Ultimate Smart Girl's Guide to Being Your Best

Aubre Andrus is the author of many activity books for American Girl®, including Pretty in Paper and Super Sitter’s Playbook. If you told the ten-year-old version of Aubre that she'd be an American Girl author one day, she would have freaked out! A voracious reader of AG books since the age of five—when her first doll, Kirsten, arrived under the Christmas tree—Aubre felt right at home as an editor at American Girl magazine. She became an expert on the recipes, crafts, quizzes, and parties that girls love during her time there. She now lives in California and runs her own writing business, covering topics such as technology and travel for her favorite publications while pondering which book to write next. She received her degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin.

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Erin Falligant is the author of more than forty books for children. Her American Girl titles include Girl of the Year, Smart Girls Guides, mysteries, and short stories. Ms. Falligant has a master's degree in child clinical psychology and writes from her home in Madison, Wisconsin.

Nancy Holyoke has had two careers. The first was in New York City, working for The New Yorker and a quirky downtown literary magazine called Wigwag. The second began when she moved to Madison, Wisconsin, to be the founding editor of American Girl®. After leading the magazine to two National Magazine Award nominations, she wrote a half-dozen award-winning titles for the American Girl line of books. In recent years, she’s led a team of writers, artists, and photographers creating over a hundred books and online offerings for early readers at the Rowland Reading Foundation. She has a degree from the Iowa Writers Workshop.

Darcie Johnston has developed many advice and activity books as both an author and an editor for American Girl. A Smart Girl's Guide: Cooking, Is This Normal?, Design by Me: Big & Tiny, and the puzzle book Brain Benders are among her author credits, and as an editor she produced the recipe book You're the Chef and award-winners A Smart Girl's Guide: Drama, Rumors & Secrets (NAPPA Gold) and Pretty in Paper (Oppenheim Gold Seal). Prior to American Girl, Darcie started up and led Magination Press, the children's imprint of the American Psychological Association, and she wrote about culture, health, history, science, and gardening for Time-Life Books. She received a degree in English Literature from the George Washington University and a master's in library studies with an emphasis in children's literature from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. [Darcie’s AG author credits: 1. A Smart Girl's Guide: Cooking (co-author with Patricia Daniels) 2. Is This Normal? MORE Girls' Questions ... 3. The Care & Keeping of Us: A Book for Girls and Their Moms to Share (journal, co-author with Emma Henke) 4. Brain Benders 5. Design by Me Big & Tiny 6. Sweet Dreams, Bitty Baby: A Bedtime Coloring Book 7. Dancing with Bitty Baby: A Sticker Storybook 8. Happy Birthday, Bitty Baby: A Punch-Out & Play Party Book ]

Deanna Singh is an accomplished author, educator, business leader, and champion for marginalized communities. As the founder and Chief Change Agent of Flying Elephant, a holding company for multiple social enterprises, Deanna consults with individuals and companies that are looking to make a positive difference in the world. She is known for giving clients the tools and courage to imagine, activate, and impact the world as agents of change. She is also the author of other children’s and business books. Singh earned a BA in urban studies from Fordham University, a JD from Georgetown University, an MBA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a certificate in diversity, equity, and inclusion from Cornell.

A former editorial director for American Girl, Judy Woodburn has been producing books for girls for most of her career. While she was editor of American Girl magazine, she contributed to the “Help!" advice column and led the development of American Girl's first editorial website, where girls can give each other great advice, too. Outside of American Girl, Judy has written many print and interactive books about science, psychology, and other nonfiction topics for educational publishers. Her articles and essays for adult readers about medicine, psychology, and parenting have been published in the New York Times, Brain Child, and elsewhere. She loves to read, play the piano, ride her bike, and travel with her family. A Smart Girl’s Guide: Worry is her first American Girl book as an author, written with Nancy Holyoke. [Judy's books: A Smart Girl's Guide: Worry, plus she’s writing a 2017 title in the Care & Keeping line]

Maike Plenzke studied illustration at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences Department of Design. She currently lives in Berlin with her partner and their dog. In her studio full of plants, Maike loves to create colorful illustrations for book covers, magazines, comic books, and other exciting projects.