FAQ

Kit Kittredge is a character from the American Girl product line of dolls, clothes, books, movies, and accessories that have been developed as a way of teaching history to young girls. Each character, usually a preteen, lives during a different time and in a different setting in America. Kit lives in Cincinnati, Ohio during the Great Depression (1934). Her full name is Margaret Mildred Kittredge. Valerie Tripp is the author of the American Girl book series. The novel was adapted for the screen by South African-born screenwriter Ann Peacock.

You might think that it's because of her last name, Kittredge. But you'd be wrong. In the movie, Kit (Abigail Breslin) explains that, when she was little, her father used to sing: Pack up your troubles in your old KIT bag. The name just stuck.

After Kit's father (Chris O'Donnell) goes to Chicago to find a job, her mother (Julia Ormond) opens their house to boarders. There is Louise Howard (Glenne Headly) and her son Stirling Howard IV (Zach Mills), dance instructor Miss May Dooley (Jane Krakowski), mobile librarian Lucinda Bond (Joan Cusack), and magician Jefferson Berk (Stanley Tucci). Although they don't live there, two hobo children, Will Peabody (Douglas Nyback) and Countee Garby (Willow Smith), do work around the house during the days. Later in the movie, Jefferson Berk's cousin Freidreich (Dylan Smith) and his monkey Curtis also move in. Oh, and we dare not forget Grace, the basset hound.

Yes. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hobos placed markings on fences, posts, bridges, railroad trestles, and other structures to help each other find aid or steer clear of trouble. Hobos used an elaborate sign system that included symbols like a cross (religious talk will get a good meal), a bird (free telephone), a shovel (work available), and arrows (showing the way to go). A cat (kind lady), fish bones (good garbage), and a circle with two arrows leading away from it (danger!) are three such markings shown in the movie. Modern hobos now communicate with their cellphones and through email.

Pretty much all of the songs would have been known in 1934, since most of them, i.e., Side by Side, My Shawl, Pack Up Your Troubles, When You're Smiling, Ain't We Got Fun, and Bye Bye Blackbird are from the 1920s or before. It's Only a Paper Moon was written in 1933. Don't Fence Me In was written in 1934, the same year in which Kit's story is set. Lullaby of Broadway came out in 1935, so that one is kind of iffy.

Topics that are touched upon in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl include the Great Depression, bank foreclosures, hobo jungles and hobo signs, all coupled into a story about a girl's desire to become a writer and her attempts to solve a theft.

Yes. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is the fourth movie in a series of (so far) seven American Girl movies. It was preceded by Samantha: An American Girl Holiday (2004) (2004), Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005) (2005), and Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front (2006) (2006) and followed by An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong (2009) (2009), McKenna Shoots for the Stars (2012) (2012), and Saige Paints the Sky (2013) (2013).

Kaya® lives in the Pacific Northwest; she was born in 1755.

Felicity® lives in Williamsburg, Virginia; she was born on April 21st, 1765.

Elizabeth® lives in Williamsburg, Virginia; she was born on November 5th, 1765.

Josefina® lives near Santa Fe, New Mexico; she was born on March 19th, 1815.

Kirsten® lives near Maryville, Minnesota; she was born on June 8th, 1845.

Addy® lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; she was born a slave in 1855, and chooses April 9th as her birthday.

Samantha® lives in Mount Bedford, New York; she was born on May 26th, 1895.

Nellie lives in New York City, New York; she was born on October 15th, 1895.

Kit® lives in Cincinnati, Ohio; she was born on May 19th, 1923.

Emily was born in England on September 29th, 1933.

Molly® lives in Jefferson, Illinois; she was born on April 22nd, 1934.

Julie lives in San Francisco, California; she was born May 1st, 1966.

Ivy lives in San Francisco, California; she was born February 28th, 1966.