DEAR AMERICA: A JOURNEY TO THE NEW WORLD

Now I feel like my journey back through these series has truly begun, because I just finished rereading my first actual Dear America book! It's been all Royal Diaries and the one My America trilogy until now.

Mem. What can I say about Mem? She's one of the most well-known DA characters, having one of the first three books, which were all released on September 1, 1996. I'll talk about the book itself first. I don't think I've ever read it right after Elizabeth's before, because I don't remember noticing the similarities in their stories before. Maybe I did and just don't remember. It's been a few years since my last reread. Mem comes over many years after Elizabeth as one of the pilgrims that will eventually make it to Plimoth. But both girls' mothers die of sickness, both their fathers remarry taciturn women who have lost their husbands similarly and who watch over the girls' young sisters and get to know their families that way, and both lose their best friends when those girls return to England, their fathers having lost their wives. The book is well-written and Mem is a very likeable character. She's more of a good girl, whereas Elizabeth was sassier. Mem's book feels a bit more realistic than Elizabeth's. Elizabeth is always doing some big adventurous thing.

Kathryn Lasky wrote four of the original DA series, one My Name Is America, one of the My America trilogies, and five Royal Diaries. (We've come across her before not long ago with Elizabeth and Mary, Queen of Scots.)

Some of the Dear America and Royal Diaries books were included in the My Story line, which is basically the UK's version of DA. I may tackle those books as a reread after DA.

Mem has had several different looks, as you can see. Dear America used details from paintings for their character images. I believe My Story does the same, but I feel their Mem looks more like she does in the book. Her hair is described as "bright," so she must be blonde. I can't recall if she says for sure, because I know Elizabeth does and there's a chance I may be thinking of what she said and putting it on Mem. But Mem does describe people with red hair and I would think she would note if she had that, which leaves her as blonde.

Mem was the subject of one of the live action retellings of the books, and she was one of the four girls made into a Madame Alexander doll. The doll seems mostly based on the movie actress. I used to have Mem and she was pretty awesome, but her outfit stained her. I actually had all four of the DA dolls, but now I only have Catharine Carey Logan left. (She's the real proof the dolls were based on the actresses, because on the book, Caty's blonde, but the actress and doll have red hair.)

Her book was also included in the recent reissue of several DA books, but I'm not sure the artist was actually told the time period, because her hair should not be loose and blowing in the wind. A lot of the reissue girls got gorgeous new art, but Mem's just does not fit her character at all.

So that's our first DA girl. Not much of a book review, I know, but when I like a book, I don't have much to say about it other than recommending everyone read it!