nanea, and the author packs a variety of Hawaiian words into the story. She’s the baby of the family, with an older brother, David, and an older sister, Mary Lou. Her mother is a Hawaiian native, while her father is from Oregon, from the mainland. I had to remind myself that Hawaii wasn’t a state yet!

Nanea enjoys spending time with her friends, Lily and Donna. They like shave ice on the beach, learning and performing hula, and school.

As the story progresses, we learn that Nanea’s father is a welder for one of the shipyards. Pearl Harbor is bustling with activity, especially as World War II has ramped up over the last several years. However, many on the island go about their daily business, welcoming tourists and taking care of their families.

A special contest is being held, and Nanea and her friends are excited to enter. The prize is a brand-new Schwinn bike! They have to meet four criteria. The deadline to enter is December 15th.

Then, on December 7th, everything changes. Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese. Nanea’s father has to work around the clock, and her brother and sister volunteer their time and effort in the community. Nanea feels like the baby again, wanting to help, but being too young. Everyone is scared as martial law is declared, blackouts begin, and schools are closed.

Christmas doesn’t feel very festive, but the family celebrates anyway. They rekindle the Hawaiian spirit of “ohana” and “aloha.”

This story wraps up around January 1942. Just as things begin to look normal again, Nanea and her friends learn that one of them may have to leave because of the Army’s orders. Nanea wants to help her friends, but she’s not sure how!

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Overall, I dug deep into Nanea’s story. I found myself dreaming about the story and picturing certain scenes every night when I went to bed. I really want to visit Hawaii now!

I really appreciate the attention to historical accuracy, while making it relevant to the main audience. Nanea may be the baby, but she’s starting to grow up. And, I learned a few new things along the way!

I’m already thirteen chapters into Volume 2 – Look for that review soon!

5 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: American Girl

If you haven’t already, I would recommend reading the two other Book Reviews I’ve written about Felicity’s books:

• Book Review #41: “Love and Loyalty: A Felicity Classic 1”
• Book Review #42: “A Stand for Independence: A Felicity Classic 2”

I think I loved this “Journey Book” more than all the ones I’ve read so far!

I know I’m biased because I live about 45 minutes away from Colonial Williamsburg. Regardless, I love how American Girl has portrayed Williamsburg in the present day, as well as the colonial period.

Our modern girl lives with her dad and grandmother, above her grandmother’s antiques shop. A miniature portrait on a chain catapults her back to 1775, and she meets Felicity and her friends. I loved how the author incorporated the current Williamsburg interpreters into the adventure!

Maybe it was just me (I haven’t counted all of them), but I feel like Felicity’s Journey Book has the most adventures that the reader can choose. It was really cool, but it was part of the reason why it took me longer to read it than the other two volumes.

There wasn’t really anything that I disliked about this book. If you’re looking for adventure, heart-stopping thrills, and an education on colonial times, this is an awesome book to check out!

This reader definitely wants to dive deeper into Colonial Williamsburg and its history. For me, I have no excuse!

5 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: American Girl

If you haven’t already, I would recommend reading the review of the first Felicity volume before this one:

• Book Review #41: “Love and Loyalty: A Felicity Classic 1”

Volume 2 doesn’t quite pick up where Volume 1 leaves off, but that is easily forgiven. Like Love and Loyalty, Volume 2 covers the remaining three books of the original six-book series: Happy Birthday, Felicity!, Felicity Saves The Day, and Changes for Felicity.

Felicity turns ten years old early in the book, surrounded by family and friends. There are several surprises to be had – Grandfather gives her an amazing and precious gift, but warns her to be careful and be responsible with it. Mother is expecting a fourth child, and Penny the horse is due to be a mother as well! So much excitement!

Felicity learns an important lesson about responsibility as she outright disobeys Grandfather. She struggles with guilt and shame, but ultimately tells the truth. Will she be forgiven? Will the gift be taken back?

The second part of the book follows the Merrimans away from Williamsburg, and headed to Grandfather’s spectacular King’s Creek Plantation on the York River. I immediately recognized many of the names and places in the book. In my research, the plantation land has long been converted to a neighborhood full of houses and cottages, but the views of the York River are still breathtaking and beautiful. Seeing the modern photos (thank you, Internet), made me close my eyes and imagine what it looked like in 1775. The book helped immensely too – I saw Felicity, Nan, and William enjoying every one of their summer days, outside all day long! How carefree and wonderful.

The summer, however, is not without trouble. Mr. Merriman’s apprentice, Ben, becomes restless and impatient, and decides to run away. Luckily, Felicity comes to the rescue. The weaving of history is incredible. Ben struggles mightily with wanting to serve out his seven years as an apprentice to learn the trade, but the preparations for revolution grow stronger, almost every hour. At sixteen, Ben wants to join the fight. Will Felicity help him?

As summer fades to fall and winter, health issues plague members of Felicity’s family. Penny is due to give birth, but experiences complications, and an old enemy’s help is needed. Grandfather falls gravely ill, and the entire family pitches in to take care of him. The weather is just as violent, and the fight for independence grows stronger. Everyone spends the winter cooped up inside, trying to understand what’s happening in their family, as well as their colony.

Between the two books, I felt so much childhood nostalgia. I was propelled back to the early 1990s when I read and re-read the original six books, staring longingly at the beautiful illustrations. As I finished this book, I felt my excitement growing for Felicity’s newest book, Gunpowder and Tea Cakes. Review coming soon!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: American Girl

I was a little apprehensive when I first learned that Felicity was being re-released under the BeForever line. She was originally archived in the spring of 2011. That’s quite a while!

However, I was pleasantly surprised when Al bought my Volume 1 and Volume 2 for my birthday earlier this month. Reading them has brought back so many childhood memories!

If you’ve read the original six-book “Central Series” before, you’ll notice that Volume 1 covers roughly the first three books. In this case, this includes Meet Felicity, Felicity Learns A Lesson, and Felicity’s Surprise.

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I easily connected with Felicity’s character, mainly because her stories are set in Williamsburg, Virginia, during colonial times. Having grown up just a stone’s throw away from the historic city (About 45 minutes), Felicity was fairly popular among my friends in elementary school. When we celebrated Colonial Days, I saw many girls dressed in the period clothes that American Girl sold – I felt incredibly jealous!

The “new” Volume 1 opens in 1774. At nine years old, Felicity Merriman is the oldest child, with a younger sister and brother behind her. Her mother is the homemaker, while her father runs one of the most popular shops in the city. He imports many goods from Great Britain, and it quickly becomes evident that tensions are rising between the Loyalists and the Patriots.

Like the other American Girl books, the historical accuracy blew me away. I felt like I was on the streets of Williamsburg alongside Felicity, as she spends time with her family, makes deliveries for her father with his apprentice, Ben, and makes a new friend, Elizabeth. I could easily feel the heat between her Grandfather, a Loyalist, and Ben, a strong-headed Patriot. Felicity herself deals with complications, as Elizabeth and her family are from England, and are devoted to the king.

Rumors of revolution begin to develop, and the theme of freedom runs throughout. Felicity fights to free Penny the horse from her abusive master. Ben wants to be a member of the militia, but knows he’s obligated to Mr. Merriman for seven years of service. One character is jailed, and the families come together to attempt to set them free. The people of Williamsburg are upset with the oppressive taxes, and set out to begin to declare their independence.

As Christmas approaches, Felicity deals with love, loss, and hardship. She learns to be less impatient and more thoughtful. She begins to grow and blossom, and develops a greater appreciation for her family, and for the events surrounding her and her city. She deals with a lot of conflict, but in conflicting times, she perseveres.

Although I miss the beautiful illustrations from the old books, I greatly appreciated the attention to detail. I felt like I was in 1774, and it was hard to come back to 2017!

My review of Volume 2 is coming soon!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Amazon

If you haven’t already, I recommend reading the other reviews of Melody’s books before checking out this one:

• Book Review #13: “No Ordinary Sound: A Melody Classic”
• Book Review #14: “Never Stop Singing: A Melody Classic 2”
• Book Review #34: “Music in My Heart: My Journey with Melody”

This is Melody’s first mystery story, and I was just blown away. I read this entire book in one sitting this past Saturday night – Something that hasn’t happened in a very, very long time.

The book is set in May 1965, and Melody is going through something that we all have struggled with – Maintaining old relationships/friendships while trying to be nice and make new friends. We see her trying to keep up her relationship with her 12-year-old cousin, Val, but also admiring 14-year-old Leah, wanting to be friends with her, too. Val gets really jealous because she starts to become the third wheel, and Melody is caught in the middle. But, there’s a mystery to solve!

Melody starts to suspect that Leah is keeping several secrets, particularly about her grandfather, Dr. Roth. Slowly, Melody learns Dr. Roth escaped Poland and the Nazis during World War II. As a botanist, he wanted to save as many plants as he could. Along the way, Melody gets an education about the Jewish faith, Hebrew, and the horrors of war. She makes a connection with Leah around family, and Melody learns that she can balance time with family as well as friends.

All of these secrets are coming to light while Melody’s Poppa is busy preparing for the Belle Isle Flower Show at the breathtaking conservancy. Several mysterious and suspicious events occur while the exhibition is being set up, and Poppa is targeted because he’s the only black man in the show. Are there other suspects? Will Poppa be arrested?

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This book was a bit complex, but I was very impressed in how it all pulled together. I was floored by the amount of historical detail the author packed into this book! She expertly weaved together the worlds of Europe and the United States, as well as the worlds of African-Americans and Jewish people during those time periods. And to make it all make sense, that’s impressive to me.

I hope more Melody mysteries are published – I want more!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: American Girl Publishing

If you haven’t already, I recommend checking out my other reviews on Maryellen’s books before reading this review:

• Book Review #15: “The One and Only: A Maryellen Classic”
• Book Review #16: “Taking Off: A Maryellen Classic 2”
• Book Review #18: “The Finders Keepers Rule: A Maryellen Mystery”
• Book Review #21: “The Sky’s The Limit: My Journey with Maryellen”

This new mystery featuring Maryellen, her family, and friends, takes us from Daytona Beach, all the way to Cape Canaveral!

Scooter is the Larkin family’s beloved daschund. Maryellen grows angry with him one day after tripping over him, and sends him out of the house. Hours later, Scooter simply disappears! Maryellen is heartbroken, convinced it was her fault that Scooter ran away.

Things start to become fishy when Maryellen and her friends notice other dogs in the neighborhood have vanished. Soon, multiple suspects are coming out of the woodwork. Can Maryellen and her friends solve the case? Will Scooter return?

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I finished this book, all 232 pages, in just two nights. I think it took me about 90 minutes total to read it. I love these new mysteries with the BeForever characters. I want to read them all!

A fair warning – This book may be upsetting to some who are passionate about dogs and animals, but it’s an important book to read. I’m glad that American Girl is touching on tough topics (I won’t give anything significant away here), and the historical accuracy and explanations are superb. They cover a lot of ground in this one book, showcasing how dogs and other animals have been, and still are, used for science and scientific purposes. They also tie in the space race with the Soviet Union!

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I’m planning to read Melody’s (1964) latest mystery next!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: amazon.com

“By choosing our path, we choose our destination.”

~Thomas S. Monson

If you haven’t already, I recommend checking out my previous Maryellen book reviews before reading this one:

• Book Review #15: “The One and Only: A Maryellen Classic”
• Book Review #16: “Taking Off: A Maryellen Classic 2”
• Book Review #18: “The Finders Keepers Rule: A Maryellen Mystery”

In 2014, when American Girl first announced the relaunch of their historical characters into the BeForever line, I was skeptical of their revamping of the books. For nearly 20 years, I was used to each historical character having six books that make up their story, set over roughly the course of a year in their life.

Now, they’ve condensed the shorter six books into three longer books.It still covers roughly a year in their life, and the number of pages are pretty close between the two.

The main difference is the third book in each collection is a choose-your-own-adventure style, where girls of today dive right into the historical girl’s world.

Although immensely skeptical, I was also immediately intrigued. I wanted to read them!

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Maryellen’s stories are the first complete collection in the new format that I have completed. I’m planning to do the same with Melody soon – See Book Review #13 and Book Review #14 for more!

Going in, I knew the story started with a girl of today being transported into Maryellen’s world because of the sneak peeks in the previous books.

To my surprise, I found that you can read this book without necessarily having to have read the others, which is neat. But, I appreciated having read the three others first. Actually, I recommend it.

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Our modern girl is a skier from the mountains of North Carolina. Suddenly, with the watch she wins from her race, she finds herself in sunny Daytona Beach. Bewildered, she meets Maryellen and her siblings. The adventure commences quickly, and soon the modern girl, and the reader, are swept up in the 1950s and carried away.

I enjoyed being able to choose my path along the way – It made me excited to see what could happen next. I appreciated the blending of both worlds as well.

The only criticism I had was there was a very small section toward the beginning of the book (just a few pages) that required you to skip several pages ahead and then go back to that part later, if you happened to choose that path. I recognized the intent of the author, but it was annoying and a bit confusing. I can see how it could be frustrating to younger readers.

However, despite that slight annoyance, it was a fantastic book. I quickly devoured the different stories and journeys in the span of one night! It’s a breezy read, and I enjoyed the style. I applaud the author, and American Girl, for this ambitious idea for their dolls. Plus, it’s a new spin on other books like this.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: amazon.com

“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates loot on Treasure Island.”

~Walt Disney

After reading the first two volumes in Maryellen Larkin’s collection, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her mystery book.

If you haven’t already, I would recommend reading my first two posts before moving forward with this one:

• Book Review #15: “The One and Only: A Maryellen Classic”
• Book Review #16: “Taking Off: A Maryellen Classic 2”

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Maryellen’s story continues in December 1955. Daytona Beach is busy preparing for its annual dance, and excitement is in the air.

I could almost hear “Rock Around The Clock” in my ears throughout the book. The music of the fifties is amazing!

As Maryellen practices dance steps with her sister Carolyn, and Davy practices football plays, there’s more excitement along the shore. There’s several secrets, a mysterious ring, and a sense of treasure afoot!

This book gripped me by the shirt collar and never let go. I couldn’t put it down! For being a book meant for ages 8 and up, it almost felt like a classic Nancy Drew mystery. There were twists, turns, a bit of danger, and several suspects!

I was happy to see a spotlight on several other characters: Maryellen’s sister Joan, Joan’s new husband, Jerry; and more of Davy.

Once again, this standalone novel proves that 10-year-old kids are just as smart and clever as adults. I was actually sad to get to the end!

If you like the thrill of discovering treasure, history, and a bit of suspense, I definitely recommend this book. This is a new favorite of mine!

To finish out Maryellen’s collection, I will be reading The Sky’s The Limit: My Journey with Maryellen (Choose-your-own-adventure). I hope to have that review published very soon!

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂