AG has condensed the six books from each original doll series into 2 "classic" books. The stories have not been changed, just compiled into 2 larger volumes without pictures. Since my daughter is blind, the lack of pictures is not a big deal for us, but I am glad I have a few of the older sets because I feel that the pictures really add to the educational value.
I was most interested in the new My Journey With... books, which remind me of the Choose Your Own Adventure stories I loved as a child. Each book tells of a modern girl who travels back in time and meets one of the historical characters. She follows that character on an adventure, which changes according to choices the reader makes at different points in the story.
Recommendations: I would recommend these books to children between the ages of about 8-13. Even though they're geared toward girls, my son enjoyed the stories as much as my daughter. I think it's best for parents to read the sample of the book first to get an idea of the subject matter. Some kids might be sensitive about certain topics. I also recommend reading these book with your child and discussing the themes with them. I really enjoyed the Journey books and look forward to purchasing them for my family. I think they tie in nicely with the dolls and accessories, and kids can even play out the time travel aspect with their modern dolls and historical characters. I do hope that American Girl will release some of the historical objects (mood ring, compass, locket) that transported the characters back in time. I know I would personally love to have a magic time-traveling mood ring, even if it is just pretend. Of course, these objects would probably be easy to find or make as well.
I hope this review was helpful, and I hope you will check out these great new additions to the American Girl books!