Step aside, ladies of the sizzling summer hit Sex and the City. Another long-awaited summer chick flick opens nationwide this week, and this one’s for the tweens — girls 7 to 12 years old. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, is the first theatrical release connected to the American Girl phenomenon. American Girl is a hugely popular line of products that center around fairly pricey dolls of various ethnicities who come of age at turning points in U.S. history. Each doll comes with period-specific clothes and some accessories, and there is a book about her life that involves triumph over adversity with humor, grace and loyal friendships. Though the tone is gentle, American Girl tales touch on child abuse, child labor, slavery, war, and much more. Beyond the dolls and the books, the wildly successful line comes with more clothing, accessories and furniture for additional dollars. The movie, produced by Julia Roberts, revolves around the American Girl character Kit, who lives in Cincinnati at the dawn of the Great Depression, and wants to be a “girl reporter.” Get Kit and her best friend Ruthie (on sale for $205) and the tree house ($250) where they spend much of their time. Kit pounds furiously on a typewriter ($22), that “dings” like the real thing when she gets to the end of a line. Her roll top desk ($70) has a pullout writing board. The top rolls down to hide clutter, and the set includes a swivel chair so she can take a little spin to get her ideas moving. Like all the other American Girl dolls, Kit has her own online games and downloadable computer wallpaper. American Girl also has its own magazine, line of custom Just Like You dolls, Bitty Baby for ages 3 and older, and Doll Hospital. The dolls have become such popular collectibles on eBay.com that the site offers a buyer’s guide. American Girl does have its naysayers, but most film critics, such as Roger Ebert, give Kit and her cohorts a big thumbs up. This much I know: American Girl – I was a Julie — is an improvement over the Barbie of my youth.

This week, millions of Americans will eat apple pie as part of their Fourth of July festivities. But apples are available in so many other yummy food products we wanted to share some of those online options with you. A truly indulgent gift from Wisconsinmade is the Gourmet Caramel Apple Gift Basket ($75), created by Amy’s Candy Kitchen. The basket holds one Belgian chocolate dipped caramel apple, one classic peanut caramel apple, a turtle caramel apple, three truffles, chocolate sandwich cookies and more. Less over-the-top, but also fun, is the “An Apple A Day Gift Basket,” ($42, pictured) from Designer Gifts, which contains apple cider, apple crisp, apple bread mix, and a magnetic notepad decorated with apples. Apple butter is a delicious and relatively healthy spread, which goes well with nut breads, banana bread and zucchini bread (certainly your neighbors have inflicted some zucchini on you this summer). Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill in York, S.C., sells pints of apple butter (with sugar, or sugar free) as well as pumpkin butter and strawberry butter (each jar is about $6). A butter box ($16.95) contains three pint jars of different flavored fruit butters. A 2-pound box of dried apples is $10. A bottle of dry apple cider, or of apple wine, goes well with many summer dishes, and Wandering Aengus Ciderworks of Salem, Ore. produces a variety of ciders for sale online. Pommeau, their apple dessert wine, is $40 a bottle, while the dry cider is $16 a bottle. One of the more unusual apple-related items we found is the giant apple strudel sold by Naegelins Bakery in New Braunfels, Texas (scroll down on the page to find it). This family-run bakery has been operating since 1868. Their strudel ($65.95) is more than 2 feet long and weighs 4½ pounds. Its apple filling is flavored with cinnamon, coconut and cherries. (Allow a week for delivery.) With a giant apple strudel and a bottle of apple dessert wine, you could be picnicking for a long time.

Serving trays are not just for butlers carrying silver spoons or grandma’s turkey during the holidays — and you don’t have to wait until your bridal shower to get one that’s showy. Transform a simple moment into a gracious one by using this rectangular Towle Silversmiths tray ($50) to serve your guests iced tea on a hot summer day. Use this hand-hammered copper tray ($169) to serve wine for two. Trays can also be used as decorative accent pieces that express your personality and tastes. Besides, who’d want to put a bowl of popcorn on top of the Bianca Governess (pictured) or Bernardo Conquistador tray, inspired by archival imagery and created by a family in Southern France ($175 each)? And you wouldn’t want to place anything on this pricey limited-edition tray made of exotic zebra wood, quilted birdseye maple, wenge and African mahogany ($1,680). This wooden tray features a reproduction of John Ross Key’s 1914 oil painting of the North Lawn of the White House, with lush red and pink peonies in full bloom ($38). This lacquered tray ($110) features a painting of Singapore’s famed Esplanade from the collection of the National Archives of Singapore. The “Heart Tray” ($95) is a piece of art. It is made of fused iridized glass and is signed by the artist, and though it looks delicate, it is food safe. This retro tray ($50) would work propped up on a midcentury dining buffet. This vintage piece ($18) is suitable for hanging on the wall, as is this charming antique bar tray ($25). Consider these collectibles: the Coca-Cola 1953 Menu Girl serving tray ($39), the Century Bottle Beer tip tray ($385)and this 1926 serving tray ($150).

In less than ten years, CowParade fever has spread worldwide. Arguably the largest public art event in the world, CowParade has been staged since 1999 in more than 50 cities, including New York, London, Tokyo, Mexico City and Paris. The cows feature themes and artwork specific to the host city. After the cows are displayed in public places – such as train stations, parks – they are herded up and taken to auction. A substantial portion of the proceeds are donated to charity. Last month, Chinese officials put out a call for artists proposals for 2009 CowParade Taipei. You could even call CowParade a social mooovement for change. If you want to own a piece of this phenomenon, visit the CowParade store, a virtual mooseum where you can purchase ceramic figurine replicas of cows from official CowParade events. They can work as home décor accent pieces, gifts or just for fun. Check out Cowputer Girl ($40) featured in CowParade Instanbul 2007, Moo Moo in a Tu Tu ($23) from CowParade Las Vegas 2002 and Alphadite, Goddess of Shopping, from CowParade Manchester, England, 2004 ($27, pictured). The kitchen collection features 100% De Vaca ($23). Vaca De La Independencia ($27) would make a fetching centerpiece on your Fourth of July table. The Moo Potter ($112) is a large-scale piece of whimsical folk art that you could display in a den or sunroom. The cow is covered in hand-painted tea pots, cups and plates — she even wears tea cup earrings. For the art lover, the Moogritte ($66). For martial arts enthusiasts, Sam-Moo-Rai ($36). Create your own cow art with this set ($19). This affiliated site (scroll down) carries some of the most amooosing figurines, including Citizen Kow (Harrisburg, Penn.), Cowlumbus (Barcelona), Bovina at the Ice Cowpades (Houston), Cowbunga, Dude (Denver) and Cowbot (Boston).

For a truly global marketplace, stop in at NOVICA. This innovative shopping experience partners with National Geographic to feature home décor, jewelry, apparel, and artwork by some 2,000 artists from the Andes, Bali and Java, Brazil, India, Mexico, Thailand and West Africa. With its online distribution model, NOVICA removes layers of middle men and their markups, allowing the artisans to make more money while customers get lower prices. NOVICA wants shoppers to know the artisans behind the product, stating, “We want you to feel that attachment to the product and to the hands that created it.” With that in mind, every item includes a profile of the artist. You can read his or her personal story, “save” him to your favorite artists list and search for more of his works. For instance, we found this exquisite hand-tooled mahogany and leather table designed by Peruvian craftsman Abel Rios ($178); when you click on his other items, a list of 60-plus pieces — including jewelry boxes, chairs, ottomans, and more — comes up. Create your own virtual bazaar by starting an account to keep track of your favorite items, whether it’s this striped alpaca wool shawl ($66) or the striking “White Torch” photograph ($130); you can even send photos or painting as e-cards. If you’re in the market for something unique for a special someone, try the GiftFinder for ideas, such as these bright bamboo boxes ($105) by Wayan Genep from Bali as a corporate gift. But our favorite NOVICA market is the GiftAnimals section, with everything from the silver Elephant Parade cuff bracelet ($118) and this charming Playful Cat key holder ($45) to this whimsical “Zebra as Acrobat” sculpture ($273; pictured) and an array of animal masks. Now, that puts the world at your fingertips!

Dad will breathe a sigh of relief Sunday when you give him something other than a tie. Never mind the fact that you picked it up at the last minute! At Things Remembered, orders more than $99 placed by Wednesday will arrive by Saturday at no extra cost. So scoop up a few items to cover Dad, Granddad, Uncle Bob and Brother Bill. Golf-obsessed Dad would love to add the golf pen set to his desk ($30; pictured), while Grandpa might enjoy the leather money clip with card holder ($20). Amazing Clubs offers a variety of “of the month” clubs, like the beer club, cigar club or steak club (prices range from $30 to $75 per month). Sign him up for the club online, and he’ll receive a personalized gift announcement. If your father’s the adventurous type, a gift card from REI will nab him goods for camping, fishing and hiking. Buy an e-gift card and the recipient receives it via email within 24 hours. Nordstrom’s exclusive Kiehl’s Father’s Day Set features shave cream, facial cleanser, moisturizer, scrub soap and lip balm ($62). Buy online and take advantage of Nordstrom’s new pickup in-store option. Sports Authority has a unique guaranteed holiday delivery system. Order by Wednesday and choose overnight delivery service. If it’s not there by Saturday, it’s free. So splurge on Dad while helping him to improve his golf game with a golf course GPS system that measures distances to targets and hazards ($260).