History Tearjerker / AmericanGirlsCollection

** Addy overhearing her parents' conversation about possibly running away to freedom. Momma is afraid to do so because the family will be split if they get caught, but Poppa has this to say:

** Addy's father and brother are sold and she tries to stop it, [[WouldHurtAChild but Master Stevens starts whipping her]]. Momma decides to take her and leave for the North because she's afraid the man who bought Poppa and Sam might want to buy Addy too, but they can't take baby Esther because her crying would give them away, or Uncle Solomon and Auntie Lula because they're too old to make the journey. The whole family is separated for two years, and they never see Uncle Solomon again, because he dies before he can meet up with them in Philadelphia.

* In Addy's first book, her father and brother are sold and she tries to stop it [[WouldHurtAChild but Master Stevens starts whipping her]]; later when Momma decides to leave for the North, she reveals they can't take Baby Esther or Lula and Solomon and are separated for two years. They never see Uncle Solomon again, because he dies before he can meet up with them in Philadelphia.

** Jenna and Cami are best friends, but when Jenna starts making other friends, Cami starts flip-flopping between being nice and being mean to her, for no apparent reason. Jenna is so confused and upset that she starts throwing up in the morning. Eventually, it gets to a point where Jenna realizes she can't keep being best friends with Cami, even though she wants to.

** Later when her no-nonsense and frugal [[CountryMouse Aunt Millie]] comes to visit Kit at school with the announcement that they'll be throwing a birthday party for her with a "Penny Pincher" theme, the young girl is embarrassed when her peers founded all amusing and even laugh at her aunt's appearance. Kit ends up voicing her frustrations at her aunt.

** Jenna and Cami are best friends, but when Jenna starts making other friends, Cami starts flip-flopping between being nice and being mean to her, for no apparent reason. Jenna is so confused and upset that she starts throwing up in the morning. Eventually, it gets to a point where Jenna realizes that she cannot continue being best friends with Cami and they need to put some distance between them.

* One of the short stories featured in the magazine, "Sheba Lee," is about a girl named Sheba Lee with NoSocialSkills. Every year, she tries to befriend a new group of girls by copying them, without much success. In fifth grade, she chooses the narrator and her best friend Karina, and joins their ballet class. They tolerate her until Karina can't find her necklace and accuses Sheba Lee of stealing it, turning everyone against her. It's only after Sheba Lee ends up leaving the class that Karina finds the necklace in her gym bag, but they don't know how to apologize to Sheba Lee since they're no longer in contact with her. They write an apology letter to her, and as they go to drop it in a public mailbox, they see her walking down the street with new friends, who she seems to be genuinely happy with.

* One of the short stories featured in the magazine, "Sheba Lee," is about a girl named Sheba Lee with NoSocialSkills. Every year, she tries to befriend a new group of girls by copying them, without much success. In fifth grade, she chooses the narrator and her best friend Karina, and joins their ballet class. They tolerate her until Karina can't find her necklace and accuses Sheba Lee of stealing it, turning everyone against her. It's only after Sheba Lee ends up leaving the class that Karina finds the necklace in her gym bag, but they don't know how to apologize to Sheba Lee since they're no longer in contact with her. As they drop her apology letter in a public mailbox, they see her walking down the street with new friends, who she seems to be genuinely happy with.

** Mixed with heartwarming -- after Swan Circling's funeral, Kaya's mother reveals to her that the warrior woman ''did'' know about her nickname and how she had to leave Speaking Rain behind, and still thought she was a brave and strong girl.

** Early in the book, Kaya and her family have a conversation about how it's sad that Swan Circling and her husband, Claw Necklace, don't have any children. After Swan Circling is killed, they will never have that chance.

** Swan Circling goes out to get a medicinal plant for a sick baby in the middle of winter, but never returns. It turns out that her horse stepped on thin ice, which cracked, and it panicked and threw her off, causing her to hit her head on a boulder, which killed her.
** Mixed with heartwarming -- after the funeral, Kaya's mother reveals to her that Swan Circling ''did'' know about her nickname and how she had to leave Speaking Rain behind, and still thought she was a brave and strong girl.

* In the film adaptation of Molly's books, there's a scene where Molly comes home from school and unexpectedly finds her mother instead of a neighbour, Mrs. Gilford, who has been housesitting. It turned out Mrs. Gilford wasn't there because she'd just received word that her son was killed in battle.