American Boys to Get an ‘American Girl’ Series of Their Own

Can the American Girl series be adapted for snakes, snails and puppy dog tails?

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Susan Biddle / Washington Post / Getty Images

Author Valerie Tripp, who has written most of the American Girl books

Valerie Tripp, the author behind the American Girl stories that give life to the crazy popular (and insanely expensive) dolls, has turned her gaze on a new demographic: yup, boys.

While the new Boys Camp series won’t fall in line with the traditional way publishers market to boys with plenty of science fiction, action and toughness, the series won’t go entirely frilly, either. But a few tears won’t be out of the question. And talking about expectations and life in a real way will certainly stay on the table.

While the American Girl series went historical with its treatment of the characters, the guy-focused series follows a group of cabin mates at modern-day Camp Wolf Trail, a riff off of a real summer camp in Maryland, according to the Washington Post.

A Tripp-penned book revolves around an Indian-American boy struggling with whether he should keep playing a sport he has grown up in his entire life, while another book discusses how one boy struggles with feeling shy and out of place.

With six books planned so far by a handful of female authors, the group hopes to get the concept going either by self-publishing or catching the interest of a publishing house. Of course, the real test will be if these authors can spark the interest of the boys they want to capture. We don’t see a line of popular dolls following.

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Tim Newcomb is a contributor for TIME. Find him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.