Gwen Thompson

One of the two best friends of American Girl of the Year 2009 Chrissa Maxwell, Gwen Thompson is a shy girl living in Edgewater, Minnesota, USA. She is shy, lonely and very quiet, mainly due to her familial circumstances– after her father lost his job, he left her and her mother, leaving them to be homeless for at least a year prior to the series. She is antisocial for fear of bullying, somewhat justified as she becomes the primary target for the "Queen Bees"–Tara, Jadyn and Sonali, though Sonali is uncomfortable with the bullying. However, she soon becomes friends with new girl Chrissa Maxwell, who makes efforts to become her friend. After a traumatic incident where Jadyn cuts Gwen's hair, Sonali leaves the Mean Bees and also becomes one of Gwen's friends. Gwen is a skilled violinist in the film– while not mentioned in the books, she comes with a violin as a doll, tying into her interest. She also likes harps, though she does not play. She also likes to swim like Chrissa and Sonali, but she is not as strong as them and has to work with the younger grades. She later becomes the swim coach's assistant in order to learn better. In the film, she can also be seen as quite wise, advising Chrissa after the bullies make her their main target.