This is tge E-Mail I just got from AG:

An interview with the author of the Molly book series
MEET MOLLY AUTHOR, VALERIE TRIPP
Molly McIntire, the ?star? of our new American Girl movie airing Nov. 26th on Disney Channel, is a lively nine-year-old growing up during World War Two. Her story vividly captures for girls today the challenges, struggles, triumphs, and joys of growing up during one of America?s toughest and bravest times.

The original six-book series about Molly was written by Valerie Tripp, who went on to create other beloved American Girl characters, including Felicity, Josefina, and Kit. We asked her to give you a peek into the process of creating Molly, and here?s what she had to say:


?Molly was the first American Girl I wrote about. I created a friend, a character I thought I?d like to read about. Molly is bright and funny, and she was always delightful to write about because I could depend upon her to get carried away. Molly is figuring out her place in the world and trying?daily!?to strike a balance between exuberance and self-control, assertion and compassion. And isn?t that true of all nine-going-on-ten-year-olds? It was also true, I think, of the United States at the time of World War Two. Emerging from the Depression, marshalling its strength, realizing its influence and its responsibility as a world power, the U.S. was growing up, too.

?Finding that parallel was crucial. For all the American Girl characters I?ve created, the character?s life-situation is an allegory for the situation of the U.S. at that time. Like the U.S., Molly must learn to use her resources, stand up for what she believes in, and sacrifice her immediate wants for the good of others.


?The emotional current running through the Molly books is the longing for Molly?s dad to return home so that life can return to its pre-war, safe normality. Gently but firmly, I help the reader realize that it is impossible for Molly?as it is anyone?to go backward. I want my reader to know that she will face challenges and disappointments, but that just as Molly does, she has all she needs to triumph: energy, ability, promise, stick-to-it-iveness, and the love of grownups around her.?

RESEARCHING MOLLY?S STORIES ?While writing the Molly books, I read everything I could find about the home front, pored over photographs in Life magazines, watched movies, listened to music, and spoke to everyone I could find about his or her memories of the 1940s. My father was a GI, my mother worked in a munitions factory, and my aunt was in the Red Cross.

?My parents helped me understand how it felt to live through World War Two as much by their example as by recounting their memories. They made it clear that you did your patriotic duty without complaint and to the best of your ability. I could see how proud they were of having participated in the terrible struggle, how lucky they felt to have survived to be reunited after the war, and how fragile and precious peace was to them.?

Now, Molly?s story comes to life on-screen with all the heart, depth, and historical richness that have made her books enduring favorites for 20 years. We hope that you and your family will enjoy watching Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front, on Sunday, Nov. 26th, at 8/7c on Disney Channel.