AMERICAN GIRL: Molly

Growing up, Molly McIntire was my favorite American Girl. I was eight in 1986 when AG debuted. I remember getting a catalog in the mail and being mesmerized by the amount of detail on the accessories. But one thing really stood out: Molly wore GLASSES. Just like me. I don't remember a lot of dolls who wore glasses from when I was young. Shy Violet had them and Plum Pudding, but I never got either of those dolls. Molly resonated with me because I identified with her, especially when it became clear that Samantha was the favorite American Girl, probably because of her wardrobe. Molly had the glasses and the braids, the less girly fancy, more functional wardrobe, the unusual gray eyes. I grew up being the smart girl in glasses, shy, not fashionable, so Molly was my type of girl.

That said, it's impossible for me to give a true review of her books, because I read them over and over when I was young and they were easily my favorites. There's a lot of nostalgia with Molly. I think her books are really fun, even though sometimes she's shallow and she doesn't have the same type of struggles as Addy or Kit. She may not have stories that are as powerful as others in the AG lineup, but that doesn't mean she wasn't important to the people that read and loved her books. I love all the characters in Molly's books. Her relationship with each family member is fun to read, except poor little Brad, who got overlooked a lot. I like both Susan and Linda, her best friends, and Emily, the girl from London who lives with Molly briefly. And the illustrations! Molly's books have the best cartoony margin illustrations. I still think BeForever really suffers from the lack of illustrations.

Molly was an important part of my childhood, so it's hard to rank her. She's #1 on the nostalgia list for sure.

AG Best to Least Best (they're too good to be called "Worst") Historical Ranking:
-Josefina/Addy
-Felicity/Molly
-Samantha
-Rebecca
-Kit
-Kaya
-Kirsten
-Marie-Grace and Cécile
-Caroline
-Maryellen