Chrissa (full name Chrissa Marie Maxwell) and nicknamed "Chrissy" lives with her father, mother, brother Tyler (who is eleven months older than Chrissa), and grandmother Nana. She has moved from Iowa to Edgewater, Minnesota to live with Nana following the death of her maternal grandfather, and is starting in a new school. Her father Paul is a potter who makes platewear under Maxwell Pottery and her mother Meg is a doctor. Tyler is somewhat nerdy and specializes his knowledge in planetary bodies and outer space. Her family lives in an upper class neighborhood. Her grandmother Nana raises mini-llamas and spins their hair into yarn; she and Chrissa's grandfather used to raise full llamas but with his illness and later death she has gone to mini-llamas.
Chrissa is a very creative girl and knows how to knit as well as sew. Her favorite sports are swimming and diving; she is a strong, skilled swimmer.
Chrissa is left-handed.
Her grandmother's pets, the mini-llamas named Cosmos and Checkers, give birth to a baby named Starburst which is Chrissa's pet. In the movie, the llamas have different names.
Chrissa Maxwell is the seventh Girl of the Year, released and retired by the American Girl Doll company in 2009.
