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In a summer movie season dominated by brawn -- even an animated, plump panda kicks butt -- Middleton's American Girl seems the least likely contender for big-screen attention.

But here it is: American Girl's plucky Depression-era character, Kit Kittredge, age 10, starring in a G-rated film opening nationwide Wednesday. That's the same day that Will Smith releases his effort, the sci-fi superhero flick "Hancock. "

And Kit also faces holdovers Indy Jones, Iron Man, Hulk, Maxwell Smart and Wall-E.

Just don't count her out.

The American Girl army -- buyers of dandy historical fiction books (and, of course, dolls) for female'tweens -- remains a viable audience. "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl " opened on five screens in five major cities June 20 and proved so popular that its distributor bumped the screen count for its wide release from 1,800 to 2,500.

"We have high expectations for Kit," says Jodi Goldberg, American Girl's editorial director and the film's co-producer. "We can't wait to get this wonderful girl out to people."

Few people associated with the Middleton company are more interested in the film than Valerie Tripp. She wrote all six of the American Girl novels about Kit as well as ones on the company's other five historical characters. The Kit books raise the bar for pre-teen fiction, placing the Depression in a gripping, personal context.

"I really respect my reader," says Tripp, who lives in Silver Spring, Md. "Kit is probably the best example of girls being capable of understanding the loss of a father's dignity; of understanding the strain on friendships when one family's economic situation turns; of how a whole group of people can be castoffs. "

Translating that to a summertime film requires balance. Tripp did not write the screenplay, but she read various versions. The finished product thrills her.

"I get a huge kick out of the idea of whole families going (to the film) and enjoying it," says Tripp. She imagines young filmgoers leaving theaters and asking,"What happened to my great-grandparents in the 1930s? "

Three other American Girl characters have had made-for-TV films, but Tripp says Kit's story was held for theatrical release. Each American Girl film has one major booster: Julia Roberts. She serves as executive producer on these projects, although it is Roberts' sister, Lisa Gillan, who oversaw the Toronto filming, Tripp says.

Goldberg and three other Middleton-based American Girl employees worked on the film. Casting Kit served as the film's most pivotal decision and that role went to 12-year-old Abigail Breslin, an Oscar nominee for "Little Miss Sunshine. "

"She entered into that (Depression) universe so smoothly," Tripp says. "I'm in awe of that. "

The film veers from the book by creating new boarders at the Kittredge family house. It also eventually winds into a lighthearted mystery. To Tripp's pleasure, the movie doesn't sugarcoat the Depression. The books' inspiration came from the experiences of Tripp's mother. During the Depression, Tripp's grandfather went from owning a hotel to passing out towels at the YMCA -- a job he was glad to have. Tripp's mother also fell from a privileged life to one with numerous chores to accommodate the family's new boarders.

"I was pleased that the movie chose as one of its major themes how the Depression struck at families," Tripp says. "It was not just economic depravation. It was complete upheaval. "

Goldberg says American Girl is prepared for an onslaught of new and renewed interest in its products. At a time when Hannah Montana dominates, American Girl pushes historical fiction, vintage dolls and accessories. Goldberg notes that girls haven't changed that much: "I saw kids at screenings bopping along to 1930s music," she says.

Since its debut in 1986, American Girl has sold 123 million books and 14 million dolls.

American Girl founder Pleasant Rowland could not be reached for comment. Tripp says she was unable to reach her longtime friend recently after seeing the film. Rowland and Tripp worked on a reading program for Boston youngsters. After moving to other parts of the country, Rowland called Tripp with an idea in the mid-'80s.

"Pleasant said, We love historical fiction. I want a business with books about girls who live in different periods of history. There will be dolls and clothes and furniture.' I said, Pleasant, that's a terrible idea. Nobody's going to buy a doll.' "

Tripp laughs now. "I'm definitely not the business brain behind this. "