American Girl (book series) facts for kids

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American Girl


Author	Various, including Susan S. Adler Dan Andreasen Chryssa Atkinson Emma Carlson Berne Sarah Masters Buckey Mary Casanova Evelyn Coleman Kathleen Ernst Erin Falligant Jacqueline Dembar Greene Alison Hart Elizabeth McDavid Jones Amy Goldman Koss Jane Kurtz Kirby Larson Megan McDonald Denise Lewis Patrick Connie Porter Kathryn Reiss Janet Beeler Shaw Valerie Tripp Lisa Yee Laurence Yep
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Historical fiction
Publisher	American Girl
Published	1986 - current
Media type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback)

The American Girl book series is a popular collection of stories for young readers. These books are based on the famous American Girl dolls. They tell tales about different American girls living in various times in history and also in modern times. Since 1986, American Girl has published many books that go along with their dolls.

The main historical novels are called the Central Series. Each of these books features a doll character from a specific historical period. There is also the Girl of the Year series, which introduces new characters each year from today's world. A related series called History Mysteries was also released. These books, available from 1999 to 2004, explored mysteries set in different historical periods.

Exploring Historical Characters and Beforever Books
- Central Series Books
  - Little Golden Books
Meet the Girl of the Year Characters
Contemporary Characters and Their Stories
World by Us Series
History Mysteries: Solving Puzzles from the Past
Girls of Many Lands: Stories from Around the World
Wellie Wishers: Adventures for Younger Readers
See Also

Exploring Historical Characters and Beforever Books

The Historical Characters line features dolls and books about girls from different times in American history. Each doll originally had six books, covering school, holidays, and challenges. Titles often followed a pattern like "Meet (Name)." In 2002, Kaya's books changed the naming style. In 2014, the line became Beforever, condensing books into two volumes. New characters also had two books. In 2019, it returned to Historical Characters, keeping the two-volume format. Some characters also had longer mystery books or shorter stories. "My Journey" books let modern girls meet historical characters. Other books explained historical facts.

Central Series Books

Kirsten Larson (1854–1856)

Meet Kirsten: An American Girl. by Janet Beeler Shaw (1986)
Kirsten Learns a Lesson: A School Story. by Janet Beeler Shaw (1986)
Kirsten's Surprise: A Christmas Story. by Janet Beeler Shaw (1986)
Happy Birthday, Kirsten! A Springtime Story. by Janet Beeler Shaw (1987)
Kirsten Saves the Day: A Summer Story. by Janet Beeler Shaw (1988)
Changes for Kirsten: A Winter Story. by Janet Beeler Shaw (1988)

Samantha Parkington (1904–1906)

Meet Samantha: An American Girl. by Susan S. Adler (1986)
Samantha Learns a Lesson: A School Story. by Susan S. Adler (1986)
Samantha's Surprise: A Christmas Story. by Maxine Rose Schur (1986)
Happy Birthday, Samantha! by Valerie Tripp (1987)
Samantha Saves the Day. by Valerie Tripp (1988)
Changes for Samantha. by Valerie Tripp (1988)

Molly McIntire (1944–1946)

Meet Molly by Valerie Tripp (1986)
Molly Learns a Lesson by Valerie Tripp (1986)
Molly's Surprise by Valerie Tripp (1986)
Happy Birthday, Molly! by Valerie Tripp (1987)
Molly Saves the Day by Valerie Tripp (1988)
Changes for Molly by Valerie Tripp (1988)

Felicity Merriman (1774–1776)

Meet Felicity by Valerie Tripp (1991)
Felicity Learns a Lesson by Valerie Tripp (1991)
Felicity's Surprise by Valerie Tripp (1991)
Happy Birthday, Felicity! by Valerie Tripp (1992)
Felicity Saves the Day by Valerie Tripp (1992)
Changes for Felicity by Valerie Tripp (1992)

Addy Walker (1864–1866)

Meet Addy by Connie Rose Porter (1993)
Addy Learns a Lesson by Connie Rose Porter (1993)
Addy's Surprise by Connie Rose Porter (1993)
Happy Birthday, Addy! by Connie Rose Porter (1994)
Addy Saves the Day by Connie Rose Porter (1994)
Changes for Addy by Connie Rose Porter (1994)

Josefina Montoya (1824–1826)

Meet Josefina by Valerie Tripp (1997)
Josefina Learns a Lesson by Valerie Tripp (1997)
Josefina's Surprise by Valerie Tripp (1997)
Happy Birthday, Josefina! by Valerie Tripp (1998)
Josefina Saves the Day by Valerie Tripp (1998)
Changes for Josefina by Valerie Tripp (1998)

Margaret Mildred "Kit" Kittredge (1932–1935)

Meet Kit by Valerie Tripp (2000)
Kit Learns a Lesson by Valerie Tripp (2000)
Kit's Surprise by Valerie Tripp (2000)
Happy Birthday, Kit! by Valerie Tripp (2001)
Kit Saves the Day by Valerie Tripp (2001)
Changes for Kit by Valerie Tripp (2001)

Kaya'aton'my (1764–1766)

Meet Kaya by Janet Beeler Shaw (2002)
Kaya's Escape! by Janet Beeler Shaw (2002)
Kaya's Hero by Janet Beeler Shaw (2002)
Kaya and Lone Dog by Janet Beeler Shaw (2002)
Kaya Shows the Way by Janet Beeler Shaw (2002)
Changes for Kaya by Janet Beeler Shaw (2002)

Julie Albright (1974–1977)

Meet Julie by Megan McDonald (2007)
Julie Tells Her Story by Megan McDonald (2007)
Happy New Year, Julie! by Megan McDonald (2007)
Julie and the Eagles by Megan McDonald (2007)
Julie's Journey by Megan McDonald (2007)
Changes for Julie by Megan McDonald (2007)

Rebecca Rubin (1914–1916)

Meet Rebecca by Jacqueline Dembar Greene (2009)
Rebecca and Ana by Jacqueline Dembar Greene (2009)
Candlelight for Rebecca by Jacqueline Dembar Greene (2009)
Rebecca and the Movies by Jacqueline Dembar Greene (2009)
Rebecca to the Rescue by Jacqueline Dembar Greene (2009)
Changes for Rebecca by Jacqueline Dembar Greene (2009)

Cécile Rey & Marie-Grace Gardner (1853–1854)

Meet Marie-Grace by Sarah Masters Buckey (2011)
Meet Cécile by Denise Lewis Patrick (2011)
Marie-Grace and the Orphans by Sarah Masters Buckey (2011)
Troubles for Cécile by Denise Lewis Patrick (2011)
Marie-Grace Makes a Difference by Sarah Masters Buckey (2011)
Cécile's Gift by Denise Lewis Patrick (2011)

Caroline Abbott (1812–1813)

Meet Caroline by Kathleen Ernst (2012)
Caroline's Secret Message by Kathleen Ernst (2012)
A Surprise for Caroline by Kathleen Ernst (2012)
Caroline Takes a Chance by Kathleen Ernst (2012)
Caroline's Battle by Kathleen Ernst (2012)
Changes for Caroline by Kathleen Ernst (2012)

Little Golden Books

Since 2021, American Girl has released Little Golden Books. These books retell stories from the Historical Characters series for younger readers. They often combine stories from different characters around a common theme.

Happy Birthday! (American Girl) by Rebecca Mallary (2021)
Happy Holidays! (American Girl) by Lauren Diaz Morgan (2021)
Making a Difference (American Girl) by Rebecca Mallary (2022)
Time for School! (American Girl) by Lauren Diaz Morgan (2022)
Grandmas Are the Best! (American Girl) by Rebecca Mallary (2023)

Meet the Girl of the Year Characters

The Girl of the Year line features characters from contemporary settings. Each year, a new character is introduced with her own story.

Lindsey Bergman (2001)

Lindsey by Chryssa Atkinson (2001)

Kailey Hopkins (2003)

Kailey by Amy Goldman Koss (2003)

Marisol Luna (2005)

Marisol by Gary Soto (2005)

Jess McConnell (2006)

Jess by Mary Casanova (2005)

Nicki Fleming (2007)

Nicki by Ann Howard Creel (2006)
Thanks to Nicki by Ann Howard Creel (2007)

Mia St. Clair (2008)

Mia by Laurence Yep (2008)
Bravo, Mia! by Laurence Yep (2008)

Chrissa Maxwell (2009)

Chrissa by Mary Casanova (2008)
Chrissa Stands Strong by Mary Casanova (2008)

Lanie Holland (2010)

Lanie by Jane Kurtz (2010)
Lanie's Real Adventures by Jane Kurtz (2010)

Kanani Akina (2011)

Aloha, Kanani by Lisa Yee (2011)
Good Job, Kanani by Lisa Yee (2011)

McKenna Brooks (2012)

McKenna by Mary Casanova (2011)
McKenna, Ready to Fly! by Mary Casanova (2011)

Saige Copeland (2013)

Saige by Jessie Haas (2012)
Saige Paints the Sky by Jessie Haas (2012)

Isabelle Palmer (2014)

Isabelle by Laurence Yep (2014)
Designs By Isabelle by Laurence Yep (2014)
To the Stars, Isabelle by Laurence Yep (2014)

Grace Thomas (2015)

Grace by Mary Casanova (2015)
Grace Stirs it Up by Mary Casanova (2015)
Grace Makes It Great by Mary Casanova (2015)

Lea Clark (2016)

Lea Dives In by Lisa Yee (2016)
Lea Leads the Way by Lisa Yee (2016)
Lea and Camila by Lisa Yee (2016)

Gabriela McBride (2017)

Gabriela by Teresa E. Harris (2016)
Gabriela Speaks Out by Teresa E. Harris (2017)
Gabriela: Time for Change by Varian Johnson (2017)

Luciana Vega (2018)

Luciana by Erin Teagan (2017)
Luciana: Braving the Deep by Erin Teagan (2017)
Luciana: Out of This World by Erin Teagan (2018)

Blaire Wilson (2019)

Blaire by Jennifer Castle (2018)
Blaire Cooks Up a Plan by Jennifer Castle (2018)

Joss Kendrick (2020)

Joss by Erin Falligant (2019)
Joss: Touch the Sky by Erin Falligant (2019)

Kira Bailey (2021)

Kira Down Under by Erin Teagan (2021)
Kira's Animal Rescue by Erin Teagan (2021)

Corinne Tan (2022)

Corinne by Wendy Wan-Long Shang (2021)
Corinne to the Rescue by Wendy Wan-Long Shang (2021)

Kavi Sharma (2023)

It's Showtime, Kavi by Varsha Bajaj (2023)

Lila Monetti (2024)

Lila Goes for Gold by Erin Filligant (2024)

Contemporary Characters and Their Stories

These characters live in modern times and have their own unique stories.

Tenney Grant

Tenney by Kellen Hertz (2017)
Tenney in the Key of Friendship by Kellen Hertz (2017)
Tenney Shares the Stage by Kellen Hertz (2017)
A Song for the Season by Kellen Hertz (2017)

Z Yang

The Real Z by Jen Calonita (2017)
Z On Location by J.J. Howard (2017)

World by Us Series

The World by Us series introduces characters who explore important topics in today's world.

Makena: See Me, Hear Me, Know Me by Denise Lewis Patrick
Evette: The River and Me by Sharon Dennis Wyeth
Maritza: Lead with Your Heart by Angela Cervantes

History Mysteries: Solving Puzzles from the Past

The History Mysteries series includes 22 books by different authors. These books are companion stories to the main American Girl books. Unlike other lines, they do not come with a doll. They are stand-alone novels set in different periods of American history. The characters in these books are usually older, from ten to fourteen years old. Many authors from this series later wrote for the main Central Series.

Titles in order of publication:

The Smuggler's Treasure by Sarah Masters Buckey (1812, New Orleans) (1999)
Hoofbeats of Danger by Holly Hughes (1860, Nebraska Territory) (1999)
The Night Flyers by Elizabeth McDavid Jones (1918, North Carolina) (1999)
Voices at Whisper Bend by Katherine Ayres (1942, Pennsylvania) (1999)
Secrets on 26th Street by Elizabeth McDavid Jones (1912, Chelsea) (1999)
Mystery of the Dark Tower by Evelyn Coleman (1928, Harlem) (2000)
Trouble at Fort La Pointe by Kathleen Ernst (1732, Lake Superior) (1999)
Under Copp's Hill by Katherine Ayres (1908, Boston) (2000)
Watcher in the Piney Woods by Elizabeth McDavid Jones (1865, Virginia) (2000)
Shadows in the Glasshouse by Megan McDonald (1621, Jamestown) (2000)
The Minstrel's Melody by Eleanora E. Tate (1904, Calico Creek and St. Louis) (2001)
Riddle of the Prairie Bride by Kathryn Reiss (1878, Kansas) (2001)
Enemy in the Fort by Sarah Masters Buckey (1754, New Hampshire) (2001)
Circle of Fire by Evelyn Coleman (1958, Middle Tennessee) (2001)
Mystery on Skull Island by Elizabeth McDavid Jones (1724, Charles Town, South Carolina) (2001)
Whistler in the Dark by Kathleen Ernst (1867, Chicago and the Colorado Territory) (2002)
Mystery at Chilkoot Pass by Barbara Steiner (1897, Yukon, Alaska) (2002)
The Strange Case of Baby H by Kathryn Reiss (1906, San Francisco) (2002)
Danger at the Wild West Show by Alison Hart (1886, Louisville, Kentucky) (2003)
Gangsters at the Grand Atlantic by Sarah Masters Buckey (1925, New Jersey) (2003)
Ghost Light on Graveyard Shoal by Elizabeth McDavid Jones (1895, Glenn Island, Virginia) (2003)
Betrayal at Cross Creek by Kathleen Ernst (1775-1776, North Carolina) (2004)

Girls of Many Lands: Stories from Around the World

The Girls of Many Lands collection featured dolls and books about girls from different historical periods and countries. This line was for slightly older readers. The dolls were smaller and more detailed, and the books explored more complex themes. There were eight characters in total, available from 2002 to 2005.

Isabel: Taking Wing by Annie Dalton (1592, England) (2002)
Cécile: Gates of Gold by Mary Casanova (1711, France) (2002)
Leyla: The Black Tulip by Alev Lytle Croutier (1720, Turkey) (2003)
Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot by Jane Kurtz (1846, Ethiopia) (2003)
Spring Pearl: The Last Flower by Laurence Yep (1857, China) (2002)
Minuk: Ashes in the Pathway by Kirkpatrick Hill (1890, Alaska) (2002)
Kathleen: The Celtic Knot by Siobhán Parkinson (1937, Ireland) (2003)
Neela: Victory Song by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (1939, India) (2002)

Wellie Wishers: Adventures for Younger Readers

The Wellie Wishers line of dolls and books started in 2016. These books are for younger children. They focus on the main characters playing in their backyard and going on imaginary adventures.