Christopher Harris is Toby’s best friend and is the only student at Rachel Carson High School who’s grades and test scores match Astrid’s.  They both expect to contend with each other for valedictorian.  Christopher, like Toby is also a licensed pilot.

Christopher, who doesn’t like to be called Chris, is an African American with short dark hair.  Both his parents work at Maxxim Industries– his father as an engineer and his mother as a chemist.  I wanted an African American kid among Astrid’s gang, to represent students at a typical school.  I certainly didn’t want a stereotype, so Christopher is not into any sport involving balls, and he is most proud of his grades and his computer skills.  He is in fact, an amalgam of several students I have had over the years.

In books two through four, Christopher has an on-again off-again relationship with Denise, though he’s popular with quite a few girls at school.