by Megan McDonald; Lisa Yee ages 9-12
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Julie Albright, a 9-year-old living in San Francisco, California, is the first new American Girl character in five years. Her six-book series, released this week, follows in the comfortably familiar footsteps of Kaya, Felicity, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, Kit and Molly.
Julie's story is set in the 1970s. Her parents have recently divorced, and she is moving away from her best friend, Ivy Ling. At her new school, Julie wants to join the basketball team, but girls aren't allowed to play. Later, she runs for student body president, the first fifth-grader to do so.
Julie's adventures reflect a time your parents are probably familiar with -- when few girls played sports, even fewer ran for president of something, and many families were split by divorce. The books' publisher hopes Julie's story sparks some mother-daughter talks about how society has changed and what changes might be just ahead.
"Good Luck, Ivy" is a companion book to the series. Nine-year-old Ivy comes from a close-knit Chinese American family. When the all-city gymnastics tournament is set for the same day as her family's reunion, Ivy faces a tough choice.
In case you were wondering, yes, there are American Girl dolls of both Julie and Ivy.
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