One of the two best friends of American Girl of the Year 2009, Chrissa Maxwell, Sonali Matthews is a ten-year-old Indian-American girl living in Edgewater, Minnesota. Sonali appears to come from an upper-class family; her mother is a realtor and her father's profession is unknown, although he is described as having "well-groomed fingernails" and wearing a tie. She had been best friends with Tara and Jadyn since preschool, but during fourth grade she became uncomfortable with their bullying of other students, primarily the homeless Gwen and new girl Chrissa. After Tara cuts Gwen's hair, Sonali leaves her group and becomes best friends with Gwen and Chrissa. She appears to come from an upper-class family; her mother is a realtor and her father's profession is unknown, although he is described as having "well-groomed fingernails" and wearing a tie. Her mother disapproves of her and the Queen Bees' bullying, and is proud of her when she stands up for others. Sonali's maternal grandparents are from India, and she has two older sisters in college. She has a dog named Tofu, and does a backstroke on the school swim team. She is very interested in knitting and art, as well as Chrissa's llamas. In the film, she is the smartest of the Queen Bees, as Tara seems to cheat off her homework.