Kristy couldn't care less about the way she dresses or whether she has a boyfriend. She thinks planning outfits and putting on makeup and jewelry are a waste of time. So she almost always wears the same kinds of clothes - jeans, a turtleneck shirt, a sweater (in the winter), running shoes, and sometimes this baseball cap with a collie on it. Kristy has brown hair and eyes, and is the shortest kid in our class.

Kristy's family life is complicated - even more complicated than mine. Her father left her family not long after David Michael, her little brother, was born. He just up and left. So Mrs. Thomas pulled herself together and raised Kristy, David Michael, and Sam and Charlie (they're Kristy's big brothers, who go to high school) on her own. She got a good job and held everything in place. Then, a couple of years ago, she met Watson Brewer, this divorced, balding millionaire with two little kids, Karen and Andrew. Karen is almost seven now, and Andrew is almost five. At first, Kristy hated the idea of Watson. She didn't want a stepfamily. But she didn't have any choice in the matter. Her mom and Watson were in love, and the summer after we finished seventh grade, they got married. Then, just like with Mary Anne and me, Kristy's family moved across town to Watson's house. Actually, it's a mansion, which is why they moved into it. It's huge and has room for everyone - including Karen and Andrew, who live there two weekends each month . . . and Emily Michelle, the two-year-old Vietnamese girl the Brewers adopted! Plus Nannie, Kristy's grandmother, who moved in to help take care of Emily and the other kids. Kristy's house is like a zoo, especially considering that Shannon and Boo-Boo live there, too.