Megan Ryder

*When we went on our first adventure through the mirror, we were all scared we wouldn't get home again. But I figured out how it works. Afterwards, Heather, Keisha and Alison agreed that I should write down our adventures, I like to write books as much as I like reading them-and I really hope the mirror takes me to all the places I've read and dreamed about.*

*My friends tease me for reading so much and call me the "Class star" because I'm pretty smart in school. It's true I really like to read everything, especially mysteries.*

*I love animals almost as much as books. Someday I'm going to get a horse and a dog. Mom says that for now I can only have Ginger, my cat.*

*Do you ever think about the things you'd like to do? I daydream all the time. Sometimes I imagine I'm a foreign news correspondent like my Dad. Or maybe a horse trainer with a whole stable full of horses. Or a pilot! My Dad calls me "Red" because my hair is strawberry blond. But my very favorite color is yellow-I even put yellow laces in my sneakers!*

**Introduced through Georgetown in 1994 in a test catalog, she was initially supposed to debut in the book "The Secret of the Mirror" by Elizabeth Kelly. That book, along with others, is very rare and was completely scrapped.** Her character and personality were fleshed out in the official book "The Secret of the Magic Attic" by Sheri Cooper Sinykin.

## Appearance

Megan is known for her long strawberry blonde hair worn with fringe, her green eyes, and slight tan. Megan has a pair of glasses that she mostly wears when she needs to read. She is most often found wearing yellow. Megan is often depicted as the tallest of her friends.

## Personality & Interests

Megan is smart and considered an excellent student. She loves to read everything, especially mysteries such as Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie. Megan's other favorite books are the Little Women series, Harriet the Spy, and A Wrinkle in Time. Computer books are the only books that don't make sense to her.

Megan also enjoys writing stories and plays. She was responsible for writing and directing the play *Peter Pan* that she and her friends put on for a nursing home. In school, she loves to write reports on interesting topics. One of her favorite topics involve history.

Megan is "good at talking to grown-ups", and her friends point out that she "knows big words". She's very observant, detail-oriented, and has a strong memory. She is the most organized of her friends and is always prompt or on time. Despite her analytical mind, she loves to daydream.

Megan's father considers her to be "brilliant, talented, and creative".

She has strong leadership abilities as well. She almost always gets chosen as team captain because she seems responsible.

Sometimes, she can be a "know-it-all". Megan can also be critical and intimidating. While she can be hard on others, and is considered "the toughest one of her friends", she's more often harder on herself. She can be quite the perfectionist, a bit serious, and self-conscious, often concerned with standing out in a negative way. Megan struggles to do things she's not very good at and struggles to try new things because she wants to do everything right the first time. She can also be thin-skinned and easily offended. She's at her crankiest when she's sick. Despite this, Megan is considered to be pretty fair and reasonable. She hates fighting with people, even with words. She'd rather talk things out.

Megan is the least athletic of her friends. Her least favorite sport is softball. She also doesn't like activities that could cause her to get "messy and sweaty", hurt, or any physical activity that could make her look foolish. However, she does enjoy skiing and tennis, and becomes open to becoming involved in her day-camp's Father-Daughter field day event. Megan also joined the school's basketball team, though it's implied that anyone can make the team.

Megan doesn't really like scary amusement park rides.

Megan loves animals and nature. She has a cat named Ginger, and wants a horse and a dog, too.

Megan is interested in musical instruments. Megan takes acoustic guitar lessons and piano lessons with Ellie.

Megan has shown interest in several future possible careers: a foreign news correspondent, like her father, a diplomat, a travel writer, a horse trainer, an archaeologist, a mystery writer, and a pilot. Mostly, she just wants to travel for work. Among her many interests, she appears most passionate about being a diplomat.

Megan's favorite snack is chocolate chip cookies. Her favorite restaurant is Le Jardin, a French Restaurant. She and her father often go there when he's visiting.

Megan's favorite color is yellow. Her least favorite colors are pink and some shades of purple.

Megan, like all her friends, enjoys visiting their neighbor and friend Ellie, as well as her magic attic. Megan was the first to figure out how the magic mirror works. She keeps written record of all of her friends' magic attic adventures. She was the second member to have a solo adventure.

Megan is a member of The Magic Attic Club. The club consists of Heather, Keisha, Alison, Rose, Chloe, and Jane. They share their secret attic adventures and are best friends. Megan gets along best with Keisha, who is easy to get along with. She gets along least with Alison, who is blunt and impatient, and Rose, whose jokes and cynicism often times go too far. Despite the fact that Megan and Alison are opposites, Megan and Alison have been best friends the longest. Megan and Heather share a love of horses, but Megan intimidates Heather at times because she questions everything. Still, Megan mostly enjoys spending time with all of her friends. It's unclear her relationship with Chloe or Jane.

Along with taking piano and guitar lessons from Ellie, Megan also enjoys combing through Ellie's library. She often visits with Ellie when upset or seeking advice.

## Family & Background

Megan was born October 1st. Megan is the oldest of her friends, and is 11 years old at the start of the series. Her parents divorced, and she's an only child, so she spends most of her time alone at home and has more responsibilities as a result. Megan and her mother live down the street from Ellie and her friends. Megan and Alison have always lived in the neighborhood, right off of Primrose Street. Megan attends Lincoln Elementary school along with her friends.

\*Trivia\*The MAC may live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Alison was stated to be wearing a Philadelphia Flyers hat in The Jewel of the Sea Cruise. Not much is known about the year the stories take place, but the dates and times from the series line up with several years throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

### **Main Family and Family Friends**

Below is a list of Megan's "real" or "main" family and friends. On the MAC's adventures, they develop several alter lifestyles with different family members and friends.

***Mom***-Megan's mother's full name is Julia Wyndham. She is confident and successful, but still gets nervous when speaking to huge crowds. She divorced from Megan's dad. She is an attorney and a partner in a big law firm. She also volunteers with the Food Drive for the homeless shelter. Her favorite drink is cranberry juice. Julia has known Ellie Goodwin for years and there are hints that she knows about the magic attic. When Megan reveals they found a key outside of Ellie's home, she was one of the three moms that insisted Megan return it to Ellie. It appears Julia Wyndham has grown up in the neighborhood.

***Dad***-A foreign news correspondent whose job keeps him traveling and away from Megan for a long time. He enjoys history, especially the the Middle Ages. He divorced from Megan's mom. He and Megan love Le Jardin's French food. He calls Megan "Red" because of her strawberry blond hair. He considers his daughter to be "brilliant, talented, and creative".

***Aunt Frances***-Julie Wyndham's younger sister. She lives with Megan and her mom. She moved in after Megan's parents divorced. She's a 4th grade teacher at another school. She is adventurous and likes taking on risks and new challenges. She enjoys camping, rock climbing, and aerobics. She's easy to talk to and always knows when Megan has a problem. She has a great sense of humor. She can be "too enthusiastic, too loud, and too different", according to Megan. She treats Megan more like a friend or little sister.

***Grandparents***-Her dad's parents. They live in Washington D.C. They live in a rural town that has stables, a lake, and paddleboats. They live near a woods and the Fun City Amusement Park.

***Great Paul***-Megan's great-grandfather on her father's side. His full name is Paul Theodore Ryder. He was an author who wrote several books about American history. He used to read to Megan and tell her stories about the past, but he had been ill for a while, according to Megan.

* Alison McCan
* Keisha Vance
* Heather Hardin
* Rose Hopkins
* Jane
* Chloe
* Ellie Goodwin
* Monty

## Megan's Stories w/ Collection

* The Secret of the Mirror
* The Secret of the Attic
* Princess Megan
* Megan on the Slopes (Original Story)
* Downhill Megan
* Cowgirl Megan
* Megan's Balancing Act
* Megan's Masquerade
* Trapped Beyond the Magic Attic
* The Ghost of Camp Whispering Pines
* Megan in Ancient Greece
* The Jewel of the Sea Cruise
* Megan and the Borealis Butterfly
* The Mystery of the Pharaoh's Tomb
* Starter Outfits 2001
* Bedroom Sets
* Porcelain Dolls