Momoko Sakura  

Maruko, Maruko; Maru-chan, さくらももこ

The protagonist in the story, Maruko, was born on May 8th, 1965, and is currently nine years old, attending third grade at school. She comes from a family of six people and has an older sister who is in sixth grade. Despite being disorganized, lazy, and often late for school, Maruko's older sister is neat, calm, and tidy. While many children try to avoid homework and chores, Maruko does her best to be well-meaning and do good. She also relies on her doting grandfather and gets into arguments with her sister.