Alexi Neele

**Alexi Neele** was one of the four original Maplelea Girls released by Maplelea. She was released in **2003**.

## Character and Personality

   Alexi is an eleven-year-old girl living in Toronto, Ontario; she lives in the urban neighborhood Cabbagetown, "right in the heart of the city." Her family lives in a three-floor Victorian brick townhouse, which is over a hundred years old and has been restored. She has a "teensy" fenced-in backyard with a deck and hanging chair. She is a "real city girl" who loves to take the subway. She lives near Riverdale Farm and shops every Saturday with her parents at St. Lawrence Market. She is very proud of the diversity of her city, and loves to go to cultural restaurants and to have family picnics on Centre Island, Lake Ontario. Her favorite place is the Royal Ontario Museum.

Alexi loves to be helpful and to volunteer; when she's old enough she would like to volunteer for The Hospital for Sick Children. She would like to make life easier for everyone and anyone. She is very creative and says making something beautiful makes her feel satisfied. She loves making digital art and taking digital photography. She has also made her own collapsible puppet theatre.

She specializes in science (she loves research!) and considers herself an inventor, along with her best friend Theo, who was born on the same day as her and has always been her school friend. They hope to one day invent something special, and Alexi would especially like to invent something to help disabled people. Some of her prospective inventions include an alarm to ring when your taps drip (to save water), a solar-powered computer, a CD that teaches you to play piano while you sleep, and an all-terrain wheelchair. Her and Theo always participate in the Science Fair at school, whiich they have a "top secret project" for. She has an art award and science fair first place ribbon from at least one year.

Alexi is a "real computer whiz" and says she'd never give up her computer or email. Her father says she's the best in the family at solving technical problems. Her family is also very musical, and she plays piano, though she's "not as good" as her parents and hates practicing. She would like to one day play the harp or bagpipes. She does however have a journal given to her by her Nana, which she enjoys writing in. She thinks that school should have more library time and chess clubs, plays and teams.

Alexi also adores reading mysteries, though she admits she sometimes cheats and skips to the last page. She often reads in bed at night, though she's afraid of the dark and sleeps with the door open. She takes gymnastics classes on Saturdays along with piano lessons, and while she enjoys sports she admits that sometimes her "legs don't cooperate," though she works hard to improve. She has a Bengal cat named Chapta ("Chappy") who is very well-trained and whom she takes care of.

She describes her style as "fabulously funky" and "modern," and decorated her own bedroom, with a beanbag, modern art, and a dormer window where she sits and watches the CN Tower. Her favorite color above all else is orange, and she always tries to wear at least something orange, even if it's only the stitching.

## Family and Friends

### Family

* Ben Neele: Alexi's father, an artist and stay-at-home dad with a home studio.
* Emmay Neele: Alexi's mother, a manager for information technology for a nearby bank.
* Nana: Alexi's maternal grandmother, who lives far away.
* Alexi's paternal grandmother, who lives within walking distance of her house. She lets Alexi bring Chapta to sleepovers.

### Friends

* Theo: Alexi's best friend. Their parents met in the maternity ward when both were born on the same day, and the two of them go to school together. They love to invent and participate together in the science fair.
* Sarah: Alexi's tallest friend.
* Roopa: Alexi's athletic friend.
* Philippa "Pippa": Alexi's friend. She describes her as someone she would ask for project help.
* Brianne: Alexi's friend and fellow Maplelea Girl who lives in Sandy Lake, Manitoba.
* Charlsea: Alexi's friend and fellow Maplelea Girl who lives on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.
* Jenna: Alexi's friend and fellow Maplelea Girl who lives in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
* Leonie: Alexi's friend and fellow Maplelea Girl who lives in Quebec City, Quebec.
* Saila: Alexi's friend and fellow Maplelea Girl who lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
* Taryn: Alexi's friend and fellow Maplelea Girl who lives in Banff, Alberta.

## Doll

*See Alexi Neele (doll).*

* Face Mold: Classic
* Complexion: Medium
* Hair: Long black-brown
* Eyes: Brown

## Trivia

* Alexi considers herself honest.
* Her earliest memory is her first pony ride, which scared her.
* Alexi loves orange food, which seem to "taste sunny;" she lists favorite foods as carrots, celery, cheese, cherries, oranges, orange peppers, and yogurt. She dislikes "fried eggs with runny whites, mushy veggies and too-salty foods," such as brussels sprouts and overcooked veggies.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *Alexi's Journal*

 **Léonie Bélanger-Leblanc**