Books in The American Girls Collection, Book 1 series

Nellie O'Malley and her little sisters finally have a home. After losing their parents and having been abandoned by their uncle, they are now living in comfort and safety with her friend Samantha's family in New York City. Best of all, Samantha's Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia want to adopt all three of the O'Malley girls. This will make Nellie and Samantha sisters as well as best friends, and it will allow Nellie to keep a promise she made to her dying mother--to protect her little sisters. But when Nellie's no-good uncle, Mike O'Malley, turns up again, he threatens to take Nellie and her sisters back and ruin everything. Nellie is determined not to let that happen, but soon discovers that even her friendship with Samantha has been affected by Uncle Mike's threat. How can all the good things in her new life unravel so fast? Is there a way to keep her promise and save everything she loves the most?

This keepsake boxed set features Julie's six beautifully illustrated books. Discover what it was like to grow up in America during the 1970s.The set also opens up to a fun-filled game. Collect cards featuring Julie's favorite things, and earn points as you move around the board. The first person to finish is not necessarily the winner. Roll the die and see what happens!Book Details:Format: Box SetPublication Date: 9/1/2010Pages: 594Reading Level: Age 8 and Up

Molly is determined that the third-grade girls will win her school's Lend-a-Hand Contest to help the war effort. When they choose an idea that Molly knows will never work, she talks two friends into doing their own secret project. But the project turns out to be harder than Molly expected. Worried that it might not win after all, Molly decides to spy on the other girls to see how they are doing. When Molly and her friends get caught peeking in a window, they learn some important lessons.

Caroline imagined it would be great fun to have two girls staying at her house for the winter. But her friend Rhonda and her cousin Lydia seem to have more in common with each other than they do with Caroline. Worse, they'd rather stay inside styling hair than go skating and sledding on a beautiful day. When nothing Caroline tries seems to change things, her hurt feelings lead her to make a dangerous decision--one that puts all three girls on very thin ice! The illustrated "Looking Back" section discusses Christmastime and growing up in the early 1800s.

Rebecca's teacher assigns the class to make Christmas decorations--but Rebecca's family is Jewish and doesn't celebrate Christmas. Her teacher tells her that Christmas is a national holiday, for all Americans to celebrate. Although her parents came from Russia, Rebecca knows she's as American as anyone else, even without celebrating Christmas. Could her teacher be wrong? If Rebecca does the project, her family is sure to be upset; if she doesn't, her teacher will be displeased. Then, on the first night of Hanukkah, Rebecca finds kindness in an unexpected place--and learns the real meaning of the holiday season.

Felicity is sent to Miss Manderly's house to learn to be a polite gentlewoman. She practices stitchery, dancing, penmanship, and the proper way to serve tea. Two sisters from England join the lessons, and one of them, Elizabeth, becomes Felicity's best friend. Learning to serve tea is great fun, until Felicity's father decides that the king's tax on tea is unfair. He refuses to sell tea in his store or to drink it at home. How can Felicity continue the tea lessons she loves and still be loyal to her father?

Times change for Samantha when she moves to New York City to live with Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia. They change for Nellie, Samantha's servant friend in Mount Bedford, too. But Nellie's changes aren't as happy as Samantha's. When her friend disappears, Samantha thinks Nellie has been lost forever. But after a long and scary search, Samantha finds Nellie and her sisters in a New York orphanage. The orphanage is not a good place, so the girls plan a daring escape.