Valerie Tripp

Valerie Tripp (born 1951) is a children's book author, best known for her work with the American Girl series. She grew up in Mount Kisco, New York with three sisters and a brother. She graduated from Yale University in the first co-educated class and has a Master’s of Education degree from Harvard University. Since 1985 she has lived in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her husband teaches history at Montgomery College. She has been a writer for reading textbooks for three decades, especially for The Superkids Reading Program.

Tripp wrote all the books in the Felicity, Josefina, Kit, Molly, and Maryellen series, and many of the books in the Samantha series. She has also written four of the five "Best Friends" character stories. Film dramatizations of the lives of Samantha, Felicity, Molly, and Kit have been based on her stories. Tripp wrote the Hopscotch Hill School series, as well as the 9 books in the Welliewisher series. She has worked as a writer and editor for Sterling Publishing Company and is the editorial director of Boys Camp Books. Most recently, Tripp has written the "Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad" books for National Geographic Kids.