Everything You Need to Know About Lea Clark
2016 is finally here, and while we’re all working on our New Years Resolutions and dragging ourselves back to our boring routine after a long holiday break, American Girl is busy introducing the world to their newest Girl of the Year, Lea Clark! If you’re not up to speed with Girl of the Year, it’s a special character that American Girl releases each year, for one year only. While you can still read the books, play the games, and watch the flicks as many times as you want after 2016 is over, you won’t be able to buy a Lea Clark doll again. The Girl of the Year dolls are retired at the end of each year (which means it’s sadly time to say goodbye to the fabulous Grace Thomas). Since you’ve only got a year to get to know her, we put together a list of totally fierce facts about Lea Clark!
Everything You Need to Know About Lea Clark:
1. Lea loves photography and animals
And we’re not just talking Instagram here – Lea may only be 10, but she’s a pro with a real camera! She loves seeing the world through her lens and taking pictures of everything she can, especially animals. When Lea and her family take a trip to Brazil so that her brother Zac can study wildlife in the rainforest, Lea’s life is changed forever. She’s got an adventurous spirit, a big heart, and is always excited to see what’s headed her way next! (Oh, PS – Her doll is totally gorgeous and has amazing, brightly colored style that has us longing for summer!)
2. She’s not afraid to face her fears
Well, actually, she is afraid at first. When Lea gets to Brazil, she realizes that maybe she’d rather see the world through her lens than experience it for herself. She’s a bit terrified of the ocean due to a bad experience when she was younger, but when she finally tackles her fear head on, she realizes just how great new experiences can be!
3. Lea faces some real challenges
Despite her fun hobbies, Lea also must tackle some real-world issues. She’ll deal with arguments with her brothers, help an injured baby sloth, and learn about animals that are going extinct (and what she, and all of us, can do to help save the rainforests).
4. There will be 3 books in Lea’s series
The first two books based on Lea Clark are already released and ready for you to tear through their pages. The books are “Lea Dives In” and “Lea Leads the Way”. The third book, “Lea and Camila”, will release sometime in March. All three books were written by Lisa Yee.
“Lea Dives In” introduces us to Lea, her family, her brave first steps into the ocean, and more! It’s definitely the book you’ll want to read first if you want to get to know more about Lea and her story.
“Lea Leads the Way” is the next in the series, following Lea through a rainforest adventure. While she’s originally excited to snap pics of all new creatures and landscapes, she soon discovers that the relationship between people and the rainforest is different than she thought and tries to help in the best way she can.
“Lea and Camila” takes place back in Lea’s hometown of St. Louis, MO. She invites her Brazilian friend Camila to visit over Spring Break and uncover a mystery about Lea’s late grandmother. When Lea gets wrapped up in searching for clues and solving the mystery, she kind of forgets to be a good friend and host to Camila. Can the girls solve the mystery as well as fix their friendship?
5. The “Lea Born for Adventure” app is already available for download
This gorgeous platformer costs $1.99 and is currently only available on iOS devices. You’ll help Lea as she heads out on a Brazilian adventure that brings the events of her books to life. You’ll need to keep baby sea turtles safe, rescue a baby sloth in the rainforest, snorkel around an old shipwreck, and more! The game is full of fun levels, gorgeous graphics, catchy music, and even has unlockable photo journals. It’s definitely worth the price.
6. Lea’s also getting a movie!
There isn’t much info on the movie just yet, but we do know that something unexpected happens to cause Lea to have to head back to the rainforest. Her movie currently doesn’t have a title, but it should be released sometime this summer and will be filled with action, animals, beautiful scenery, and of course a kick-butt girl who shows us how to face our fears and learn more about ourselves.
Last year’s Girl of the Year movie was released in early June, with the DVD/Blu-Ray releasing later in the month, so we’re thinking sometime around then is likely when Lea’s movie will be released as well!
If you just can’t get enough of this year’s GOTY, stay tuned to the American Girl website for games, videos, crafts, and more throughout the year.
