Meet Julie: An American Girl

It's ironic that the squeaky-clean American Girl brand has added a child of the '70s as the latest in their family of period characters. Yes, it's the psychedelic 1970s with fatigue-wearing Vietnam veterans and teen girls throwing out labels like "male chauvinist pig." But Julie is a model 9-year-old with shiny blond hair, a strong sense of fairness, and an insatiable amount of energy -- in other words, she fits right in with the American Girl image. Written by Megan McDonald of the popular Judy Moody series, MEET JULIE provides just the right amount of detail to give readers a taste of the fantastic 1970s. She doesn't skimp on what was hard about the era and provides positive examples of important people to Julie during this time, including her single mother and a veteran.

There are also plenty of references to things that American Girl readers will like: lava lamps, pet rocks, mood rings, and apple seed bracelets. (This seems like a marketing hook, too, so parents watch out.) Julie's life, though, is not an easy one for any 9-year-old. Her parents are newly divorced, she's changed schools, and she sees her dad every other weekend. Despite these challenges, Julie is, perhaps unrealistically, strong and overly confident. She presents the coach with a petition -- since there's no basketball team for girls, it's not fair that she can't try out for the boy's team. Her complaints go all the way to the School Board. Now that's some American Girl pluck.