Meet Julie

This is the first is a new series of books from American Girls, and it shows a number of differences from previous series books.

In the past the books have always followed the same format; Meet the girl, the girl saves the day, happy birthday, etc. This time there is no such format.

The opening pages of the first volume also take a different approach. The series is set in 1974, and it starts right off with Julie's parents getting a divorce, a topic not really dealt with much in earlier books. She will be living with her mother and is in the process of moving across town.

Her mother runs her own store, and the apartment they live in with Tracy, Julie's sister, is above the store.

There is no reason given for the divorce, however.

Julie is in elementary school. One of her teachers emphasizes that her name is Ms., not Miss or Mrs. So we're getting into the women's movement also.

The sisters are supposed to visit their father on at least some weekends, but the first time the subject comes up Tracy says she doesn't want to go. Julie is considering joining the basketball team at school.

The coach refuses to allow her to be on the team since it's a boys team.

Vietnam vets are brought up and discussed very briefly.

Julie gets up a petition to allow her on the basketball team, and the rest of the story deals with that. As usual, there is also an historical section going over the events of Julie's time.

I'm not totally satisfied with this first book in the series. There is no reason given for the divorce, and no mention made of any attempts by her parents to get counseling or to try to work out whatever their differences were. The part with Julie's dealing with the coach is totally predictable, and that makes the story seem almost propagandistic in approach.

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