Astrid Maxxim is a 14 year old girl inventor a the beginning of the series.  As the stories continue, she ages.  She is 15 by books 3-4.  She is super smart and has been inventing since before she was 6. She lives with her father Dr. Roger Maxxim and her mother Kate Maxxim, the former a scientist and inventor and the latter the President and CEO of Maxxim Industries. They live in Maxxim City just outside the bounderies of the Maxxim Industries Campus.

Astrid owes a lot to Tom Swift Jr.  I really wanted to recreate the feeling I had when I read those books in my youth.  Still I wanted a bit of an edge too, so Astrid has a story arc that sees her grow and change.  As she grows up, she is less inclined to put up with annoying and stupid people, but she’s still at heart, a good kid.