American Girl Doll News

A certain American Girl actress just announced some big news last night... so to celebrate, I figured I'd update my post from 2022 about where the American Girl actresses are now in 2024! After AnnaSophia Robb starred as Samantha in Samantha: An American Girl Holiday, she starred in many movies like Because of Winn-Dixie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Bridge to Terabithia. She graduated from NYU in 2018 and got married in 2022, and her latest movie, a Netflix movie called Rebel Ridge, just released a few weeks ago. Kelsey Lewis, who played Nellie, was in a few more TV shows in guest roles until 2008, when she took a hiatus from acting. She acted in a short film in 2017 and hasn't done any acting since, although she choreographed a short film in 2021. Shailene Woodley was the queen of book-to-film adaptations in 2014, nine years after she starred as Felicity. She starred in The Fault in Our Stars and the Divergent trilogy. She was also set to play the role of Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 before her scenes were cut. Now, she is starring in more independent movies and is also an environmental activist. After she portrayed Elizabeth, Katie Henney appeared on TV shows like The Naked Brothers Band on Nickelodeon and Law and Order. Her last acting role for a bit was in 2015, although she did play one more role in the indie horror movie Before Someone Gets Hurt in 2018. Katie also went to musical theater college in New York. Maya Ritter, who portrayed Molly, hasn't acted since 2016, when she guest-starred on the Disney Junior show Goldie and Bear. She is now a talent agent for her own talent agency, Ritter Talent Agency. Tory Green had two more acting roles in small projects in 2007 and 2008. It can be assumed that Tory is now living a normal life, as I can't find any information about Tory post-2008. After Abigail Breslin played the role of Kit, she took on other roles in movies like Zombieland and its sequel, Rango and Ender's Game. She also played the role of Helen Keller in the play The Miracle Worker. Her most recent role was in the 2021 movie Stillwater, and she just got married last year. Out of all of the historical Best Friend dolls, Ruthie's actress Madison Davenport is the only one still acting. She appeared in the 2014 film Noah, TV shows like Criminal Minds and Black Mirror and even voice acted in the Kingdom Hearts video game. Sammi Hanratty, who played Chrissa, now goes by Samantha Hanratty and acts in TV shows, most notably the Showtime 2021 series Yellowjackets. She came out as bisexual and got engaged to her boyfriend - and is now pregnant with a son! Kaitlyn Dever, who played Gwen, had a major career breakthrough in 2019 when she played a leading role in the R-rated comedy Booksmart and the Netflix series Unbelievable. Since then, she was in the film adaptation of the play Dear Evan Hansen, the Hulu movies Rosaline and No One Will Save You, and has been cast in the TV adaptation of the video game The Last of Us. Ariela Barer, who played Sonali, is now mostly known for playing a leading role in a Marvel Hulu series Runaways. She also guest starred on several Disney Channel shows. Their most recent role was in the 2021 reboot of Saved By The Bell. Ariela came out as a lesbian in 2016 and uses she/they pronouns. Since Jade Pettyjohn played McKenna, she was cast in a variety of TV shows, including Nickelodeon's School of Rock and Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere. Her most recent movie, an independent movie called All My Friends Are Dead, came out this year. Sidney Fullmer, who played Saige, played one more role in Disney's film adaptation of Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Really Bad Day before finishing public school, dating a boy, and returning to a normal life. Since playing Isabelle, Erin Pitt has started her own photography and short film production company, MovingPix Productions, and is currently dating a boyfriend. You probably know what Olivia Rodrigo, who played Grace, is doing now. After acting in various Disney productions, she released her first single Driver's License at the beginning of last year, which rose to the top of the charts. Her first album Sour was released in May 2021, and her most recent album Guts released in September 2023. She is the first former American Girl actress to win a Grammy... three Grammys, to be exact. She is actually currently on a concert tour! Jolie Ledford, who played Julie in "And The Tiara Goes To...", is now acting in independent short films. Harlie Galloway, who played Maryellen in "Maryellen and the Brightest Star", is now acting in plays. She was in her high school's production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in November 2021. Maggie Elizabeth Jones, who played Lea, is now a normal girl who has a boyfriend and runs track, and she is an event planning major at Auburn University. Marsai Martin, who played Melody in her Amazon special, is still acting in projects such as the series Black-ish, which ended in 2022, and a voice role in the Paw Patrol movie franchise, but what's more impressive about her career post-American Girl is that when she was still in middle school, she started her own production company Genius Productions. Her company's first movie Little was released in 2019, and she produced a short-lived Disney Channel series called Saturdays and another movie called Fantasy Football. Alyvia Alyn Lynd, who played Maryellen in her Amazon special, has been acting in TV shows like the 2019 Netflix show Daybreak since her AG role. Her most recent role was in a show called The Spiderwick Chronicles. Nina Lu, who played Ivy in her Amazon special, is a graduate from the USC film school for screenwriting. Hannah Nordberg, who played Julie in Ivy's Amazon special, has been voice acting in cartoons like Fancy Nancy and The Loud House. She still has been doing live-action acting, though! Zoe Manarel, who played Z in her Amazon special, has been acting in several independent short films. This is the big news I was talking about - Miya Cech, who played Corinne in her movie, just announced that she has been cast to play Toph Beifong in season 2 of the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix! I love ATLA, and Toph is my favorite character, so I am SO EXCITED to see her bring Toph to life! Since the Corinne movie, she also filmed a Netflix movie called You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah and an independent film called A Great Divide, which will release in November. Miya's sister Kai Cech, who played Gwynn, has also been doing very well since the Corinne movie! An independent horror movie called Ba, which she actually filmed before Corinne, has been making the rounds at film festivals, and last year she filmed a movie called Dear Santa with Jack Black, which doesn't have a release date yet.

Today and tomorrow, American Girl's Disney Princess dolls are 15% off. They are usually $135, so with this discount the dolls will be approximately $115. Rapunzel, Tiana, Cinderella and Ariel are included. Plus, a new commercial for the dolls is now available on American Girl's website. I'm not sure if this is airing on TV or anything - Miraculous Ladybug's new season isn't coming out on Disney Channel for another few months, so I haven't been watching the channel lately, but if the commercial does comes on TV, I'm sure it would probably be there or on the other channels that Disney owns.

When it was noted that Summer McKinny's birthday was June 21, I found it very interesting, considering that she's the first American Girl doll since Kirsten all the way back in 1986 to have a birthday in June. But when Summer's journal revealed her sister Holly's birthday - December 21 - it had me realize something. There is no American Girl doll with a birthday in December. There's a ton of April and May birthdays, some September and October birthdays, a few summer birthdays, and a few winter birthdays as well. But there's not a single birthday in December. Why is that? My theory is that because of the original American Girl story structure, this is the case. From 1986 to 2014, the Historical Character stories were structured like this: a Meet story (takes place around the summer), a Learns a Lesson story (takes place around the start of the school year) a Surprise story (takes place during the December holidays), a birthday story (usually in the spring or summer), a Saves the Day story (takes place in the summer) and a Changes For story (takes place in the fall or winter). Because American Girl's stories usually are focused on the holidays during the holiday season, all the way up to the most recent historicals, Isabel and Nicki, who's story took place during the Hanukkah/Christmas/New Year's season of 1999, and more recently, the Girl of the Year stories have been taking place during the fall/winter seasons of their year (with the only one involving a birthday was Kavi, who's September 30th birthday kicked off her story's plot), that's probably why we've never seen a December birthday for an American Girl doll. But hey, we once never had a January birthday, and then Melody came out. And we once never had a July birthday, and then Evette came out. So never say never?

Here is the summary of the Summer McKinny novel, Summer Gets to Work: "Business is booming at Waggy Pup Tails, Summer's dog-walking and treat-baking business. She has new clients to walk and groom and plenty of orders for her homemade dog cookies. Summer loves working with pets, and she's hoping to go to animal camp with her best friend, Daisy. Daisy has her own business making cat toys, so the girls decide to become partners. If they work together, they might just earn enough money for camp. But the girls have different ideas about how to do things. After a disaster in the kitchen, Summer starts to wonder if they can still be partners . . . and if they're even still friends."

A few American Girl collectors on Reddit got flyers with pictures of the holiday dress and other items for Holiday 2024, which is another collab with Janie and Jack, like what was done in 2022. This year's cranberry red, short-sleeved dress is a Janie and Jack item, and there will also be an embroidered black long-sleeve shirt, a sparkly white skirt, a pink long-sleeve shirt with black bows, and a black and white skirt. There will also be girl items to go with these outfits, and there could be more! I'm not posting the images because I'm not sure if the flyers being mailed to these Reddit users was a mistake or intentional by American Girl, but American Girl's holiday releases are usually at the end of September or beginning of October, so we should expect these - and more - to be available soon!

Today is Grace's birthday! She was born this day in 2005, which makes her 19 today!

Here's Lindsey's bio, since she is the Doll of the Month for September 2024! Where she lives: Chicago, Illinois Her hobbies: Her scooter, her laptop, playing the trumpet Pet: Dog named Mr. Tiny What changes her life: Her Uncle Bernie moving into her house What she discovers: There's more than one way to make a difference

Here's an updated list of every Girl of the Year, including the new Girl of the Year, Summer McKinny! The first Girl of the Year doll was Lindsey Bergman. She was the Girl of the Year for 2001, yet she was released on September 1, 2001 and retired on December 31, 2002. Lindsey was a troublemaker and trumpet player that lived in Chicago, Illinois. Lindsey's story involved her trying to make a difference in people's lives- like trying to get her two teachers together, adding smiley-face stickers to trash cans or sticking up to bullies. Ultimately, Lindsey's plans fail more than they succeed, but she learns from her Uncle Bernie that she should still be herself, and try to help out in a more respectful way. Lindsey had one book written by Chryssa Atkinson and her collection was small, consisting of only her, a laptop and a scooter. The second Girl of the Year doll was Kailey Hopkins. She was the Girl of the Year for 2003, but she was released on July 1, 2003 and retired on July 1, 2004. Kailey was a beach girl who lived in Pasadena, California. Her story revolved around her efforts to save the California tide pools she loved from development. Kailey then learns that with the help of others, anyone can make a difference. Kailey's one book was written by Amy Goldman Koss, and her collection was a bit bigger than Lindsey's. She was the first Girl of the Year to have extra clothing, since she had a Wet Suit and Bikini set. The third Girl of the Year doll was Marisol Luna. She was the Girl of the Year for 2005 (the year I was born), but she was released on December 27, 2004 and retired on December 15, 2005, when she sold out. Marisol was a dancer who's life changed when her parents decided to move from the Chicago city to the suburban Des Plaines, a town with no dance school. Throughout her book written by Gary Soto, she learned to accept the change and tried to find a way to keep on dancing. Her collection was the first to contain "big" items, Marisol's Dance Trunk and Marisol's Spotlight Stage. She was also the first doll to have a Starter Collection in addition to a Whole World collection, and the first Latina Girl of the Year (effectively being the first Girl of the Year of color as well) The fourth Girl of the Year doll was Jess McConnell. She was the Girl of the Year for 2006, but she was released on December 26, 2005 and retired on December 31, 2006. Jess was a girl with an interest in soccer and guitar playing from Michigan, but she was taken with her archaeologist parents to Belize. There, she met a local girl named Sarita, and the two of them went on a journey that led Jess to discover an ancient ruin- and more about herself. Her book was written by Mary Casanova, an author who would eventually return for 3 more GOTY series. Jess was the first Girl of the Year to have pajamas, and she was the first part-Asian Girl of the Year and the first mixed-race Girl of the Year, since she is part Japanese, Scottish and Irish. She was also the first doll to carry the label "Girl of the Year", and the first to have a middle name (which Chrissa and Joss also had). She debuted the Jess face mold. The fifth Girl of the Year doll was Nicki Fleming. She was the Girl of the Year 2007, and was the first doll to release on January 1, a tradition kept up ever since. Nicki lived on her family's ranch outside Denver, Colorado and was interested in many activities, including skiing and horseback riding. She struggled with taking on too many challenges and not being able to say "no", and this led to her training a service dog named Sprocket while her mom was pregnant with twins. Over time, she falls in love with Sprocket, and her second book, Thanks to Nicki, was mainly about her feelings about letting him go. She was the first Girl of the Year to have two books, which were both written by Ann Howard Creel. Nicki's big item was her horse, Jackson. She sold out on December 13, 2007. The sixth Girl of the Year was Mia St. Clair. She was the Girl of the Year for 2008, released on January 1, 2008 and sold out on December 17, 2008. Mia lived in upstate New York and despite being in a family full of hockey-playing brothers, she loved to ice skate. Her life changed when a former Olympian, Emma Schubert, moved to her ice skating rink and became her coach. Mia then is pushed out of her comfort zone in the skating department, skating solos and going to Regionals for the first time, and learns to believe in herself. Mia's two books were written by Laurence Yep, who later wrote Isabelle's books. Mia also had her own freckle pattern and was the only Girl of the Year to have her own PC game, Mia Goes for Great. The seventh Girl of the Year was Chrissa Maxwell. She was the Girl of the Year for 2009, released on January 1, 2009 and retired on Christmas Eve 2009, when she sold out. Chrissa was a swimmer and crafter who originally lived in Iowa, but her life changed when she moved to the fictional town of Edgewater, Minnesota. At her new school, she had to deal with bullying from a group of mean girls called the 'Mean Bees'. But she did make some new friends, and she eventually found a way to take a stand against bullying. Her 2 books were written by Mary Casanova, who previously wrote Jess's books, and she was the first Girl of the Year to have a movie, Chrissa Stands Strong, where she was played by Sammi Hanratty, a regular guest star on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. Her collection also brought about two companion dolls. One of Chrissa's companion dolls was Gwen Thompson, who was released on January 1 and retired on December 31, 2009. Gwen was interested in playing music, and she was a lonely frequent target of the Mean Bees since she was homeless, going from living in her mom's car to a shelter. She eventually found a friend in Chrissa. Gwen was very similar to Just Like You 12, and she came with the Friends: Making Them and Keeping Them book. In the movie, Gwen was portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever, who eventually found fame starring in movies like Them That Follow and Booksmart. The other companion doll for Chrissa was Sonali Matthews, who also was available for all of 2009. Sonali came from a well-off family and was originally one of the Mean Bees, but after bonding with Chrissa, she changed her ways and called off bullying for good. She also became friends with Gwen as well. Sonali debuted a new face mold, the Sonali Mold. She came with the same book as Gwen. In the movie, Sonali was portrayed by Ariela Barer, who eventually played a character on the Hulu original series Marvel's Runaways. The eighth Girl of the Year was Lanie Holland. She was the Girl of the Year for 2010, who released on January 1, 2010 and retired on December 31, 2010. Lanie was from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was an outdoorsy girl in a family that preferred to stay inside, which frustrated her, especially since her BFF Dakota was overseas exploring. But when her Aunt Hannah visited, Lanie learned that she could have outdoor adventures in her own backyard, and started her own garden. Lanie's collection included her Outdoor Camper, which was the biggest Girl of the Year item to that point. Her 2 books were written by Jane Kurtz. The ninth Girl of the Year was Kanani Akina. Being the Girl of the Year for 2011, she released on January 1, 2011 and sold out on December 9 of that year. Kanani lived in Kauai, Hawaii and loved paddleboarding and helping out at her family's shaved ice stand. When her cousin from New York, Rachel, visited and was homesick, Kanani learned how to bring the "aloha spirit" to her- and how to carry it out to make a difference in the world. Kanani was the last doll to have a Whole World collection. Her two books were written by Lisa Yee, who eventually wrote Lea's, and in a break from tradition, were written in third-person. Kanani's meet book was called Aloha, Kanani, breaking tradition as well. Kanani was the first doll to have her own app, Shave Ice. The tenth Girl of the Year was McKenna Brooks. Being the Girl of the Year for 2012, McKenna released on January 1, 2012 and sold out on December 5, 2012, becoming the fastest Girl of the Year to sell out. McKenna was a gymnast from Seattle, Washington, but she struggled in the classroom, especially with reading. She eventually got a tutor named Josie, and McKenna learned how to shine in the classroom: and get back up in gymnastics after she broke her leg. McKenna's 2 books were written by Mary Casanova. She also was the first doll since Chrissa to have a movie, McKenna Shoots for the Stars, where she was played by Jade Pettyjohn, who went on to become a Nickelodeon star. McKenna also had an app, Gymtastic. The eleventh Girl of the Year was Saige Copeland. Being the Girl of the Year for 2013, Saige released on January 1, 2013 and retired on December 31, 2013. Saige was born on October 8, 2003 and lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was interested in horseback riding and painting, but when her school cut the art program, Saige used her talents to campaign to bring back art. Saige's 2 books were written by Jessie Haas. Saige was the first Girl of the Year to come with her ears pierced, and she also had a unique turquoise eye color. Saige's collection included the Hot Air Balloon, which was the tallest American Girl item ever produced. In her movie, Saige Paints the Sky, Saige was portrayed by newcomer Sidney Fullmer, who was discovered at an American Girl store. Saige's app was called Paint Ponies. The twelfth Girl of the Year was Isabelle Palmer. Being the Girl of the Year for 2014, Isabelle released on January 1, 2014 and sold out on December 21, 2014. Isabelle lived in Washington D.C and attended a ballet school, Anna Hart School for the Arts. Her sister Jade was the most popular ballerina there, and Isabelle felt like she was stuck in her shadow. But over the course of the series, Isabelle found her own way to shine: designing costumes. Isabelle was the first Girl of the Year to have three books, which were all written by the author of Mia's books, Laurence Yep. Isabelle's wig was designed to accommodate removable pink highlights: which I lost one month after getting Isabelle, sadly. Isabelle's collection also doubled as a mix-and-match line. In her movie, Isabelle Dances Into The Spotlight, she was played by Erin Pitt, the only Canadian to play a GOTY doll. Isabelle's movie also had a tie-in toy line with McDonald's. Isabelle's app was called Dance Studio. The thirteenth Girl of the Year was Grace Thomas. Being the Girl of the Year for 2015, Grace released on January 1, 2015 and sold out on December 30, 2015. Grace was born on September 17, 2005 and lived in the fictional town of Bentwick, Massachusetts. She had a passion for baking and helping out in her grandparent's bakery, but her summer plans got turned on their head when her mom took Grace to Paris since her Aunt Sophie was on bed rest and needed help in her French bakery. While in Paris, Grace befriended her cousin Sylvie and found a business idea: making French treats in America with her friends. Grace's three books were written by Mary Casanova, and she was the first GOTY to have no illustrations in her books, which was kept by the GOTYs for the rest of the 2010s. Grace had a unique freckle pattern, and her collection featured the $500 French Bakery- the most expensive AG item of all time for four years. In her movie, Grace Stirs Up Success, Grace was played by Olivia Rodrigo in her first role, who went on to find success as a pop star in 2021. Grace's app was called Sweet Shop. The fourteenth Girl of the Year was Lea Clark. Being the Girl of the Year for 2016, Lea released on January 1, 2016 (the first GOTY I got on 1/1!) and sold out on December 19, 2016. Lea was born on August 14, 2005 and was an adventurous aspiring photographer living in St. Louis, Missouri. When she went to Brazil to visit her brother, who was studying abroad, Lea learned to face any fears she may had, as well as understanding wildlife a little bit more than she used to. Lea's first two books were written by Lisa Yee, who wrote the Kanani series, while her third book was written by both Yee and Kellen Hertz, who went on to write the Tenney series. Lea debuted a new skin tone and was the first doll to come with a zip tie instead of neck strings. Her collection included three different animals where some of the proceeds went to the World Wildlife Fund. In her movie, Lea to the Rescue, she was played by Maggie Elizabeth Jones, who was known for her role in We Bought A Zoo. (I went to the Atlanta store the day before she was there for a meet and greet. I still regret going the wrong day.) Lea's app was called Born for Adventure, and I still haven't beat the last level even though it's been eight years. That's how hard that game was. The fifteenth Girl of the Year was Gabriela McBride. She was the Girl of the Year for 2017, releasing on January 1, 2017. She was the first doll since Lindsey to last longer than one year, and Gabriela sold out on November 21, 2018. Gabriela was a dancer living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who was branching out into poetry after her cousin Red suggested for her to do so. She was also trying to overcome her stutter using poetry. Her story revolved around her learning to be more confident and express herself in her efforts to save her mom's arts center, run for student council and find her way in poetry. Gabriela's first two books were written by Teresa E. Harris, and her last book was written by Varian Johnson. Just Like You 46 was taken out of retirement to be Gabriela. She was the first Girl of the Year since Jess to have her big ticket item released later in the year. Gabriela was the first Girl of the Year since Kanani not to have a movie. She was also the first African American Girl of the Year, the first disabled Girl of the Year and the first full Girl of the Year of color since Marisol. She was featured in the American Girl World app. The sixteenth Girl of the Year was Luciana Vega. She was the Girl of the Year for 2018. She was released on January 1, 2018 and retired in September 2021, making her the longest-lasting Girl of the Year so far. Luciana was born on May 15, 2006 and was an aspiring astronaut from Virginia who dreamed of being the first girl on Mars. In her story, she won a scholarship to go to Space Camp, and there, she launched a journey of career exploration and learning how to be a good leader and team player. Luciana was the last Girl of the Year to have three books, which were all written by Erin Teagan. The Luciana doll featured a permanent purple hair streak. Luciana's collection featured a Mars Habitat playset, which retailed for $350. Luciana was the first Chilean Girl of the Year, and the second Latina after Marisol. Luciana was featured in the American Girl World app and in the American Girl Live musical, where she was portrayed by Ashley Diane. The seventeenth Girl of the Year was Blaire Wilson. She was the Girl of the Year for 2019. She was released on January 1, 2019 and retired in December 2021. Blaire was born on March 18, 2009 and was a gardener and cook who lived on her family's Pleasant View Farm Bed and Breakfast. In her story, she was struggling with a dairy sensitivity and tablet addiction when she found herself in charge of planning the Pleasant View Farm's first wedding. Through her adventures, Blaire learned that she could use her talents to help others- and that connecting with others is important. Blaire's two books were written by Jennifer Castle. Blaire was the first redhead Josefina mold since Nellie. Her collection included the $350 Family Farm Restaurant. Blaire was the first Girl of the Year to have a food sensitivity. She was featured in a series of videos that were published throughout 2019. The eighteenth Girl of the Year was Joss Kendrick. She is the Girl of the Year for 2020. She was released on December 31, 2019 and retired in summer of 2022. Joss was born on April 14, 2010 and is a surfer from Huntington Beach who is deaf in her left ear and wears a hearing aid in her right. In her story, she is dared to try out for the cheerleading team, and soon falls in love with the sport. Joss soon learns that you can do more than one thing, and that you should always get back up after failure. Joss's two books were written by Erin Falligant. Joss debuted with a new mold to accommodate her redesigned hearing aid, and her big ticket item was a $650 Volkswagen bus, the most expensive AG item by far. Joss was the first Girl of the Year to have a visible disability. She was featured in a series of AGSMs on AG's YouTube channel. The nineteenth Girl of the Year was Kira Bailey. She is the Girl of the Year for 2021. She was released on December 31, 2020 and was retired in February 2023. Kira was born on September 13, 2010 and is a girl who likes to foster kittens with her mother from Michigan. In her story, she visits her aunts' wildlife sanctuary in Australia and has adventures with Alexis, a girl who lives on the sanctuary. When disaster strikes, Kira learns about the importance of protecting the planet against climate change and taking care of animals. Kira's two books were written by Erin Teagan. Kira's big-ticket item was a wildlife sanctuary tent. Kira was the first AG doll ever to feature LGBTQ+ characters with the inclusion of her married lesbian aunts. She also was the first Girl of the Year to have a dead parent, as her dad died three years before the events of the series in a car crash. She was featured in a series of AGSMs on AG's YouTube channel. The twentieth Girl of the Year was Corinne Tan. She is the Girl of the Year for 2022. She was released on December 30, 2021, and is still available. Corinne was born on September 13, 2011 and is a girl from Aspen, Colorado, who likes to ski and loves her sister, Gwynn, who is the first sister of a Girl of the Year to be released. When her mom remarries, she starts to train a search and rescue dog, Flurry. Kira's two books were written by Wendy Wan-Long Shang. Corinne's big-ticket item was a bedroom set. Corinne was the first Girl of the Year to be of full Asian descent and of any Chinese descent. She was also the first Girl of the Year to have divorced parents. She was featured in a series of AGSMs on AG's YouTube channel. Corinne's movie released in 2023, where she is aged up to 13 and played by Miya Cech. The twenty-first Girl of the Year was Kavi Sharma. She is the Girl of the Year for 2023. She was released on December 29, 2022, and is still available. Kavi was born on September 30, 2010 and is a girl from Metuchen, New Jersey, who likes performance, especially music, theater and Bollywood dancing. When her school has a musical revue, Kavi enters with her friends Sophie and Pari, but deals with dropping grades as she prepares for the show. Kavi's book and journal was written by Varsha Bajaj. Kavi's big ticket item is a backstage playset. Kavi was the first Girl of the Year to be of South Asian descent and Indian descent. She was also the first Girl of the Year to have ADHD and be neurodivergent. She was featured in a series of animated episodes on AG's YouTube channel. The twenty-second Girl of the Year was Lila Monetti. She is the Girl of the Year for 2024. She was released on October 4, 2023, making her the first Girl of the Year to release before her official year, and is still available. Lila was born on May 6, 2014 and is a girl from St. Paul, Minnesota, who likes gymnastics and has the 2012 Girl of the Year, McKenna Brooks, as her gymnastics coach. When Lila gets an unexpected opportunity to go to horseback riding camp with her brother, she takes it, only to fall in love with horseback riding and a horse named Hollyhock, but must try to decide if she can do more than one thing. Lila's book and journal was written by Erin Falligant. Lila's big ticket item was a horseback stable. Lila was the first Girl of the Year to be from Gen Alpha and have a previous Girl of the Year involved in her stories. She was also the first Girl of the Year since Luciana to not have her stories adapted into YouTube videos or a movie. The twenty-third Girl of the Year is Summer McKinny. She is the Girl of the Year for 2025. She was released on September 12, 2024, making her the second Girl of the Year to release before her official year, and is still available. Summer was born on June 21, 2015, and is a girl from Columbia, Maryland, who likes dogs, baking and making crafts. When Summer's entrepreneur Aunt Olivia comes to visit with her cat Fettuccine, Summer must deal with having both a cranky cat and a dog named Crescent in the house, but is also inspired by her love of pets and baking to start her own small business to raise money for the animal shelter where she got Crescent. Summer's book and journal was written by Clare Hutton. Summer's big ticket item was a treat cart, the smallest Girl of the Year big ticket item since Kanani's shave ice stand. Summer was the first Girl of the Year to wear glasses, have the Nanea mold and have chronic disease representation in her story, by way of her cat Fettuccine having diabetes. Who's your favorite Girl of the Year?

Today is Corinne and Kira's shared birthday! Corinne was born in 2011, making her 13 years old today, and Kira was born a year earlier in 2010, making her 14.

I just read Summer McKinny’s journal! Here’s my recap, with illustration, and review! The journal begins with Summer explaining that she got her journal from Makers and Bakers, the store that her Aunt Olivia owns. Summer thinks it’s cool that Olivia is her own boss and wants to be like her one day, but she also loves to bake, just like her 11 year old artist sister Holly, who isn’t like Summer in any other way, and just convinced her parents to adopt a dog, Crescent. Summer also is able to help twice a month at the animal shelter thanks to Fiona, a college student that volunteers there. When Summer’s accountant mom leaves on a work trip for 5 weeks, Aunt Olivia comes to stay with Summer and Holly, and when she comes, she brings along her new cat Fettuccine, which makes Summer worried because Crescent had never met a cat before. After dinner, Summer finds out that Aunt Olivia is afraid of big dogs, and Fettucine steals Crescent’s bed and fights with Crescent. Aunt Olivia suggests that she’d be able to keep Fettecuine in her room until he gets used to Crescent, but warns Summer that she’s an “escape artist”, which causes her to worry even more. The next day, Fettucine and Crescent fight again when he escapes to the living room, and Aunt Olivia bribes Fettucine to get out of the room with a treat, which makes Summer mad that he got a treat for “tormenting Crescent”. To make matters worse, Holly takes a liking to Fettuccine. When Summer is at the playground training Crescent to respond to her signals now that there’s a cat in the house, Summer’s neighbor Mrs. Li comes with Pixel, Crescent’s best friend, and talks to her dad about how impressed she is with how Summer is around dogs. This inspires Summer to start a dog walking business and walk Pixel when she walks Crescent, but when she tries to figure out her route, Holly butts in and tries to tell her sister what to do. When Summer comes home from school, she notices Fettuccine on top of her backpack, which annoys her, but the walk goes extremely well. Summer’s happy - until Holly is in the living room playing with Fettuccine and tells her she should put Crescent in the yard so she can keep playing. The two fight, which ends in Holly walking upstairs and Summer feeling like her sister only cares about the cat. The next day after school, Summer is able to bake with Aunt Olivia, but Crescent wants to eat the chocolate cookies, which he is allergic to. Inspired by this, Summer decides to bake dog treats with Aunt Olivia, and she even decides to add another neighbor’s dog, Thor, to her walks. To get Thor and Crescent along, the two play, but Aunt Olivia gets scared about Thor, affirming that she is afraid of big dogs. However, Thor loves the dog treats that Summer baked, which causes Mr. Rosario, Thor’s owner, to hire Summer to bake for him. Summer feels satisfied, until she hears Holly and Aunt Olivia playing again, wondering if her aunt loves Holly more than she loves her because she doesn’t like dogs. The next day, Summer volunteers at the animal shelter, where she meets various animals, including a cat named Daphne that she takes a liking to. She realizes that now that she has a business, she can use her money to buy supplies for the Four Paws Animal Shelter. The day after that, after Summer walks Crescent, Pixel and Thor, Aunt Olivia says that she can watch Crescent if she ever needs help. Confused since Aunt Olivia doesn’t want a dog, Summer asks why, but Aunt Olivia clarifies that Crescent is her “dog nephew”, which makes Fettuccine Summer’s cat cousin. That night at their Family Fun Friday campsite, Summer tells Holly this, which makes Holly mad because Summer wasn’t being nice to Fettuccine. Summer gets mad at Holly as well, which causes her to leave the camp and the two to not talk to eachother. Summer and Holly still aren’t talking when Aunt Olivia invites the two in her room to learn how to knit, which they accept. As Summer starts to knit a blanket for the animal shelter, Fettuccine takes the ball of yarn and starts playing with it, and Summer plays with him, feeling like the cat isn’t so bad after all. The next time Summer walks the dogs, however, she asks Holly to help, which she only accepts because Summer pays her half the money - and she bosses Summer around the whole time. Summer finds out from her teacher, Mrs. DeClemente, that a local business fair is happening for kids, and a cash prize will be given for the top 3 ideas. Summer decides to make dog treats and call her business Waggy Pup Tails, and hand out flyers about her dog walking business, as well as offering grooming and help with training. She asks Holly to help, and she only helps so she can save to buy a new set of pastel paint pens. The next day, Fettuccine escapes outside the porch, and Crescent gets off his leash and follows him. Olivia gets really scared, and after Summer finds Crescent, she finds Fettuccine too. Holly blames Summer for Fettuccine’s escape, with Olivia on the verge of tears and saying that he doesn’t like being stuck in one room, and Summer feels terrible. After worrying that Aunt Olivia will leave because of her, she gets up early and sees her injecting Fettuccine with insulin, which if he goes without it for a while, he will get sick. Summer feels bad for Fettuccine and how she treated him, and promises to make it up to him. One day, Summer has to walk Pixel and Thor alone because Holly stayed after school for art club and Aunt Olivia got a flat tire, leaving Crescent alone in the yard. Summer’s neighbor, Mr. Wylie, gets annoyed at Crescent’s barking, and Summer blames Holly for bailing on her and Holly says that she never wanted to walk the dogs but Summer forced her to. Holly doesn’t talk to Summer for a while, while Summer makes Mr. Wylie cookies to apologize - and also makes a cat toy for Fettuccine to apologize for how she treated him. Summer gets into the business fair and takes advice from Aunt Olivia on how to make her business the best, while Holly still largely ignores her. After that, Crescent jumps at Fettuccine, but instead of blaming Fettuccine for getting out of Aunt Olivia’s room, Summer tells Crescent to behave and asks Fiona at the animal shelter for advice. First, Summer gate-trains Fettuccine and Crescent to get them along. Meanwhile Holly walks the dogs with Summer and apologizes for bailing on her, and Aunt Olivia gets her a cart to decorate to use at the business fair. Instead of dominating the decoration for the cart, Holly takes Summer’s ideas into consideration, and even makes her business a logo. A week later, Summer takes down the gate, and Crescent and Fettuccine get along, which makes Summer feel very relieved. Soon enough, it is time for the business fair. Holly walks Crescent so Summer can focus on baking, her family helps her finish the dog treats, and Holly surprises Summer with a T shirt with the Waggy Pup Tails logo. The fair goes well for Summer, her mom comes home just in time for the fair, Summer wins Best Presentation and a $500 cash prize, Crescent and Fettuccine finally get along, and Mom surprises Summer with a new pet: Daphne the cat! I really liked this journal! It feels like American Girl is finally getting used to this new format of storytelling, and isn’t compromising the story anymore in favor of keeping it short. Despite the actual journal only being 71 pages, there were a lot of storylines and details within, the characters were fleshed out in a way that the last few journals were kind of lacking in, and overall, they really seemed to nail it. As the Girl of the Year Friendship Fight Trope’s biggest hater, however, I really appreciated how most of the conflict in this book was sibling related instead. There hasn’t been a Girl of the Year this close to her sibling since Lea, I believe, so it was really refreshing to see. One thing I will critique, though, is how things just seemed to happen without the main character (Summer) working for them. The way she decided to start her business was pretty much sheer coincidence - if Mrs. Li wasn’t at the playground talking about her that day, none of this would have happened - and as a writer, one piece of advice I have gotten throughout the years is to make sure that your characters don’t have “Unearned Gifts” given to them throughout the story, that they work for all the plot progression they get. There were multiple instances where that didn’t happen, which was very frustrating, but besides that, I really liked this journal and can’t wait to read Summer’s next book!

There was some confusion about what year Summer McKinny was born, but I just read her journal, and it confirms that she was born on June 21, 2015. The events of the book take place during September and October 2025, as she is 10 during her story. Additionally, her older sister Holly is a year and a half older, being born on December 21, 2013 . This makes Summer the second American Girl doll, after Lila, to be born after American Girl Doll News started operating nearly eleven years ago!

I just opened up Summer (and her cat)! Here they are!!!