#anndi

Lexie Sarah Gilbert is 11 years old, Jewish, and autistic. She just moved to a new town with her 2 dads and her 8-year-old sister Sophie. She made friends with Summer the week before school started and they became best friends. I'm working on her AG-style series, which includes themes of friendship, standing up for yourself, and mutual aid.

Sophie Anne Gilbert is 8 years old and has ADHD. She's Lexie's little sister but much less worried about the move, since she has no trouble making friends. She loves making all kinds of art and is working on reading Harry Potter.

Summer Louise Williams is 11 years old, Jewish, and has juvenile idiopathic arthritis. She lives with her mom and 20-year-old brother Tyler. She already had friends from school and synagogue, but she quickly became best friends with Lexie. She spends some weekends in her dad's house in the country, which she loves because he has 2 dogs and her mom's apartment doesn't allow pets. She's not shy at all and loves art and singing. Her series takes place a year after Lexie's when they're both 12 and being homeschooled. Her books include themes of intersecting identities, community in a minority culture, inaccessibility, and following your heart even if your dreams differ from your friends'.

Olive Ivy Said is 13 years old, Muslim, the child of Libyan immigrants, and has Meniere's. They move into Lexie's neighborhood the spring after Lexie arrives. Even though they're 2 years older and in a different grade, they quickly become friends with Lexie and Summer. They live with their parents, grandparents, 15-year-old sister Alex, and 3-year-old sister Rosie. Their series takes place a year before they move, when they were 12, and themes include exploring gender identity, disability visibility, choosing meaningful traditions for oneself, and being a valuable contributor to a team even with one's limitations.

Persephone November Ellison (thank you @futuristicsaladparadise for name ideas!) is a little older than the others, and despite appearances is not a real fairy. She's 15 years old, trans, and dyspraxic. She loves to paint swirls and leaves all over her body and wears fairy wings and her favorite dress whenever possible because it makes her feel light and free. She lives with her aunt, uncle, and twin teenage cousins. I haven't decided on the rest of her story yet because I just got her, but she will have a series too.

Miko Fukuda is a 12-year-old mostly nonverbal autistic kid. She attends a K-8 alternative school and lives with her grandparents (a kindergarten teacher and an illustrator). More than anything she loves mushrooms, but she's also really into aliens and baking with her grandma. She has service dog named Inky Cap and two best friends at school.

Rowena Brook Laurier is a 12-year-old who attends the same school as Miko but has a different circle of friends. She just started there after getting expelled from her last school. She began losing her sight at 7 and has been completely blind since 10. She and her 11-year-old brother, Alder, have lived with their 25-year-old sister, Danielle, since their parents died in a hurricane 4 years ago. She deals with a lot of anger, but is slowly learning that she does enjoy some parts of school and sometimes being soft is better.

Indigo Ramirez (zie/zir) is 15 and identifies as gender queer, but mostly just wants to live zir life without thinking about gender. Zie never thought much about gender until recently, just thinking of zirself as a person. Zie likes skateboarding, horses, and is on the school track team. Zie is Latine with immigrant parents from Mexico and two older siblings.

Anndi Abrams (they/them) is Indigo's childhood friend. They thought they were a feminine trans boy for a long time, but recently decided they are not any binary gender and enjoy a mix of presentations. They like to draw comics, go rollerblading, and write stories they hope to publish one day. They are Jewish and have a twin sister.