American Girl

Wikipedia states that "American Girl (formerly Pleasant Company), a subsidiary of Mattel, is a company that manufacturers dolls, books, and magazines for young girls. The company's flagship line is a collection of historical 18-inch dolls that have books and accessories. The fictional heroines--who each start their series around the age of nine and turn ten in the middle--live during important times in America's past, providing "girl-sized" views of significant events that helped shape the United States. In addition to the historical collection, the company also offers a wide range of contemporary 18-inch dolls and accessories, called Just Like You dolls, Girl of the Year dolls, as well as the Bitty Baby line and Bitty Twins line.

Kirsten Larson

Kirsten Larson was introduced when the American Girl Company first came on the scene in 1986. She was one of three dolls offered, including Molly and Samantha. The purpose of the dolls were to have young dolls the age of most girls that would be buying them, and to teach girls about history. They also each had a line of six books. In Kirsten's series the book starts when she is nine. She is a Pioneer girl of strength and spirit that settles on the Minnesota frontier in 1854. She is a Swedish immigrant that came with her family to stay with her Uncle Olav in America. Many unexpected occurences happen on the long trip to America, including the death of a close friend of Kirsten's. Even more things happen when she gets to America. But through it all, Kirsten learns to stay strong and be brave, and that love means the same in any language.