I am proud to say that my oldest daughter and I have read every single book in the more original and historical American Girl series. We accomplished the feat during her Kindergarten homeschool year since we used the series as her history curriculum. My second daughter also read the series on her own around 1st or 2nd grade.
I loved working through American history chronologically and learned so much (along with my daugher) by reading these books. However, I also learned a great deal about the series itself: the order in which the books should be read, the general age range for each set, the more difficult issues introduced, etc. If you’re interested in reading the series with your kids but aren’t sure where to start, here is your guide!
1. We read the books chronologically, and I would highly recommend doing the same.
The benefit of reading the books chronologically is that you can see how American history fits together in a broader scope. Here is the chronological order of American girls, by year:
Kaya (1764)
Kaya is an early Native American girl who lives with the New Perce tribe in present-day Idaho. Sensitive issues: A close friend of hers dies unexpectedly, and there is some mild violence with other Indian tribes.
Changes for Kaya
Kaya and Lone Dog
Kaya Shows the Way
Kaya’s Escape
Kaya’s Hero
Meet Kaya: An American Girl
Felicity (1774)
Felicity lives in colonial Williamsburg, Virginia in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. Sensitive issues: some mild abuse to a horse Felicity loves.
Changes for Felicity
Felicity Learns a Lesson
Felicity Saves the Day
Felicity’s Surprise
Happy Birthday, Felicity
Meet Felicity
Caroline (1812)
Caroline loves the water and experiences the War of 1812 firsthand since she lives on the coast of Lake Ontario. Sensitive issues: some mild violence during battles.
A Surprise for Caroline
Caroline Takes a Chance
Caroline’s Battle
Caroline’s Secret Message
Changes for Caroline
Meet Caroline
Josefina (1824)
Josefina is a Hispanic girl who lives with her father and three sisters on a ranch in present-day New Mexico. Sensitive issues: death of close family members.
Changes For Josefina
Happy Birthday, Josefina!
Josefina Learns a Lesson
Josefina Saves the Day
Josefina’s Surprise
Meet Josefina
Cecile and Marie-Grace (1853)
Cecile and Marie-Grace live in New Orleans during the small pox epidemic of 1853. While Cecile is a free black girl from a wealthy family, Marie-Grace is the daughter of a New Orleans doctor. Sensitive issues: deaths of several people from smallpox.
Cecile’s Gift
Marie-Grace and the Orphans
Marie-Grace Makes a Difference
Meet Cecile
Meet Marie-Grace
Troubles for Cecile
Kirsten (1854)
Kirsten is a Swedish-born pioneer girl who journeys to Minnesota territory and faces the harsh realities of frontier life with her family. Sensitive issues: death of a close friend.
Changes for Kirsten
Happy Birthday Kirsten
Kirsten Learns a Lesson
Kirsten Saves the Day
Kirsten’s Surprise
Meet Kirsten
Addy (1864)
Addy is an African-American slave girl who seeks freedom in the North during the Civil War. Sensitive issues: portrayal of slavery, poverty, and mild slave abuse.
Addy Learns a Lesson
Addy Saves the Day
Addy’s Surprise
Changes for Addy
Happy Birthday, Addy
Meet Addy
Samantha (1904)
Samantha is a wealthy young orphan who lives in New York City with her grandmother around the turn of the century.
Changes for Samantha
Happy Birthday, Samantha
Meet Samantha
Samantha Learns a Lesson
Samantha Saves the Day
Samantha’s Surprise
Rebecca (1914)
Rebecca is a Jewish girl who loves theater and lives in New York City with her large family.
Candlelight for Rebecca
Changes for Rebecca
Meet Rebecca
Rebecca and Ana
Rebecca Goes to the Movies
Rebecca to the Rescue
Kit (1934)
Kit lives in Cincinnatti after the Great Depression and uses her resourcefulness to help her family during tough times.
Changes for Kit
Happy Birthday, Kit!
Kit Learns a Lesson
Kit Saves the Day
Kit’s Surprise
Meet Kit
Molly (1944)
Molly’s father is serving as a soldier overseas during World War II while she and her siblings stay home in Illinois.
Changes for Molly
Happy Birthday, Molly!
Meet Molly
A young girl weathers World War II in Illinois with her family while her father serves as a doctor overseas.
Molly Learns a Lesson
Molly Saves the Day
Molly’s Surprise
Julie (1974)
Julie is a sporty and athletic girl who lives in San Francisco and has to weather the storm of her parents’ divorce. Sensitive issues: Julie’s parents’ divorce.
Changes for Julie
Happy New Year, Julie!
Julie and the Eagles
Julie Tells Her Story
Julie’s Journey
Meet Julie
2. If your kids are interested in both the books and the dolls, try the American Girl doll minis.
When my daughter and I finished the whole series, she was pining for an American Girl doll of her own, but she couldn’t choose a favorite. I also wasn’t prepared to spend $120+ for a doll, so we settled on getting a few of the mini dolls like this one and this oneĀ for around $20 each. They’ve been just as fun to play with! Also, since they come with the corresponding book, you can use Amazon book coupon codes that occasionally come out around Black Friday or Prime Day to get an additional $5 off!
3. I would recommend these books for reading aloud around age 5 and reading independently whenever your daughter is ready (age 6-8).
The Julie series is the only series I didn’t read to my daughter during her Kindergarten year because she didn’t yet understand divorce (and didn’t really need to at that age). Other than that, I feel age 5 is an appropriate age for reading these books aloud with your daughter.
If you’re able to read chronologically through the series, here are two enrichment activities that could be fun:
- Create a simple timeline and place the American Girls in the appropriate place. Timelines are a wonderful way to allow kids to visualize history. I even bought this American Girl Sticker Book to have some stickers to put on our timeline!
- Print out a map of the United States and label each state where the American Girls lived. This is a perfect way to teach U.S. geography in a gentle, natural way. You can use the same American Girl Sticker Book for this too!
I hope you love the American Girl series as much as we did! Our favorites are Addy, Josefina, and Kit. Which are your favorites? Please share below in the comments!