ok bestie - I have been enjoying talking to you because you are open to seeing both sides. American Girl was new when Molly was developed - and I think that said - they did a good job. In my life so little was known about the Holocaust until the past few decades. I think the Jewish people were either afraid to speak out or had no where to speak out. I don't think the American people knew so much and they only knew what the press was telling them. As I said - it was so shocking and unbelievable that it didn't come up very often.

American Girl can't flavor the Molly books with things that the people were not talking about or didn't know (or didn't want to know).

As I said - the best way to handle it would be if it were told from the view point of a family who escaped Nazi Germany had a 10 year old daughter and the story was told through her eyes. Then they could truly convey what had been going on and do the storyline justice. To tell it through Molly's eyes would come off as demeaning to the truth.

Don't be mad at AG for not telling the tale through Molly, but for not telling it at all in a way that would be appropriate.

AG hasn't told the story of the Japanese Americans that were put in prison camps during that time. The American people didn't know about that either. Or it was not talked or written about. WWII is a vast story - and it has to be told over time in the proper way.

I still hope that you will take the time to read her books and then I would love to hear your take on it.

While I do agree that she can be a little bit of a brat- that's an important part of the story. Her character progression. She goes from a girl who can't curl her hair to a girl who embraces her natural hair. Molly slowly begins to accept the things she doesn't like (with an exception of turnips, but that's a long-running joke.) to help her seem more relatable to young kids, but also as a positive example.

However someone did mention the creation of Nanea to deal with the other subjects of the 40's that were unspoken in Molly's perspective, it just might've been a little much for the target age range to handle all at once, and I can understand why American Girl would do that.

ok, i take back what i said. she is not a brat, however, i still think her character failed to explain ( and just straight up ignored ) a lot of things. yes she is a child, and she does get a pass on some things ( like complaining about eat some foods) but her book just straight up ignored the holocaust and that isn't ok.

I personally love Molly, but I do agree that she can be bratty. However, given her circumstances, I have some sympathy for her. The poor girl misses her dad and there is a major war going on and she has to cope with Emily arriving. And I do wish the Holocaust was mentioned, however, Molly's parents probably wouldn't have wanted to tell her.

Yeah, Molly's not a brat, if you want a brat, watch some of the GOTY movies, they are little bit of brats sometimes

Molly is not a brat - she is a child. Her father is away from home in England. She doesn't understand the war (I haven't seen too many 9 year olds that do). Her mother also has to work to support the family so she doesn't have her mother with her very much either - and she has to eat food she isn't used to. So everything that is normal for her is upside down.

The war was big and had many angles. Pearl Harbor isn't mentioned in Molly's book either and that is what got the USA into the war. They created Nanea to deal with that aspect.

I do not want to minimalize the Holocaust at all. I grew up in the 1950s and don't remember that being talked about. I read Diary of Anne Frank in the 60s. What they went through was beyond terrible. I don't think my parents talked about it because I was young and they didn't discuss things like that with children.

AG Historical Books are aimed at 7 to 12 year old girls. AG was feeling the waters back then and trying to get girls interested in the topics without so much detail that it would be frightening. I know they had the same problem with Addy and the Civil War. Slaves went through so much worse than Addy did - and what Addy went through was traumatic enough. My son was in the age range when Addy came out and I read the books to him - he couldn't listen to certain parts because he never heard of a child being forced to run away with her mother getting cuts on her legs from the trees and bushes.

I read Kirsten's stories as an adult and didn't like it when her friend Marta died.

Perhaps some day they will have a doll from WWII that will have escaped from Germany and they can deal with the Holocausts with that doll. WWII has many stories to tell.

I really hope you take the time to read her books (they are in the library) and then I would love to hear about your thoughts, even if they are similar to what they are now.

I would like to point out that children have good days and bad. I think AG represented it's characters in a realistic way. I was not a brat by any stretch of the imagination - but back then you had to clean your plate. I remember sitting at the dinner table for hours while my mother waited for me to eat everything - and I couldn't get up from the table. I can tell you that I was miserable and I'm sure someone would have thought I was a brat. You had to eat what was served on the plate whether you liked it or not. I know some adults that can't handle that. So, if you never cried or carried on about anything when you were a child then I support your assessment that she was a brat.

Just wanted to offer a different view point. If you don't love an AG doll it would be a waste of money to buy her. They have so many dolls I'm sure there are many for you to love. Which one is your favorite?

I love Molly! I have read her books and watched her movie and I personally think they are great!

In her book, the part where she is whining about the turnups isn’t particularly my favorite part of the book, but it is trying to show how people during World War II had to make do with what they had. Including eating foods, they didn't like. I don't really think she acts bratty in her books either.

I also think the Holocaust was not mentioned because if Molly was supposed to be 9 or 10 years old in her books her parents might not have thought it would be necessary for her to know about it? That's at least what I thought when I first read her books.

I definitely would give Molly’s books a second chance! Just read the old AG ones not the new Beforever ones bc I think the old ones are better :)