Dolls of Our Lives

The time has come to close out our coverage of Marie-Grace and Cécile. For this occasion, we dreamed up a special Care and Keeping of You episode that would start with the yellow fever epidemic of their day…straight through to the COVID-19 pandemic of ours. Since we couldn’t book Dr. Tad via his chalkboard, we had to look elsewhere. Enter Victoria Rodriguez, a Felicity/Kit fan and Certified Clinic...

It is still 1853. Marie-Grace and Cécile have spent the better part of a year weathering an epidemic and taking care of younger kids at local orphanages. Will the sun ever come out for these two? Just before we are about to say goodbye, we experience a fun-filled and successful fundraiser planned for the orphans of New Orleans. By using her (poetic) voice, Cécile demonstrates that sometimes the gr...

It's late summer, 1853, in New Orleans. Marie-Grace and Cécile are still in the thick of the Yellow Fever epidemic. Madame Océane is fighting for her life. Thankfully, Marie-Grace is prepared to take on wedding planning, performance art, nursing, and orphan caretaking. Amidst all this, Marie-Grace's father has established a fool-proof communication system using a single slate outside his door. Wha...

Taylor Swift knew you were trouble when you walked in. Cecile knew trouble was brewing when people started wearing mourning clothes and going out less. During the fourth book in the Marie Grace / Cécile series, we find the girls living through a horrific yellow fever epidemic. We discuss what was happening in the summer of 1853 for the people of New Orleans--and how the fictional Rey family fares...

Is Marie-Grace okay? Imagine a book that includes a surprise, orphans, the early stages of a yellow fever epidemic, and hints at a wedding that may or may not take place. Were we emotionally prepared for this book? No. Does our French pronunciation need work? Yes. Should you join us on the journey? Absolutely  You can find episodes, resources, and a link to our merch store and patreon on our websi...

At long last, we get to Meet Cécile! Ms. Cécile Rey comes from an elite Black family in New Orleans. She spends her time memorizing sonnets, getting singing lessons, and shopping. Cécile also loves her family, including her brother Armond (who is in Paris), her grandpère (who buys her pralines), and her Parrot (who keeps her humble). When Cécile meets Marie Grace, who has only recently moved to Lo...

It’s time to meet not one, but two (new to us) American Girls! With this episode, we are launching into the Cécile & Marie Grace books. We start by meeting Marie Grace early in the year 1853. She is a bright and reserved girl who recently moved from Massachusetts down to New Orleans. Although Marie Grace is struggling to adapt to life with Dr. Dad, on the bright side, she has a cool uncle and...

Before she was a bestselling author, she was an interpreter at a living history museum. Before she was an interpreter, she was a reader. For this episode, we were thrilled to interview Kathleen Ernst, the author of the Caroline series and many more American Girl books. As a child, Ernst loved Little House On the Prairie, which led her to a career in public history. She even served as a consultant...

There may be a global supply chain crisis, but our listener mailbag service is working just fine. For this show, we took your pressing questions on American Girl dolls past and present. We also shared our top book recommendations for the year and dealt with important topics such as each American girl doll's coffee order. Last but not least, we also get into Pleasant Rowland's recent projects in Au...

Prepare to get crafty and cozy! For this episode, we spoke with Lily Tice, a toy expert and artist who works online as @LibrarianKiddo. As a child, Lily wrote to American Girl with her ideas for new characters. As an adult, Lily brings those ideas to life and continues to make childhood magic for others. Lily chatted with us about the history of paper dolls, the American Girl magazine, and how she...

We may be done with the first six Caroline books, but we are not at all done covering Caroline. For this episode, curator and maritime historian Emily Powell Bera joined us for a discussion of a History Mystery. Emily is a recovering Samantha and lifelong collector of fascinating objects. We talk about Traitor in the Shipyard: A Caroline Mystery along with other War of 1812 topics, and of course,...

At the end of the sixth Caroline book, we simply must ask again: are you not impressed? While the final Caroline story does involve a lot of "smooth sailing" talk and a skiff, this is mostly a story of tiffs, set away from the shipyard. When a letter arrives from Uncle Aaron asking for Caroline's help, she feels compelled to assist at his farm. Though comfortable with a pitchfork, Caroline has to...

In the fifth Caroline book, we learn that her fight song—her prove she’s alright song— is the Star-Spangled Banner. There’s no fire burning in her bones, but in this "saves the day" story, there is a lingering threat that Mama will torch the entire shipyard. Throughout Caroline’s Battle , three generations of women show that they are willing to step up and fight the British at almost any cost. As...

If you teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a day. If Caroline Abbott is teaching you to fish, you may find yourself trying to block a British warship during what was supposed to be a leisurely boat ride. It's book four, so we know all too well that Caroline frequently finds herself and others in crisis (hello, her carpet-cannonball moment). Caroline Takes a Chance suggests a singular heroic arc, bu...

Our belated War of 1812 bicentennial bash continues with coverage of Caroline's third book. After setting up her father for a prison break, Caroline finds herself a bit bored in the winter months of 1812-1813. The good news is she has built-in friends living at her family's house. The bad news? They don't want to do anything she wants to do. Join us as we discuss Caroline's iconic winter fashion,...

Talk about a sampler! In "Caroline's Secret Message," we are treated to a birthday dinner, embroidery intrigue, a rescue plot, and grandma's tips for winter prep. Did we mention Caroline makes a new friend named Rhonda in this book, too? Perhaps we will never understand how Caroline used a raccoon story and her sampler to give her father an escape plan from prison, but we can appreciate a good thr...

Where were you when the War of 1812 broke out? Our new friend Caroline Abbott, who debuted just in time for the 1812 bicentennial, was coasting along and "doing what she loves most" on her family's boat. During this episode, we truly meet Caroline for the very first time and are quickly confronted with an unwanted British invasion. We dive straight into her world of maritime mischief and consider...

In this second Samantha spinoff, we speak with Dr. Allison Lange, ahistorian of women's suffrage and visual culture. She talks about AuntCornelia's speech style, the Susan B. Anthony Barbie, and Blacksuffragists you ought to know (plus much more). This episode also hasa rich visual accompaniment: the long-awaited, never-asked-forfirst-of-its-kind Gard Zine! You won't want to miss this homemademaga...

On this episode, enjoy a gem from our patreon vault. This episode tackles Dear America: Voyage on the Great Titanic. We talk about the iceberg-level cultural fascination with the ship, the Titanic Historical Society, and survivors' videos on Youtube. **Please note this episode was first recorded and released in April 2020** The Titanic documentary we discuss can be found here: https://www.youtube....

We are taking a summer break, so enjoy a patreon episode from our archives! For our twelfth Patreon episode, we chose the memoir of a modern diva and one of the most accomplished recording artists of all time. Join us as we consider The Meaning of Mariah Carey (2020) - an autobiography and fascinating portrait of race and fame in modern America. Why did Mariah have to sneak out to Burger King? Wha...

On this episode, we're joined by Colette Denali Montoya-Sloan, a member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of San Felipe. A librarian interested in oral history and issues of Indigenous identity, Colette shared a wealth of experiences with us in this fun conversation! We heard about her earliest memories of American Girl, her first introduction to Kaya, and what she makes of Ka...

Kaya has seen fire, she’s seen Speaking Rain, and finally, she sees Steps High again. While the final Kaya book brings change and some closure, that's not all--and really, what would a Kaya book be without some chaos? Forget being born in a cross-fire hurricane. In the final chapters, our hero endures yet another disaster, and goes through a wildfire, for her horse Steps High. Kaya once again rise...

Nan, Clara, Jill… we’ve met our fair share of American Girl sisters by this point. In this episode, we cover Kaya Shows the Way, which is billed as “A Sister Story.” While Kaya and her family are fishing for salmon, her sisters start to take two different paths. As Kaya takes notes on how Brown Deer is courting and preparing for marriage, Speaking Rain returns with an announcement about a vow of h...

In the fourth Kaya book, we are not treated to an ahistorical birthday party. Instead, a new canine friend enters the American Girl universe and brings some much-needed joy to Kaya. While struggling to deal with the loss of Swan Circling and her sister’s ongoing captivity, Kaya meets Lone Dog, an animal who changes her life, and possibly ours. As we quickly learn, Kaya's dilemma is less “who let t...

Just one year after Mr. Enrique Iglesias asked: "would you dance if I asked you to dance?" Janet Shaw penned a heroic tale for the ages. In "Kaya's Hero" (2002) we meet Swan Circling, a brave woman Kaya deeply admires. When a baby falls ill, Swan Circling heroically steps in. This is a spoiler-free zone, but listeners should be prepared (unfortunately) for more tragedy in the Kaya journey. During...