For the third summer in a row, the Bee Cave Public Library has been a magnet for fans of the American Girl dolls and books. This summer, the American Girl Book Club is reading the series about Molly, a girl growing up during World War II, who wants the war to end so her dad can come home from overseas.

At each of the three sessions, library staff member Laurie Works displayed items from her family’s past that included an antique typewriter, 1940’s-era telephone, a wooden radio, and WWII-era memorabilia to set the mood. The young Molly fans learned about the role of women during WWI on the home front and posed for photos dressed as Rosie the Riveter.

At the second session, the girls were treated to a demonstration of proper tea service by library patron Ann Herbert, a native of the United Kingdom, who brought in her antique tea service to share with the girls. At the third session, the girls learned about modern-day efforts to support our troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan by packing “civilian rations” or c-rats for Operation Interdependence, www.oidelivers.org.
Local volunteers for OI helped the girls write notes to the troops to be included with bags containing donated Girl Scout cookies, powdered drink mixes and other personal items.
The series of three sessions about the Molly books will be repeated on July 8, 15 and 22, and is intended for ages 7-12. A different book club for boys and girls in grades 3-7 will be held at the library on July 14 and 21 based on the first book in The Last Apprentice series, by Joseph Delaney. The Last Apprentice Book Club discussions will be led by Bee Cave Police Detective Ken Sidenblad.
For more information about these and other programs, please check the library website at http://pl.beecavetexas.gov or call 512-767-6620.