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"Characterization"
The best way to learn what kids are thinking & feeling is by listening to them, so I am happy to share my students’ voices!
Strong Women Characters by Vanessa & Angelina, 8th and 7th Grade
- Sophie Quire (from Sophie Quire) is strong even though her mother passed away. She stands up for what she believes in and adventures off to attempt to ave what she finds important.
- Grace Blakely (from All Fall Down) is a brave girl who lost her mother at a young age. She stands up for what she believes is right even when nobody trusts her.
- Maddie Manchester (from Not If I Save You First) is torn from her past, but she follows her beliefs and stands up for herself. She discovers the truth, stands up to assassins, and protect what’s important.
- Linh Cinder (from Cinder) is living a normal life until she discovers new truths. Finding companions along the way, she attempts to fight evil and bring them to justice.
- Agatha (from School for Good and Evil) overcomes her doubts and discovers her own dreams and beliefs.
- Kestra Dallisor (from The Traitor’s Game) is a runaway princess who tries to escape her present and figure out her past. She protects those who are innocent and close to her.
- Other favorites:
- Chaya Lindner (from Resistance)
- Cammie Morgan (from Gallagher Girls)
- Alex Bailey (from Land of Stories)
- Katarina Bishop (from Heist Society)
Most Inspirational Women in Books by Georgia & Natalie, 6th Grade
- Cassie Sullivan (from The 5th Wave) spent the whole span of The Fifth Wave trying to protect her brother. Even in great sorrow and loss, she made the ultimate sacrifice so her brother could grow up in a safe world.
- Mare (from The Red Queen) was put in a castle of danger where one wrong move could get her killed. She has to act like a princess to save her family while also being an advocate for a “red”volution.
- Alyssa (from Dry) is the perfect big sister. She went through hell and back to protect her little brother and was prepared to do the unthinkable to keep her brother from suffering.
- Cleo (from A Death-Struck Year) risked her life to help the sick. In the midst of an epidemic with no parents or family, 17 year old Cleo went houst to house saving people and risking her life.
- SPOILERS!!!
Mallory (from Sword of Summer) sacrificed herself. During a war, a bus was dropping off more soldiers when Loki took control of her body and made her set a bomb on the bus. When she took control back of her body, she deactivated the bomb saving 72 people but died in the process. - SPOILERS!!!
Cinderpelt (from Warriors: The Fourth Apprentice) protects those around her. When every other cat is out of camp, a badger attacks the medicine den. Cinderpelt protects the kittens inside with the cost of her life. - Gerta (from A Night Divided) is a 12 year old from East Berlin who got caught between a rock and a hard place when in the middle of the night the Berlin wall was built up around her side of town. In order to protect her family, she faces betrayal, spies, and possibly death. All of this just to save her family.
- Imogen (from The False Prince) seems like just a common servant but risks her life numerous times to protect someone she cares about.
- Gina (from The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days) is focused on doing helpful things around her neighborhood at night during the summer. She is spending her time trying to make others’ lives better.
- Molly (from Castle Hangnail) is the only person that can save Castle Hangnail!
Thank you everyone for your great lists!
The best way to learn what kids are thinking & feeling is by listening to them, so I am happy to share my students’ voices!
Controversial Characters (Are they villains? Or are they heroes?) by Elsa, Kaley, and Max, 8th Grade
- Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series: Even though J.K. Rowling makes Dumbledore seem like a wise, old guide helping Harry, Dumbledore is often manipulative, selfish, and cold. While Harry saw Dumbledore as a mentor, Dumbledore only saw Harry as a pawn. Dumbledore used Harry’s feelings toward him to make Harry do what he wants. (Elsa)
- Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series: At the end of the series, J.K. Rowling attempted redemption with Severus Snape. I feel as though it wasn’t enough and if anything it made me not like him more. While he was a villain for the majority of the series, the fact that he was bullied and then obsessed with Harry’s mom is supposed to make the fact that he is a trash person for 6.5 books okay… (Kaley)
- Tedros from the School for Good and Evil series: Tedros, the love interest of both Sophie and Agatha in the first book, is so self absorbed and ignorant. In the first book, he seemed very fake and would do whatever he wanted. (Elsa)
- Sophie from the School for Good and Evil series: I totally get that Sophie was supposed to come across as artificial and stupid. It was one of her character flaws that was supposed to be overruled by her good traits like being a good friend to Agatha. I don’t think it did and think the bad outweighed the good. (Kaley)
- Naomi’s Dad in Two Naomis: Naomi’s dad is a controversial character in my opinion because the author tried to make the reader feel sorry for him and that he was really trying; however, I do not like him because he should not force things on the children. Some children take longer to deal with changes. (Max)
15 of the Most Evil Characters in Books by Daniela & Mariana, 8th Grade
- Slade from Blood on my Hands
- The Governor from Stung
- The Evil Queen from The Land of Stories series
- The Masked Man from The Land of Stories series
- Lady Iris from The Land of Stories series
- Snow Queen from The Land of Stories series
- Sea Witch from The Land of Stories series
- The Queen of Hearts from The Land of Stories series
- Captain Hook from The Land of Stories series
- Morina from The Land of Stories series
- The Police from Ghost Boys
- Hellhounds from Good Dog
- Aiden’s Dad from Good Dog
- Secret Murderer from One of Us is Lying
- Steven from A Girl Named Digit
10 Comic Villains I Wish I Could Fight by Diego, 8th Grade
- Thanos: I would like to fight Thanos because he is the strongest supervillain. He beat The Avengers!
- Reverse Flash: I would fight Reverse Flash because he is the archenemy of the Flash and is very fast and super smart.
- The Joker: I would fight the Joker because he’s a very smart scientist and a criminal mastermind. I think I would lose.
- Lex Luthor: I would fight Lex Luther because he’s the archenemy of Superman and is very powerful though I think I could win.
- Catwoman: I would fight Cat Woman because she’s very agile and would be difficult to fight because of her agility and coordination.
- Harley Quinn: I would fight Harley because she is very smart and is Joker’s partner and would be hart to defeat.
- Magneto: I would fight Magneto because he’s very powerful since he can control magnets and magnetic fields.
- Loki: I would want to fight Loki because he is the god of mischief and would be fun but hart to beat.
- Venom: I would like to fight Venom because when the symbiote turns into Venom, he turns really lethal and powerful, similar to fighting Spiderman.
- Doctor Doom: I would like to fight Doctor Doom because he is Spiderman’s archenemy and is very mean and knows how to create armor. He also is an intellect, knows sorcery, and is a telepath.
Top 10 Manga Villains by Luis, 8th Grade
- Blackbeard from One Piece: Marshall D. Teach, also known as Blackbeard, is the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates and is known as one of the baddest pirates in the manga.
- Piccolo Daimaku from Dragon Ball Z: He’s the main antagonist of Dragon Ball. He’s one half of the No-Name Namekian alongside Kami-sama. He’s known for assassinating innocents during the Martial Arts Tournament and assassinating Master Roshi.
- Zamasu from Dragon Ball Z: Zamasu is a god of time. He started hating humans after Trunks started messing with time travel. He wants to kill all humans for Trunks’s actions against time.
- Majin Buu from Dragon Ball Z: Majin Buu is a monster created by magician Vividi and reused by his son. Buu’s only objective is to destroy all living creatures on the planet, even killing Vividi.
- Frieza from Dragon Ball Z: Frieza is the emperor of the universe, and his only desire in life is to attain immortality.
- Kars from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Kars is the one responsible for the Villain vs. Human War and killing all of his species except for 3 men. He is right now floating in space not thinking.
- Dio Brando from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Dio is a vampire. Dio wants to reset the world to his wishes. He’s able to stop time and kills half of the stardust crusaders.
- Enrico Pucci from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Pucci is a priest but once he meets Dio his believes change. Dio is his god now and Pucci is helping with resetting the whole universe.
- The Major from Hellsing: The Major is the master evil human in the world since all he wants is war, destruction, and chaos.
- Madara Uchiha from Naruto: Shippuden: Madara is th descendant of the 2nd son of the sage of sixpathes, part of the Uchika clan, and the first Uchiha to unlock the eternal Mangekyou Sharingan which gave him great powers.
Thank you everyone for your great lists!
The best way to learn what kids are thinking & feeling is by listening to them, so I am happy to share my students’ voices!
Top Ten Favorite Characters by Isaias & Miguel, 6th Grade
The best way to learn what kids are thinking & feeling is by listening to them, so I am happy to share my students’ voices!
Top Ten Favorite Characters by Isaias & Miguel, 6th Grade
- Rowan from Scythe: We like Rowan because he is thoughtful and caring to his best friends but brave versus his enemies. Rowan is smart and strong and shows these abilities throughout Scythe and Thunderhead.
- Greg from Diary of a Wimpy Kid: We like Greg because he has very unique characteristics like being funny, dumb, lazy, and irrelevant. These traits make Greg likable.
- Peter from Peter Nimble: We like Peter because he is smart and so determined to do the thing that is special to him. In the book, he has a friend and he does anything that he can do to protect him. In top of all of this, he is blind. He is very likable and special.
- Sirius Black from Harry Potter: Sirius Black is brave and strong with his want. He is very unique and helps Harry a lot throughout the series. He does very smart things, and he is often misjudged. He is our favorite character in Harry Potter. He is very interesting and likable.
- Emily from Amulet: We like Emily because she is very kind to her friends and family. She is very brave against her enemies. She is very determined and if she has a goal, she will achieve it. This is why we put her on our list.
- Navin from Amulet: Navin is probably the smartest guy in the world. He can manage any electricity without practicing with it. Navin will do anything to protect his family. He is a very caring person to his friends. Never leaves a mission without his friends.
- Roderick from Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick is kind of the mean and cool brother in the book, but he is funny (mostly when he is doing something stupid). He always makes you laugh mostly when combined with his brother.
- Citra from Scythe: In the book, Citra is stubborn, so it makes her personality very interesting while he fights her enemies. She is also kind and thoughtful to her friends. Overall, she is a very caring and strong character.
- James from Explorer: Mystery Boxes “The Escape Option”: James is proud and brave. He decides to leave and help his people. Because of these traits, James makes the list.
- Dog Man from Dog Man: Dog Man is very brave and kind. He helps so many people that we can’t even count. Dog man is also strong, smart, strategic, and in all the books he is the hero, and that’s why he’s on our list.
Characters We Love to Love by Max and Kaley, 8th Grade
- Eliza from Eliza and Her Monsters (Kaley): As a person who needs time to recharge my social better a lot, I could sympathize with Eliza who is the poster child for anti-social. Throughout the book, as she made strides with branching out, I rooted for her the whole time.
- Victoria “Vicky” from The Memory of Light (Kaley): As a young person with sticky relationships with a couple of my family members, I really felt Vicky’s hurt when her dad was a jerk throughout the entire book. I loved watching her step into herself, and she remains one of my favorite book characters.
- Mark from The Honest Truth (Max): Mark is a character I love because it shows how much he loves his dog. Even in the darkest moments, he only wants his dog to be safe.
- Brodie from Good Dog (Max): I love Brodie because he shows how much a dog loves you. It also shows that even after death, they will find their way back to you no matter what. That after death, they think about you.
Top 10 Favorite Characters by Ellian and Sujan, 6th Grade
- Sujan
- Prince Jaron from The Ascendance Trilogy
- Nicolas Calva from The Mark of the Thief trilogy
- Greg Heffley from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
- Rowley Jefferson from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
- Chaya Lidner from Resistance
- Dog Man from the Dog Man series
- Ellian
- Emily from the Amulet series
- Navin from the Amulet series
- Dog Man from the Dog Man series
- Greg from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
10 Book Characters We’d Date by Mariana & Daneila, 8th Grade
- Peter from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
- Josh from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
- Olly from Everything, Everything
- Bowen from Strung
- Augustus Waters from The Fault in our Stars
- Adam from Wish You Were Dead
- John from A Girl Named Digit
- Conner from The Land of Stories series
- Percy from Percy Jackson and the Olympians
- Aiden from Good Dog
3 Fictional Male Book Characters We Would Date If We Were In Their Book by Vanessa & Angelina, 8th and 7th Grade
- Prince Maxon from The Selection series: His is kind-hearted, understanding, protective, and puts other peoples’ safety before his own. He does whatever he can to make things right. Even though he doesn’t always have the nerve to express his emotions, he still tries to get his point across.
- Simon from The Traitor’s Game series: Sion is a protective, strong, shy, caring guy who just wants everyone to be safe. He feels like any injuries or issues are his fault and always questions if he should take the blame.
- Prince Tedros of Camelot from The School for Good & Evils series: Where do we begin…well, Tedros is strong, a prince, and an all around great person. People don’t know what is truly going on in his head; he has never truly been understood until he met Agatha.
Favorite Heroes by Nitya, 6th Grade
- Alex Bailey from The Land of Stories series: I like her because she has a lot of confidence, and she is outgoing. Also, she is very smart. Lasly, she is stubborn like me.
- Agatha from School for Good and Evil series: I like Agatha because she is adventurous and simple. She is also very smart and tactful. I want to be clever like she is in the books.
- Sadie Kane from Kane Chronicles trilogy: I like Sadie Kane because she is mentally strong. Also, she has a lot of talents. Lastly, she has found very good friends that support her.
- Thalia Grace from Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: I like her because she is very loyal to her friends and family. Also, she is so loving. Lastly, her strength both physically and mentally is unbelievable.
Thank you everyone for your great lists!
Feral Youth
Authors: Shaun David Hutchinson, Brandy Colbert, Suzanne Young, Tim Floreen, Justina Ireland, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Stephanie Kuehn, E.C. Myers, Marieke Nijkamp, Robin Talley
Published: September 5, 2017 by Simon Pulse
Guest Review by Natalia Sperry
Summary: At Zeppelin Bend, an outdoor education program designed to teach troubled youth the value of hard work, cooperation, and compassion, ten teens are left alone in the wild. The teens are a diverse group who come from all walks of life, and they were all sent to Zeppelin Bend as a last chance to get them to turn their lives around. They’ve just spent nearly two weeks learning to survive in the wilderness, and now their instructors have dropped them off eighteen miles from camp with no food, no water, and only their packs, and they’ll have to struggle to overcome their vast differences if they hope to survive.
Inspired by The Canterbury Tales, Feral Youth features characters, each complex and damaged in their own ways, who are enticed to tell a story (or two) with the promise of a cash prize. The stories range from noir-inspired revenge tales to mythological stories of fierce heroines and angry gods. And while few of the stories are claimed to be based in truth, they ultimately reveal more about the teller than the truth ever could.
Review: This is a complex anthology of traditionally ignored teenaged voices that demand to be heard; I couldn’t put it down! Feral Youth is compelling from the front flap to the final page. The distinct voices of all 10 characters shone through in every part, from their individual stories to the transitional narration, creating an established sense of the full cast that is difficult to attain when juggling so many stories.
In this day and age, it feels more important than ever read book that remind us that all people, even those “troubled kids” traditionally written off by society, have a unique story to tell. Though I initially felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of characters (especially those with similar sounding names!) having such a diverse cast of characters share their stories was really rewarding. Those stories, both those intended to be “factual” and those grounded in fantasy, refuse to go quietly from my mind. In a story centered around teens whose voices have been all but silenced by society, I think that’s a victory.
Teacher’s Tool For Navigation: As the book was inspired by Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, teachers could have students read the two (or passages from both) and compare and contrast. In particular, looking for thematic parallels could lend itself to discussions about the nature of storytelling and whose voices get told. In that regard, the book could also fit into a unit about “objective truth” in storytelling, perhaps in discussing other narratives or nonfiction.
Even in including the text as a free-reading option, I think it is essential to build empathy through reading diverse stories. Including this text could be not only a way to build empathy, but could provide a starting point for further future reading of a diversity voices as well.
Discussion Questions: What parallels do you find to the Canterbury Tales? Which stories surprised you? Were there any characters you related to that you wouldn’t have anticipated connecting with?
Flagged: “’They think we’re probably nothing but a bunch of animals, but we showed them who we really are. We showed them that they can’t ignore us’” (287).
Read This If You Loved: The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, other YA anthologies
Recommended For:
The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik
Author: David Arnold
Published: May 22, 2018 by Viking
Guest Review by Natalia Sperry
Summary: This is Noah Oakman → sixteen, Bowie believer, concise historian, disillusioned swimmer, son, brother, friend.
Then Noah → gets hypnotized.
Now Noah → sees changes—inexplicable scars, odd behaviors, rewritten histories—in all those around him. All except his Strange Fascinations . . .
Review: The longer I sit with this book, the more I feel like I’m still it; every time I sit down to think about it, I find new things to consider. If that’s not the sign of a good book,I don’t know what else is. The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hipnotik is a surreal exploration of identity, friendship, and family on the brink of the many changes protagonist Noah Oakman faces (both before and after his hypnotic episode) as he looks to the future beyond high school.
Above all else, I loved the nerdom in this book, both in its literary and historical detail as well as the variety of pop-culture references. In particular, much of the book (including its title) is drawn from musical icon David Bowie, so I’ll admit, it’s hard to go wrong. The humor also brings some lightness to the moral questions and philosophical questions of self and reality, which helps keep the largely internal narrative afloat.
Through it all, this book captures an important to capture the emotional gamut of someone’s life, especially when it feels like everything is ch-ch-ch-changing around you. Whether you’re looking for fun or serious contemplation of reality, this book will let you escape for a while (and even for a while longer after you’re done!)
Teacher’s Tool For Navigation: Though grounded in humor and pop culture references, this book would make for a really interesting companion to classics like James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, or J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. In asking students to compare the latter with Strange Fascinations, there are some really interesting parallels to be made both in the coming of age story and in the respective protagonists’ relationships with their sisters.
Discussion Questions: Do you agree, like Circuit, that genuine conversations are rare in the contemporary world? What do you think of Noah’s “strange fascinations?” Do you have any “fascinations” of your own, in this sense?
Flagged: “Some books are songs like that, the ones you go back to, make playlists of, put on repeat” (page 108).
Read This If You Loved: Mosquitoland by David Arnold, Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Recommended For:
Merci Suárez Changes Gears
Author: Meg Medina
Published: September 11th, 2018 by Candlewick Press
Summary: Thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suárez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and everyone in between in a resonant new novel from Meg Medina.
Merci Suárez knew that sixth grade would be different, […]
Merci Suárez Changes Gears
Author: Meg Medina
Published: September 11th, 2018 by Candlewick Press
Summary: Thoughtful, strong-willed sixth-grader Merci Suárez navigates difficult changes with friends, family, and everyone in between in a resonant new novel from Meg Medina.
Merci Suárez knew that sixth grade would be different, but she had no idea just how different. For starters, Merci has never been like the other kids at her private school in Florida, because she and her older brother, Roli, are scholarship students. They don’t have a big house or a fancy boat, and they have to do extra community service to make up for their free tuition. So when bossy Edna Santos sets her sights on the new boy who happens to be Merci’s school-assigned Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the target of Edna’s jealousy. Things aren’t going well at home, either: Merci’s grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo, has been acting strangely lately — forgetting important things, falling from his bike, and getting angry over nothing. No one in her family will tell Merci what’s going on, so she’s left to her own worries, while also feeling all on her own at school. In a coming-of-age tale full of humor and wisdom, award-winning author Meg Medina gets to the heart of the confusion and constant change that defines middle school — and the steadfast connection that defines family.
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation and Discussion Questions:
Please view and enjoy the teachers’ guide I created for Merci Suárez Changes Gears:
You can also access the teaching guide here.
You can learn more about Merci on Candlewick Press’s Merci Suárez Changes Gears page.
Recommended For:
Thunderhead
Author: Neal Shusterman
Published: January 9, 2018 by Simon & Schuster
Guest Review by Natalia Sperry
Summary: Rowan and Citra take opposite stances on the morality of the Scythedom, putting them at odds, in the second novel of the chilling New York Times bestselling series from Neal Shusterman.
Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythes—not only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero now—“Scythe Lucifer”—a vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames.
Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the “new order” scythes. Realizing she cannot do this alone—or even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being “deadish” so she can communicate with the Thunderhead—the only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world. But will it help solve those problems, or simply watch as perfection goes into decline?
Review: Thunderhead packs a punch as a conceptually compelling and action-packed follow up to award-winning Scythe. While at times it moves slowly and teeters on the precarious edge of “middle book syndrome.” Its expansion of the world of the Scythdome helps the book feel more well-rounded. Despite the action, Thunderhead shines most in its explorations of democracy and the implications of AI technology.
Citra’s questioning of identity, though immediately rooted in her struggle between her civilian past and scythedom, provides a good example of identity searching for teen readers. For Citra and Rowan, the stakes are high– despite the novel’s focus on the guiding AI of the Thunderhead, the fate of the world rests not on the shoulders of the political technology or the Scythe’s government, but on the teenage protagonist’s shoulders. Though Thunderhead didn’t invent the trope of teens saving the world, in 2018 it feels all the more prevalent.
Teacher’s Tool For Navigation: As a sequel, Thunderhead will primarily be useful in addition to classroom libraries. However, in discussing the Arc of a Scythe series as a whole, Thunderhead raises interesting questions of power dynamics in politics, democracy, and the role of AI technology. If Scythe is already a text you’ve considered using in literature circles, a discussion about the themes raised in the sequel could provide an interesting supplement to the unit.
Discussion Questions: Is the Thunderhead justified? Is the Scythedom? In what ways is the world of the Scythes in MidMerica and beyond a dystopia or utopia?
Flagged: “You may laugh when I tell you this, but I resent my own perfection. Humans learn from their mistakes. I cannot. I make no mistakes. When it comes to making decisions, I deal only in various shades of correct.” (Chapter 4).
Read This If You Loved: Scythe by Neal Shusterman, Illuminae by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff, This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
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