Still, I needed to start somewhere, and although I consider Barbara Park a genius, I could not bear the thought of reading all of the Junie B. Plus, some topics were just too heavy for her to absorb yet. My daughter is only four, and I didn't want to read something to her that was so over her head that she would get bored. So when I decided to expose my daughter to an American Girl this summer, I had no idea who to choose. But since I only ever took notice of them when they were sitting on the shelf, all that I knew for certain was that their white covers got really, really filthy (thank goodness they've been reissued). The stories sounded like nice, wholesome little historical fiction books that had some educational value. I handed plenty of them out, however, and knew all about the dolls and the wardrobe of matching accessories that seemed more like a cult than a collection.

Somehow, I worked as a children's librarian for 5 years without reading an American Girl book. A frequent speaker at schools and libraries, Tripp has also spoken at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, The New York Historical Society, and Williamsburg. Currently, Tripp is writing a STEM series for National Geographic and adapting Greek Myths for Starry Forest Publishing.

Film dramatizations of the lives of Samantha, Felicity, Molly, and Kit have been based on her stories. She also wrote the 'Best Friends' character stories to date, plays, mysteries, and short stories about all her characters. For that series, Tripp wrote all the books about Felicity, Josefina, Kit, Molly, and Maryellen and many of the books about Samantha.

Right out of college, Tripp started writing songs, stories, and nonfiction for The Superkids Reading Program, working with Pleasant Rowland, the founder of American Girl. Her husband teaches history at Montgomery College. Since 1985 she has lived in Silver Spring, Maryland. A member of the first co-educated class at Yale University, Tripp also has a M.Ed. She grew up in Mount Kisco, New York with three sisters and one brother. Valerie Tripp is a children's book author, best known for her work with the American Girl series.

Meet Kit by Valerie Tripp