Jess Akiko McConnell is the ten-year-old daughter of two archaeologists from Michigan. Her father is of Irish and Scottish descent and her mother is of Japanese descent, although both sides of the family have lived in the USA for several generations. She is the "baby" of the family.
In her book, she goes to Belize on a dig with her parents. She is uninterested in the actual archaeological work, although she likes to learn about and imagine the lives of the Mayan people whose artifacts her parents are studying. Jess is in fourth grade--she is home schooled on the trip to Belize and was not expected to go. She sends her assignments to her teacher via a laptop. She studies the guitar and loves to play soccer. She initially spends the book making lists and journal entries about her time in Belize, but later is caught in an archaeological exploration.
Her best friend in Belize is a girl named Sarita Bol, who is of Mayan descent. She and Sarita take an eco-tour of Belize together, foster a baby parrot they name Pippi, and stumble on a historical treasure underground. Jess likes animals as well as playing soccer; in her book, she states that she may want to be a professional soccer player when she grows up.
Jess Akiko McConnell was the fourth Girl of the Year released by the American Girl Doll company. She was released and retired in 2006.
