Dolls of Our Lives

Time for yet another tenth birthday and a great American road Tripp! In her second book, Maryellen celebrates her big day in style, throwing a movie star party that turns into a public health fundraiser. After doing her part to cure polio, Maryellen is free to enjoy her summer and look forward to her sister’s wedding. But Mr. Larkin (Dad) has other plans. Defying logic and possibly even gravity, M...

Of all the questions put out into the world, some confound, others inspire, and a few just beg for follow up. But only Val Tripp would be bold enough to ask (through Maryellen Larkin): "how hard could it be to cut bangs?" Maryellen knows that nothing is fair in fourth grade, including the fallout from a quick and hasty morning haircut. We cover Maryellen's debut book, The One and Only, and her rap...

By the spring of 1942, so much has changed for Nanea Mitchell and her family. In the second book of her series, we find Nanea adapting to life under martial law, returning to school, and missing her dear friend Donna. When Nanea becomes aware that some dogs are getting involved directly in the war effort, she becomes concerned about her own beloved pet, the aptly named Mele. Never one to just pani...

Though she is only nine, Nanea just can't wait to grow up. Living with her family in Honolulu, Nanea dreams of being a teacher and sharing "the spirit of aloha" with others. Then, disaster strikes on December 7, 1941. Nanea's world gets turned upside down with the attack on Pearl Harbor. We discuss how Nanea's story can be compared to Molly's, whose books are also set in the early 1940s, the final...

Once upon a time, a reader turned writer named Brit put an idea out into the universe. She told American Girl that she should write a book in the same vein as the stories she’d loved as a child. Cut to 2022, and Brit Bennett is the author of Meet Claudie , a new historical AG book. In this episode, we discuss Claudie’s meet book, which is set in Harlem in 1922. We consider Bennett’s journey from f...

This just in: public historian Lauren Kennedy joins Dolls of Our Lives for a special supplement. Lauren works as Digital Projects Coordinator for Ohio Memory. In addition to being super knowledgeable about material culture and American Girl fandom, Lauren has the scoop on the ins and outs of Ohio's digital newspaper collections. We talked to Lauren about intrepid journalist Kit Kittredge and her h...

In 1951, Sydney Taylor introduced All-of-a-Kind Famil y to the world. Her novel about a Jewish family living on the Lower East Side in the early 20th century features five American girls: Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, and Gertie. These tight-knit sisters love to read, eat candy, and occasionally, dust for their mother. We talk about our (first) read of Taylor's book, which holds up all these year...

We’re taking a break this month, and are bringing you our recent appearance on the American Girl Women podcast. Here is a description from their feed: Laura and Lindsey are joined by dream guests and fellow American Girl kindred spirits Allison Horrocks and Mary Mahoney of the Dolls of Our Lives Podcast. The group chats about how they came to love AG and why it has stayed with them after all these...

Some American Girls wear capes and some take part in capers. In Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, we meet a rising star who could do both. We talk about the fantastic cast of the Kit movie, how the film differs from the books, and what we can learn now from its portrayal of the Depression. If you’re curious about the art of the steal and intense dinner-time conversations on the New Deal, don’t miss...

In the final book of the Kit series, our hero is ready to become an agent for change. But first, she’ll have to deal with a cranky relative…again. When conservative Uncle Hendrick gets injured, he makes it everyone’s problem. The upside to his unwanted residency at the Kittredge home? Kit learns how to engage with anti-New Deal rhetoric while typing letters to the editor. We talk about this six-bo...

As the old saying goes: where there's a Will, there's a way...to end up in jail? In book five of the Kit series, our hero wants nothing more than to hit the road. After meeting Will, a self-described hobo traveling the country, Kit longs for adventure and a break from chores. Kit gets more than she bargained for, however, when she hops a train and only gets as far as the local jail. We discuss Kit...

How do you throw a party on a tight budget? In book four, we learn that Kit has set very low expectations for her tenth birthday. Then, everything changes when a mysterious stranger comes into town. Enter Aunt Millie, who comes to the big city from Mountain Hollow. Millie has plenty of life lessons and home hacks, but her new ideas are not always appreciated by Kit or her mother. We explore how Ki...

It's Christmas time and time for a...quarrel? By December 1934, all was not well in the Kittredge household. Kit and Ruthie have been fighting, the mortgage hasn't been paid, and Uncle Hendrick was acting out more than usual. Still, Kit does her best to keep spirits bright, making the most of visits to her cranky uncle and keeping the change along the way. Throughout book three, the rickrack life...

Have you ever wondered why you even tried? In book two, Kit takes on new chores at home and fights about the first Thanksgiving at school. She also somehow finds time to hatch an interior design plan with Ruthie. Despite this hustle, hard times start to really hit home. During Kit’s forced Tripp to a soup kitchen, the truth about dad’s business lunches comes out. We discuss underlying assumptions...

You know her, you love her, you may even be a bit jealous of her stunning haircut … at last, it’s time we all meet Kit Kittredge. In the summer of 1932, Kit is a comfortably affluent and (in AG terms) spunky girl living in Ohio. We quickly learn that Kit is fond of baseball, her typewriter, BFF Ruthie, and a good headline. She does not appreciate the intrusion of strangers or the general economic...

Grace McGookey and Danielle Wetmore are museum professionals with very different relationships to American Girl. One was a huge fan, and one watched the rise of AG from afar. Years later, while working together at the Tenement Museum, they became colleagues and friends. They also got to be quite familiar with one Rebecca Rubin. During this episode, Grace and Danielle answer some of your most press...

For this Rebecca Rubin bonus, we chatted with Leah Sauter. Leah works as a historian, educator, and translator extraordinaire. In addition to generously sharing her own experience with Rebecca, Leah shed light on the significance of having Jewish American Girl as part of the historical collection. If you've wondered about Rebecca's puzzling bagel choices or what Grandpa Shereshevsky was reading in...

Which American Girl would have the best Real Housewives tagline? Whose stories would most benefit from a rewrite? Is it possible to map 18" dolls onto seltzer flavors? During this episode, you'll hear our answers to these urgent questions and Meet Analee, a new member of our team. Think of this summer mailbag episode as a supercharged Ask Analee, Allison, and Mary Anything (AAAMA). You can find ep...

A lot of ten-year-old kids wouldn't try to make a movie and participate in a labor strike. But Rebecca isn’t like other ten years olds, and she does both of those things, and more, in her final book. Radicalized by her visit to see family employed at a local factory, Rebecca speaks out about labor conditions. Despite her first directorial debut being a bit of a flop, she also gets the courage to c...

What Happens at Coney Island: Rebecca to the Rescue There comes a time in every American Girl's life when she is asked (totally unreasonably) to save the day. In Rebecca to the Rescue, our hero steps up, literally, and climbs a huge ladder at Coney island. Over the course of book five, Rebecca also questions societal gender roles, puts on an impromptu side performance, and saves her cousin who is...

Lights, camera, and...action! Kid star Rebecca Rubin is ready to take center stage. Hot on the heels of her tenth birthday, Rebecca spends the day with her cool cousin Max at a movie studio. When the opportunity presents itself to take on a (non-speaking) role, Rebecca rises to the occasion, of course. During this episode, we talk about Rebecca's birthday celebration, her family's Passover traditi...

For the third Rebecca book, author Jacqueline Dembar Greene drew on her childhood experiences to explore what makes a day on the calendar a “national holiday.” When Rebecca is pressured to make a Christmas decoration at school, she feels conflicted. Not only does her family not celebrate Christmas, she is getting ready for Hanukkah and thinking about her place in the festivities. So, on top of her...

We don’t mean to boast or brag, but the second Rebecca book is filled with lots of heartwarming moments and a few fun surprises. When cousin Ana finally gets to New York, she has a lot to learn from Rebecca. What’s the deal with the classroom dunce cap? Why are so many American laws unjust? How does anyone pull off a solid performance of “You're a Grand Old Flag?” This book boldly tackles these to...

In 2009, a new girl hit the pop culture scene, joining the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Kesha. Her name? Rebecca Rubin. Her height? 18”. Looking for her backstory? Cruise on over to the Wikipedia page for the Lower East Side. Actually, her books are a far better source (take it from us). In reading Meet Rebecca , we learn that this girl really only wants a few things: to be taken seriously, an...

Did you ever dream of working for American Girl magazine? Meet Aubre Andrus, a writer who turned that dream into a reality! Aubre is an award-winning author who gave us an insider's view on the tragically discontinued American Girl magazine.  What happened to all those letters people wrote to AG? How do you plan the best bowling birthday party ever? During our chat with Aubre, we get answers to th...