Felicity: An American Girl Adventure

Debuted as a television move in 2005. Not rated. 

Plot

It's Felicity's tenth birthday, and many exciting things are happening . Her grandfather's visiting, and she meets Elizabeth Cole, a newly-arrived English immigrant with a disagreeable older sister. She also sees the most beautiful horse she's ever laid eyes on, a chestnut mare belonging to an abusive tanner, Jiggy Nye. She wishes desperately that she could rescue the horse, who she decides she'd name Penny, and talks about it the poor animal with her parents and grandfather at dinner. The conversation soon turns to how Mr. Nye was once wonderful with animals, but since the death of his wife spends most of his time drunk. Mrs. Merriman redirects the conversation to more proper topics, like the gentlewoman lessons Felicity will start in the day after tomorrow. The conversation derails again to talk of the unfair taxes the crown is placing on the colonies.

But soon it's two days later, and Felicity attends her first lesson. Like in Felicity Learns a Lesson, there's some snobbery from Annabelle, but Miss Manderly smooths everything over and the three girls have a productive lesson. Felicity takes Elizabeth to see Penny,  and also visits the horse that night. She's sure she can get the horse to trust her, but she doesn't want to get on the wrong side of Mr. Nye. He may not even have a right side. Later that day, her grandfather comments that he saw her coming home in the wee hours of the morning. She explains, and he agrees to keep her secret. Felicity continues her clandestine visits, eventually getting Penny to trust her enough to ride her. Her father's apprentice Ben also finds out, and also agrees to keep the secret.

Felicity has more to worry about than just the horse, though. Tensions between the colonies and the British crown are rising, and people are taking sides. Felicity's father is a patriot and refuses to sell tea in his store, but her (maternal) grandfather is a loyalist. Ben is also a patriot. Elizabeth and her family are loyalists. Felicity isn't sure which is the right side, and her parents tell her that she must decide for herself.

That's not to say Felicity ignores Penny, of course. Like in the books, she hears Mr. Nye boast that whoever can ride the horse can have her, and she sets out to prove she's earned Penny. The same argument occurs, with the same threat that Mr. Nye will kill Penny if Felicity touches her again. And like in the books, Felicity frees Penny. 

The movie then goes back to the patriot-or-loyalist plot. Ben admonishes Felicity that she shouldn't be attending tea lessons, especially with her father refusing to sell tea. Felicity counters that the lessons are about more than tea, but Ben still thinks there are many more things of greater importance than learning to be a gentlewoman. Contemplating Ben's words and the rest of what's going on her life, Felicity politely refuses her tea.

It's not long before lessons are over. Summer's arrived, and Felicity is going to spend some time at her grandfather's plantation with her mother and siblings. Her father will only be able to join them for a few days. Ben ran away, so he can't leave the store for long. Felicity's grandfather seems to be slowing up a bit, but he still makes time to go riding with Felicity, and he has a surprise for her. He's found Penny, and bought her from a horse seller to give to Felicity. One day as Felicity saddles Penny up for a ride, she gets a note from Ben, who's wounded in the woods near the plantation. She finds him and tends to his wounds, but also gives him a piece of her mind regarding the way he broke his contract with her father. She doesn't let him gloss over that, even he thinks he's justified in running away to join the militia. In the end, she convinces him to come back. Like in Felicity Saves the Day, he and Felicity's father agrees that he will stay on until he's sixteen, and then take a leave of absence to fight. Felicity's grandfather is impressed that she talked Ben into returning and while they're chatting he all of a sudden has a heart attack or something and dies, almost onscreen.

Not long after the funeral, the Merriman family returns home. Elizabeth is oddly cold to Felicity. Felicity is able to pry out of her that Elizabeth's father is in jail for being a loyalist, and Elizabeth feels she has to be careful. When Felicity and her father visit Mr. Cole, Felicity sees that Mr. Nye is there too, and gravely ill. Felicity's father is able to talk some sense into the local judicial committee and get Mr. Cole freed. Felicity wants to help Mr. Nye too, despite how cruel he's been in the past. She gives him some quality food (not always provided in colonial jail), a blanket, and perhaps most importantly, a bit of kindness.

More time passes, and soon Christmas is on its way. Felicity finds herself invited to Miss Templeton's fancy winter ball, along with Elizabeth and Annabelle Cole. Despite being nearly nine months pregnant, Mrs. Merriman starts sewing a new gown for the occasion. The very next day, Felicity's baby sister Polly is born, and Mrs. Merriman has a terrible time recovering from the birth and seems on the brink of death. Instead of preparing for Christmas, Felicity suddenly needs to take on the roles her mother had fulfilled. Her days and nights of filled with running the household and praying for her mother's recovery. On Christmas Eve, her mother's health begins to improve, and her mother praises Felicity for all the hard work she's done. She tells Felicity to get ready for the ball. Elizabeth and her mother finished the gown, and she's sure to be the most fashionable girl at the ball. No longer worried about her mother's help, Felicity is able to enjoy the ball with Elizabeth.

When Felicity returns home, Penny is in distressed labor. Felicity runs to get Mr. Nye (her father's away), now out of jail. Mr. Nye safely delivers a healthy foal, which Felicity names Patriot. Once the foal is born, Penny's health returns. Felicity's father returns just then, and in gratitude invites Mr. Nye to Christmas dinner. The Coles also attend. and together everyone has a merry Christmas.


Misc

When we were kids, my older brother told me that he thought men should ride side-saddled and girls astride, with one leg on either side of the horse (and same for bikes). He figured external genitalia would be more protected that way. He also told me that men have larger noses in cartoons because men like to sneeze, so maybe take that with a grain of salt.

Miss Manderly is a young here, rather than the grey-haired woman she is in the books.

The milk that Miss Manderly pours looks distinctly like low or non-fat milk. It's perfectly possible that colonists could have skimmed their milk so it's not inaccurate. I just noticed.

Jiggy Nye's teeth are amazingly white, especially for a colonial era drunk. Ben's are too, but his face is usually clean so they don't stand out so much.

Like in Felicity Learns a Lesson, we don't see Felicity get a chance to serve tea after she decides to be a patriot.

Ooh, Ben's wound looks bad, considering there aren't any antibiotics in Felicity's time. The actress playing Felicity does an especially good job in the scene when she finds Ben. The actress playing Nan really shines during the funeral scenes.

There wasn't really formula back in the 1770s, and the newborn is always in a different room from her mother. What was she fed? Maybe she was brought to Mrs. Merriman to nurse when she was hungry, but Mrs. Merriman might have been so ill that she wasn't producing milk. Maybe a wet nurse? Animal milk? Also Mrs. Merriman's nightclothes look decidedly inconvenient for nursing. Unless the neckline loosens somehow, she'd have to lift up the entire skirt and bodice to give the baby access. Does it show that I have a breastfed baby right now?

Unlike in Felicity's Surprise, Annabelle doesn't help finish Felicity's Christmas dress.

That's the skinniest pregnant horse I've ever seen. (when Penny's collapsed on her side)

I wonder where Jiggy Nye got his dinner clothes. Did he have an impeccable suit that just needed some dust brushed off it or something? Laundry took forever back then, not to mention the great condition his clothes are in. Maybe he borrowed some from Mr. Merriman.


Cast

Felicity Merriman - Shailene Woodley
Ben Davidson - Kevin Zegers
Grandfather - David Gardner
Mr. Merriman - John Schneider
Mrs. Merriman - Marcia Gay Harden
Mr. Cole - Bruce Beaton
Rose - Robinne Fanfair
Marcus - Rothaford Gray
Elizabeth Cole - Katie Henney
Annabelle Cole - Juliet Holland-Rose
Lady Templeton - Lynne Griffin
Jiggy Nye - Geza Kovacs
Nan Merriman - Eulala Scheel
Polly Merriman - Genevieve Harvey
Miss Manderly - Janine Theriault
Catherine - Melody Johnson

Characters not specified: Harry Crane, Peter Crockett, Jean Daigle, Craig Eldridge, Sterling Jarvis, and Simon Rice (Crane or Crockett must be William; Eldridge, Jarvis, and Rice are too old)

Lady Margaret's Ghost

Published in 2009; author Elizabeth McDavid Jones; illustrator Jean-Paul Tibbles

Plot

Felicity's father receives a shipment of heirloom items from his late cousin. Among them are items that belonged to his wife, Lady Margaret, who died years before following the difficult delivery of a stillborn boy. It's said that her ghost followed her widowed husband even across the Atlantic to the American colonies, and might still follow where her heirloom items go. Felicity's nervous about the house now being haunted, but there's not much time to worry now: It's Publick Times in Williamsburg, which means the town is bursting at the seams with visitors who have come to take in the sights and sounds of what is sort of an ongoing, all-town fair.

Felicity's mother and siblings are gone to visit a relative, so Felicity is in charge of running the household. A crabby neighbor lady comes in the mornings to help, who enjoys criticizing everything Felicity does. Felicity is glad to escape for a horse race that Penny's in. She's sure Penny will win, but while she watches with Elizabeth and a young orphan named Anne, Penny stumbles and slows down. She finishes the race, but far behind the lead horse. Ben can't figure why until he unsaddles her: there are sharp burrs biting into her skin under the saddle blanket. Neither he nor Felicity have any idea how it happened; Felicity is sure the blanket was clean, there are no burr-bearing plants on their property, and Ben didn't let Penny near any shrubs.

It's only the next when Penny is worse that they start to learn what happened. Another racer, Dawson, has been given a temporary job at the Merriman store, which is almost too busy with Publick Times, and he knows not only a special medicinal salve but also that Anne was collecting burrs and tried to pickpocket him. He suspects, from the bruises on her arm and the way she talked about her guardian to Felicity, that she's being forced to partake in criminal activity and being abused. She's likely the cause of Felicity's missing necklace (a keepsake from her mother) as well.

Before Felicity can be happy about the salve healing Penny so well, more things go missing: the ring of keys that allow access to various areas of the house like the linen closet and the cabinets where spices, sugar, or wine are kept...and Lady Margaret's things. At first Felicity suspects the neighbor, who "conveniently" didn't show up for work that morning. But after finding out that she's suffered a devastating stroke, Felicity feels guilty for suspecting her. It doesn't make sense to suspect a burglar, since other valuable items were left behind. Maybe Dawson? Perhaps...perhaps Lady Margaret's ghost? To make matters more confusing, the keys mysteriously reappear, and Felicity also finds her necklace in the cellar while she's preparing dinner (which causes her to reflect that she may have judged Anne too harshly; clearly the necklace simply fell off). But some of the food as well as some candles and a blanket have gone missing now. Felicity tries desperately to understand--at least she figures she can eliminate the ghost since ghosts don't eat if they exist--when she returns to the kitchen to find the missing heirlooms! Now she wonders if it is the ghost, trying to drive her crazy.

Elizabeth talks Felicity out of believing in ghosts, at least for the moment. Looking at things a little more rationally, the girls decide that Dawson is the most likely suspect. They confront him in the Merrimans' store, only to be chagrined when they find out the truth. He was orphaned in London, and pressed into service on a British Navy ship. He escaped when the ship docked in Virginia, and has confided his story in Mr. Merriman. That explains his sometimes shifty behavior. His being an orphan reminds Felicity and Elizabeth about Anne, the orphan girl they met at the race. They inquire with the local minister to see if he knows who took her in and he does, and he also answers some questions they have about ghosts (he thinks ghosts are at least possible and that Felicity's theory they exist because they have unfinished business makes sense). Anne's guardian is a Mr. Yancey, who owns one of the best horses in the race, and had seemed concerned that Penny might beat his horse.

Felicity decides that she'll take care of at least the ghost right away. She stays up late until she notices something ghostly: candlelight in the silent, dark hallway. When she goes to confront the ghost, she's stunned to see Anne! It turns out that she's been stealing from the Merriman house under threat of beatings from the Yanceys (she also gathered the burrs for Mr. Yancey, but didn't know that he meant to use them to hurt Penny). But then she decided anywhere would be better that living with the abusive, manipulative couple, and hid in Felicity's house to return the items--including the necklace--and take some supplies, like food, candles, and blankets, to make an escape. Felicity convinces Anne that her father can help her plight, and she stays through breakfast. Indeed, Mr. Merriman is friendly with an excellent lawyer who can bring charges against Mr. Yancey (I think Mrs. Yancey should be charged, too). And Felicity suggests that Anne could apprentice with a local dressmaker who's looking for young girl to hire. Anne loves that idea, and even if it fails, the church can find her a guardian who will actually take care of her and love her. Mr. Merriman offers Dawson a junior apprenticeship, and he grateful but refuses, instead wanting a job on the sea--of his own choosing, that is. Even the crabby neighbor is recovering well, and has asked for some of Felicity's recipes.

Satisfied with the resolution of everyone's problems, Felicity polishes the heirlooms, thinking to herself that if they're haunted, she's okay with a family ghost, because she thinks Lady Margaret would be happy to see her things being used and enjoyed by her relatives.

Looking Back

The historical section has some of the same information about Publick Times as Felicity Takes a Dare, and also talks about the punishments a thief might face, from being literally branded with a T on the palm or forehead to being hanged (presumably for grand theft?). It also talks about the plight of orphans. Orphaned children with no family to take them in often had to work at poor houses, slaving away under miserable conditions. Some lucky few might be apprenticed as sort of an indentured servant. Boys were more likely to be picked up for apprenticeship, as there were more trades available for them, but some girls could learn to be seamstresses or weavers.

Misc

This book is dedicated to "Lynne Garcia, who helped my lost boy find the light."

Felicitiy's family lives on Duke of Gloucester Street.

Buttermilk is described as rich, cool, and sweet. Hmm, sweet. Not in my experience. I'm deciding the text should be describing egg nog instead. Which I now want. And which won't be in stores until late November.

Ben, while an apprentice, is not an orphan. Most apprentices weren't; he's from a well-off family, which is why Annabelle has pursued him in the past.

Peril at King's Creek

Published in 2006; author Elizabeth McDavid Jones; illustrator Jean-Paul Tibbles

Plot

When Felicity's grandfather died, he left his plantation to her family. They're at the plantation now, aside from Felicity's father who is minding the store. The Wentworths, long-winded loyalist neighbors, come to visit one day and bring their friend Mr. Haskall. Felicity thinks he looks familiar, but can't place him, and dismisses the notion when he says he's never been south of Baltimore before. He's friendly enough, and develops a good rapport with Felicity, Nan, and William. Mr. Haskall is very interested in botany like Felicity's grandfather was, and also horses, so they have lots to talk about.

Things aren't all smooth sailing, though. A neighbor's horse has gone missing, most likely stolen. And different patriot plantations have been raided by British troops. Felicity is glad to have the distraction of Mr. Haskall to keep her mind off the worries. He's quite the conversationalist, good at listening to people and drawing out details of their stories. But he never reveals anything about himself. Felicity doesn't think anything is strange about that until Ben comes to visit and also recognizes Mr. Haskall. And he knows where he's seen the man before: guarding the governor's mansion, in a British uniform. Is Mr. Haskall a spy?

Felicity sneaks into Mr. Haskall's study early one morning, before dawn. She sees the notebooks he's been sketching his botany notes in, but when she opens them, they're maps of the patriot plantations in the area, including her family's, King's Creek. Maps that look like guides for raiding. She also finds a note about a rendezvous the next day. With this information, Felicity is sure she can catch Mr. Haskall red-handed. She feigns an illness and asks in a note for Mr. Haskall to take Penny for a ride in the morning, knowing he'll be needing to make his rendezvous appointment, and alerts Ben and her father to intercept him.

But Mr. Haskall sends a reply that he'll take Penny for a ride before breakfast, too early for him to be caught. Felicity amends her plan, waking early and hiding in the barn, waiting for him to come. He does, and steals the most valuable horse in the barn, rather than taking Penny. So it seems he truly did consider Felicity a friend: he left her treasured horse behind. But that also means Felicity can ride Penny, who's faster than the other horse, to pursue Mr. Haskall. She soon catches up to him, and he leaves his horse, bolting into the woods. Knowing her late grandfather's horse will instinctively head for home, Felicity rides Penny through the woods, determined to find Mr. Haskall. She does...just as he's talking with her father (who of course doesn't know who he is; they've never met). When Mr. Haskall sees her, he turns to flee again and she shouts that he's the spy. After her father and Marcus give a quick chase, he's caught. At Felicity's urging, they search him and find the maps he's made.

Felicity is relieved to have saved the plantations from raids, but also deeply hurt at how she's been used and betrayed by the man she thought was her friend. Crying, she tells her father how manipulated she feels, and he agrees that this is a confusing time for everyone. People who had been friends are now divided by where their political loyalties lie. He reassures her that she's done a good thing: Mr. Haskall will get a fair trial, and people's homes and livelihoods will be spared.

Looking Back

The historical section gives a brief overview of the events leading up the signing of the Declaration of Independence and talks about how some people fought with means other than weapons. Women weren't allowed to serve in the military (a few did sneak in disguised as men), but some worked as spies. Others stayed at their homes but still acted in the service of independence. For example, one woman saw that British troops had an opportunity to harvest her family's wheat field, and rather than let them have that advantage yet unable to harvest it herself, she burnt the crop. By doing more for themselves, women planted the seeds that would later start the campaign for women's rights.

Misc

This book is dedicated to "Tristan William Jones, who joined our family the writing of this book and made us all wonder how we'd ever lived without him."

This book takes place in June 1776.

Felicity's father still does work for the Patriot army, but the book indicates that it's not a fulltime endeavor.

I can't help but think that if Mr. Haskall is found guilty of espionage, the sentence will be pretty harsh...

Traitor in Williamsburg

Published in 2008; author Elizabeth McDavid Jones; illustrator Jean-Paul Tibbles

Plot

When another Williamsburg shopkeeper, Mr. McLeod, is accused of loyalty to the British crown, Mr. Merriman steps in to defend him. Mr. McLeod is especially grateful, as Mr. Merriman risks his own reputation in standing by a Scottish immigrant. It's not long before a mob kidnaps/arrests Mr. McLeod, intending to tar and feather him (something I didn't realize until I was in high school could be fatal). Mr. Merriman stops them, but in doing so becomes a target for the same anger. While the mob itself disperses, Mr. McLeod is found guilty of being a British sympathizer (there's not really any due process; it's a brief show trial) and his property is seized and sold. A man who once competed with Mr. Merriman for Mrs. Merriman's hand buys the McLeod store. Soon after that, a publication comes out insinuating that Mr. Merriman and Mr. McLeod are working together to betray the Patriot cause. It's signed "Mr. Puller," a name Felicity and her father are sure is fake. Who is Mr. Puller, and what does he have against the people he unjustly accuses?

With a bit of detective work, Felicity and Elizabeth find that "puller" is a term for type of worker involved in printing, and that the paper the publications are on came from the mill of the man who bought the McLeod's house. After some more sleuthing and some trickery, they're able to determine that a Mr. Capps, who's on the Committee of Safety (a group that watches for Loyalist subterfuge) is Mr. Puller, and that he's falsified Mr. Merriman's ledger to make it appear that he's aiding the British. His nephew works as an apprentice to a printer, so when Mr. Capps's store was having financial trouble he concocted the scheme to essentially steal Mr. McLeod's store, and when that was bought out from under him, he set his sights on the Merrimans' store. But while they know who the real criminal is, they need to be able to prove it. With some help from Ben and Mr. Capps's apprentice, they find several receipts like the ones used to "prove" Mr. Merriman was selling supplies under the table to the British, which shows that Mr. Capps has been framing people. Furthermore, he's gotten the receipts straight from the British themselves!

With Ben's help, Felicity is able to show the evidence at her father's trial, and things are set right. Mr. Capps's apprentice even finds a new job: he replaces Mr. Capps's nephew at the printing press.

Looking Back

In 1775, the Continental Congress convened in colonial America. The Congress started actions against British, including mandating a boycott on British goods. In a time before instant communication, it was difficult to enforce such a boycott, so communities elected a Committee of Safety to be sure everyone was in line with the boycott. Storekeepers were often caught up in the zeal of the Committees, similar to the way the Red Scare of the 1950s made people sees Communists around every corner. People accused of breaking the boycott were in danger of being tortured or even killed by unruly mobs. Of course, there were mobs of Loyalists as well as mobs of Patriots, so being on the wrong side of either was bad news. Scottish immigrants were considered particularly suspect, and they along with many Loyalists fled to Canada to escape the danger.

Misc

This book is dedicated "in memory of Lance Corporal Jason Scott Daniel, a brave Marine who served his country well." Rest in peace, LCpl. Semper fi.

Despite being published two years after Peril at King's Creek (the next review), this book takes place a few months before.

Felicity's family has the same rule mine does when playing games: winner picks up.

There's mention of a woman who's just had a baby being sick with "childbirth fever." I wonder if that's puerperal fever, a potentially deadly infection that used to plague new mothers. It's rarely seen nowadays, because we now know that obstetricians should wash their hands between patients. Doctors would sometimes even go straight from an autopsy to attending a birth with filthy hands. Midwives made it a habit to wash their hands and their patients had a far lower incidence of the fever. Once we came to understand germs, the reason for the correlation was clear.

I wonder if Felicity would have been allowed to testify in court, being not only female but barely eleven years old. Women couldn't vote in the US until under a hundred years ago, so it wouldn't surprise me.

Felicity Discovers a Secret

Short story collection published in 2006; author Valerie Tripp; illustrator Dan Andreasen, Susan McAliley, or Philip Hood

Plot

Felicity is out racing through the streets, spinning along her toy hoop, when she slips in a mud puddle, dirtying the linens a neighbor had set out to dry. The neighbor is Mrs. Burnsie, who takes in washing to earn a living. She has a reputation for being stubborn and mean. Embarrassed and contrite, Felicity offers to help clean the things for Mrs. Burnsie. While doing so, she learns that part of the reputation is well-deserved: Mrs. Burnsie has very specific ways of doing things and refuses to try any others. But she can be very nice. Felicity notices a few things around the house that are out of place for Mrs. Burnsie's fussiness: some embroidery is upside-down relative to the rest of the work, her apron is inside-out, her hair is messy, and the lavender she puts in the loads of laundry is just about run out. Felicity can at least help with that last bit, and the next day brings some fresh-cut flowers from her garden. She surprises Mrs. Burnsie, who was bent over her embroidery so close to the work that Felicity thought the woman had fallen asleep. Suddenly, Felicity understands: Mrs. Burnsie has poor eyesight! She brings a pair of glasses from her father's store, and urges Mrs. Burnsie to try them on. Despite being initially reticent about change, Mrs. Burnsie acquiesces, and is stunned at the difference the lenses make. She promises Felicity she'll go buy a pair, and thanks her for her friendship.

Looking Back

The historical section gives an overview of the history of corrective lenses. They were relatively uncommon until the invention of movable type in Middle Ages, when the sudden widespread availability of reading materials encouraged more people to learn to read. Glasses started out as lenses held in front of the face on posts or in fans or other handles, like opera glasses. By Felicity's time, glasses were held on with straps or pieces that went over the ear or on the temples. Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals in the 1700s, and in the 1800s, contact lenses were invented. Hooray for peripheral vision!

Misc

Felicity's a little ruder and more thoughtless with her speech than usual, but it's to advance the plot ("Why is this flower embroidered upside-down?" "Well, my mother does it this way...").

I have atrocious vision. If I couldn't use corrective lenses, I'd be legally blind. But I'd never make most of the mistakes that Mrs. Burnsie does. The way she's described bent over her work, she seems near-sighted rather than far-sighted, which makes no sense for embroidery something the wrong way. And you can still feel the hems of clothes and the way your hair is in order to put yourself together right. The lavender's the one that makes sense, because if her eyesight's like mine she'd just seen a purple-ish blur and might not notice how low her supply is. Not recognizing Felicity would be a good one, too; or if she's supposed to be far-sighted she should have been holding her embroidery further away from her face.

Changes for Felicity

Published in 1991; author Valerie Tripp; illustrators Dan Andreasen, Luann Roberts, and Keith Skeen

Plot

It's a confusing time for Felicity. The colonies are full of tension as the unrest toward the king grows stronger, her horse Penny is expecting a foal, she discovers that Penny's former owner Mr. Nye is gravely ill in debtor's prison (and back then prisoners or someone who cared about the prisoner had to pay for medical attention, so he's not get better) and she doesn't want to feel sorry for him but Elizabeth urges her to have pity...and then Elizabeth's father is arrested for being a Loyalist. Felicity's grandfather is visiting, and petitions an influential politician to release Elizabeth's father. Her grandfather is also ill, and gets steadily worse. While he's successful in his errand, it strained him. He dies in the night, not long after Felicity spent time reading to him to help him sleep. She's angry and devastated because of the loss, but her mother gives her comfort. She reminds Felicity that changes will always happen and focusing on the bad things will only make her miserable, but she can look forward to new exciting changes and fondly remember the past. She counsels Felicity that there's nothing wrong with missing people when they die, but it's useless to wish that things never change. She reminds Felicity that not even death can end the love she and her grandfather shared.

After the funeral, Felicity finds her new normal. The absence of her grandfather isn't all that's changed. Elizabeth's father is free now, but he's leaving for New York to lessen the risk of being arrested again. Elizabeth, Annabelle, and their mother will stay in Virginia to keep up the property, so Felicity's friend will still be around, but much busier that before. The girls decide to go back to visit Mr. Nye, both now of the mind that life is too short to hold grudges. But he's been released! Felicity and Elizabeth had left a basket of medicine for him, which helped him heal, and Felicity's grandfather gave him money to pay him for Penny. He used the money to pay his debt. Felicity is certain now that Mr. Nye won't try to stake a claim to her beloved horse.

Shortly after, Penny goes into labor. There's a problem with the birth, and Felicity's father and their slave Marcus are both gone. Felicity knows who can help: Mr. Nye was renowned for his knowledge of animals before he became an alcoholic. She rushes to his house, and he tells Felicity that he knows she and Elizabeth left him the medical supplies, and that her grandfather gave him the money. He agrees to help, considering it payback for their good deeds. With his help, the foal is born safely. Felicity names him Patriot.

When Felicity's father returns, he informs the family that he and Marcus will be commissary agents in the Patriot Army, delivering supplies to the fighting forces. Felicity offers him Penny to help with the work, and will help man the store while he's on his errands. Together, everyone will do their part to help.

Looking Back

When the Revolutionary War began, the effects were felt far and wide. Men were separated from their families--patriots because of joining the Patriot Army, loyalists because of fleeing to England to escape imprisonment. In either case, women often stayed on the family property to tend the land and save their claim to it. They had to work hard keeping their families fed and clothed with limited supplies and without the help they were used to, as even male slaves were fighting in the war.

Misc

This book is dedicated to "my husband Michael and my daughter Katherine, with love."

Mr. Nye turned to alcohol following the death of his wife.

Felicity's New Sister

Short story collection published in 2006; author Valerie Tripp; illustrator Dan Andreasen, Susan McAliley, or Philip Hood

Plot

Felicity's been feeling extra cooped up this winter: she's been having to help her mother more since the new baby is due soon. When a neighbor suggests that Felicity, her mother, and her siblings could use a break at her grandfather's plantation, the family agrees and they set out, despite the concerns Rose (the cook, who has helped Mrs. Merriman deliver her babies) has that the baby will come sooner than expected. They set out in on a rainy day, and soon the horse and carriage go off course, crashing into a stream bank. Everyone gets out safely and takes refuge in a nearby empty cottage, but Mrs. Merriman is feeling contractions. As Rose tends to her laboring mother, Felicity has to brave the storm to get Rose's bag from the wrecked carriage. But soon everyone's efforts are rewarded: Mrs. Merriman delivers a healthy baby girl. Felicity suggests the name Polly, should for polliwog, as the baby was nearly born in a stream. As she bonds with her baby sister, Felicity's attitude toward the responsibilities of being the eldest changes for the better.

Looking Back

The historical section is about the traditions surrounding new babies in the colonial America. Many of the traditions are still familiar today, like welcoming parties, gift giving, and christenings. Others are outdated, like putting babies in corsets to encourage good posture or using wheeled walkers (dangerous nowadays; too easy for a baby to go down the stairs). Most babies then were born at home with the help of a midwife or female relatives. Upper class women rested for a week or more, up to a month, while slaves and lower-class women went back to work sooner. Of course, all babies were cloth diapered, but the diapers had to be fastened with straight pins. Safety pins weren't invented until the next century.

Misc

Felicity's dad isn't mentioned at all in this book.

Haha, the neighbor lady tells Mrs. Merriman that right after the crash is a bad time to have a baby and she should just wait. Obviously she's never had a baby! She does have the humility to admit when she's wrong though, and seems to be a kind, if misinformed, woman.

Felicity was born early too, as revealed in Happy Birthday, Felicity!

One of my friends had a baby eight days after my second was born. We both had midwives attend our labors, but I was at a hospital and used an epidural, while she had a home birth. Another friend had a baby about a week and a half before my second, and she used a birth center. I'm very happy that we have a nice variety of choices for childbirth, at least in my area.

Very Funny, Elizabeth!

Published in 2005; author Valerie Tripp; illustrators Dan Andreasen and Susan McAliley

Plot

Ten-year-old Elizabeth has been picked on her sixteen-year-old sister Annabelle all her life. Annabelle always tries to be proper, but is actually stuck-up, and chides Elizabeth for the slightest imagined faults. But now that Elizabeth is friends with Felicity, she's discovered the strength to stand up for herself. She and Felicity even play jokes on Annabelle. When a letter arrives from a wealthy family in England suggesting Annabelle marry into it, Elizabeth is at first taken aback by the sudden changes this would entail (Annabelle would move to England and possibly never see her family again), but then thinks it might be a good opportunity for some practical jokes.

Elizabeth and Felicity say that their teasing is always for a good cause, like to help Annabelle be less snobbish. And the younger girls think it's odd than a lord would come all the way from England to find a wife. What's wrong with him that he can't find one in England? They bring up the "fact" (see below) that marriage is forever--she can't divorce if the marriage turns sour. However, it is a desirable marriage from the viewpoint of colonial America: Annabelle would be marrying up to a higher social class, and with the worsening political tensions, England might be a safer place to live.

The lord and his sister arrive a short time later, and Elizabeth soon sees that while the lord isn't a cruel man and might be quite kind, he's under his sister's thumb, and she's enough of a snobbish bully to make Annabelle look like Miss Manderly. The sister spends the better part of a week giving Elizabeth and Annabelle lessons in how to act properly among aristocracy. Elizabeth plays little jokes on Annabelle like putting a live spider on her toast to make her scream, in order to get Annabelle to realize that the sister would be an awful person to put up with (an unmarried woman, she would live with the lord and Annabelle). But the engagement is set, and even worse, Elizabeth's parents tell that she will go along to England as well! She protests and reveals the pranks she pulled in hopes that her parents will change their minds, but they're too concerned for her safety to let her stay in the colonies. She and Felicity scheme to disrupt the engagement party, which will be held that night, to prove that Elizabeth is too rough for England. They pack the sister's tall wig with snowballs.

During the party, the snow starts to melt and water flies around the room, propelled by the momentum of the dancing. The sister rushes upstairs in embarrassment, and the Coles follow with the lord. Elizabeth reveals the scheme, and the sister berates her and forbids her from coming to England. Then the lord steps in, saying he's through being bullied by his sister: he doesn't want to marry Annabelle, or anyone. Instead he wants to join Patriot army! He asks Annabelle her forgiveness, and she is only too happy to accept, for while she thinks she could grow to love him, she could never abide living with his sister. Annabelle even thanks Elizabeth for her pranks.

The next morning things are back to normal between the sisters, but at least Elizabeth can stay in Virginia.

Looking Back

While Annabelle seems young to be considering marriage by today's standards, it was commonplace for young women to marry in their late teens back in Felicity's time. Marriages tended to be more of a business arrangement than for love, especially among the upper classes. Men and women could expect to be married by their early twenties, and people who didn't marry were generally considered untrustworthy. Some single people could still make a living and be respected by their communities, like the character of Miss Manderly in the Felicity books, but it was rare.

Misc

This book is dedicated to "Sally Woods, with love and thanks for her information and inspiration."

Elizabeth is short for her age, while Felicity is tall for her age.

Yes, there was divorce in England in the 1700s. Ever heard of the Church of England? It separated from the Catholic Church in the 1500s over a variety of things, one of them being whether the king of England had the authority to dissolve marriages. It wasn't as easy to divorce then as now, but it was possible.