With story dolls in toe, young girls lined up for a chance to meet American Girl book series author Valerie Tripp during her Saturday visit to the Mount Kisco Public Library.

Tripp, who grew up in Mount Kisco and graduated from Fox Lane High School, was greeted with a series of events at the library, including a display of quilts dedicated to the various time periods that American Girl stories take place in, a kids' dance performance and tea time. The dolls that girls brought were made for the various female protagonists that Tripp has written about.

"I'm always so delighted and honored," she said about coming. It was the second leg of a two-town local tour that included a stop in Katonah the day before.

Tripp felt that the girls were bright, attentive and had families who support them in reading.

"You can see the mothers have made reading a shared family activity," she said.

The visit was a treat for a Chappaqua Girl Scout troop.

"She really had their attention," said Wendy Barone, who oversees Troop 2395. "It's hard to get."

Meg Bingham brought her daughter, Erin, for the event. She thought that it was great to do something local.

While the audience of girls was primarily elementary school age, there were some high schoolers who stopped by.

Katonah resident Annie Falcon, along with her cousin, North Salem resident Deanna Sweeney, came along with their grandmother, who collected the quilts. They had a chance to talk with Tripp about advice for college.

Once the festivities ended, Tripp was given a chance by members of the library's foundation to look at some proposed changes to a reading room named after her parents, Granger and Kathleen Tripp.

Anthony Montelelone, president of the library's foundation, said that changes will include adding new furniture and oriental carpets. The changes are intended to make the room feel like a warmer place.