What makes a great Character?

[Christopher]

I think what makes a good character is someone that is different and would stand out in a group of 1,300,000 people. An example of a good character in my book would be Mitch from the book Payback Time by: Carl Deuker. One reason is that he describes himself as “the Michelin Man”. He also calls himself fat and short with curly red hair. Also he isn’t a normal person by way of personality. He is pretty much a geek that knows a lot about sports and loves writing in his newspaper. Obviously he isn’t the type of person who you would lose in a crowd. That’s what makes him a good and memorable character.

[Jake]

A good way an author can make a character come to life is by using good detail to describe who or what the character is. A great example of this is in the book Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan. The main character in the book is Jake Semple. The author gives areally good description of him in the story and gives you every detail about him. When I read this i could picture him in my mind and it matched up with what he looked like on the cover. I still remember this character from this book which I read three years ago. I remember him because of what he did in the story and his personality traits. This is one of the characters I will remember from all the sotries i read andwill read.

[Macy]

In the novel I'm reading, Zombie Blondes by Brian James, the main character Hannah is a lot different then any other character I have read about. Hannah is your typical blonde haired blue eyed girl, but she's spent her whole life moving from town to town. Unlike everybody else, she has never had the chance to settle down in one place and have an actual home. For me, I think that is really unique and it's definitely something that doesn't happen too often so I'm able to remember her character more. Her personality and looks make her seem like she's a normal girl but, she's not. She never gets the chance to enjoy having real friends because she's always on the move. The sadness and uniqueness of her character is really memorable.

In any kind of story, I think that if the character is really funny, outspoken or if they have a good .background, it's easier to remember who they were. In this novel, I really think that Hannah is a good character and is easy to remember

[Becky]

Beth wrote: "I think that when an author writes a book, he makes each character have their own unique personality, like every person has in real life. Some people are very likable, while others aren't as much...." I really agree with this, because one character that I loved reading about and will always remember is Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling did such a good job of portraying his personality, and that's what made me like him. To me, it seemed like he was the "good guy" the majority of the time and always had the best ideas. I know that the author could have staged it like that, but either way I still liked him. I think another reason why I liked him so much was because I pitied him because he never really got to know his parents. They were killed, so he was raised different than most of the other kids in the world (real or fiction). This made me always feel a little bit sorry for him, especially when his aunt, uncle and cousin were so rude and cruel to him.

On the other hand, an author can also make a person really hate a character by what they do/say, the tone in which they say it, or how they act to certain people. For example, a person that I think almost everyone hates is Voldemort. First impression is always important, and the fact that he killed Harry's parents instantly makes you hate him. Plus, the fact that he is out to get Harry and kill him, doesn't make him any more likable. So, as you can see, the way an author writes about a character can really affect a persons thoughts on him/her. The author can technically control most of your thoughts on a person if they really wanted to, but the best thing to do would be to create a character somewhere in between "good" and "bad" so people have different opinions.

[Jessica]

Nicole wrote: "One character i remember above all else has got to be Zoey Redbird from the house of night series. She starts out in a bad situation but through the series she grows a lot and learns sacrifice and ..."
I agree that Zoey was one of the characters that really stood out in my mind. I think another reason that she is so unforgettable is because the author wrote her to talk like a down-to-earth and normal teenager. She uses many mannerism that many of us use and she doesn't always speak with proper grammar. This all makes her easy to relate to and unforgettable.

[Alexandra]

Ka Lia wrote: "In the steam-punk novel, Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, the most memorable character Zeke, an independent boy who is not very cared for from his own mother, Briar. Zeke is just a teenager, believing ..."
I can connect with Zeke. His independent and non relying on people, which I am too. Also I can make another connection to Zeke because I don't like my mother at all. I like your summary so far into the book it's very detailed and clear!

[Annelise]

Matt wrote: "I think that author's really bring charecter's to life by describing them and giving us good visuals. To be a good rememorable charecter you have to be funny. I think that the charecter that has st..."

I think that authors tell a story on what they have expienced in life or what they want to expierence in life. Authors really do bring character to life. I think that when you read a story about a character or a character you feal like there real. Just like in my book. This although was a made up book I feel like it has been brought to life because of what she explains and how she connects to things. But she also doesnt. Just like eveyone else in the world.

[Alex]

What makes a good character? I think that for someone to become a character in a book they have to be the main source of attention, or he/she has something to contribute to what ever is happening in the book. A character can also be someone the author decides to focus on in the first few pages of the book. That would be my answer to anyone who asks me the question, what makes me a good character?

[Abby]

I think a good charter is someone who can relate to you. In the story I am reading called The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn there’s a girl named Kayla and her dad had passed away. Her mom keeps on saying that the tattoo has killed him. In life people are taken over by cancer or diseases. Kayla relates to me because of the death of my grandpa he was the only on I could talk too.

[Andrew]

I think that a good character is when someone describes how they look and how they look at life so that i can tell if something happens that i can kinda understand what they think. many characters aren't really described and i have a hard time understanding the book so i drop the book or don't really understand it.

[Tyler]

In the novel, “The Big Game of Everything" by Chris Lynch, there are about 8-10 characters that are really mentioned and have parts in the story where they talk. Out of those characters, one that makes a great character is Union Jack. Yes, his name is Union Jack. It is pronounced Onion Jock. Although he has such a unique name, people just call him Jock to make it easier. I think he and his situation are unique because he is shorter and wiry, and his younger brother Egon, is bigger than he is being husky. The reason I like Jock is because he is humble, hard worker, and he does what he is told for most of the time. He also has a sense of humor which is always a good trait. All those things together are why I think Jock is a good character and what makes up a good character.

[Brady]

In the book "The long way home" by: Andrew Klavan the main character west has a lot of the same characteristics that i have so i could relate to how he was feeling as the book went on. Andrew Klavan did a really good job of making it seem like i was watching a movie not reading a book,which helped me get to know west even better. I don't think that i will remember him that well because he has the same characteristics as some main characters from other books. Overall i still thought it was a good book.

[Austin]

In the book Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher the main character is a large black male that is in love with swimming. As a young boy he was even put into competitions for swimming but then he suddenly decided to give it up. But he wants to get back into it for school to help get people who don't belong get a letter jacket to prove the super jocks wrong, but there are two problems with what he wants to do. They don't have a school team and they don't have a pool. The author makes the main character The Tao Jones very easy to relate to. I feel as if he is kind of like myself. He stands up to those who get picked on and can't stand up for themselves whether they are physically not able to or they are just too intimidated to. I think that a good character describes what he has been through and what his life is like. This character is a very good character in my opinion. He uses a lot of dialog and is very loud about his opinion. He isn't very good about making friends because he is not one to agree with someone else. He has his opinion and if you don't agree with him then you aren't really much of a friend to him. The Tao Jones doesn't really seem like he cares about a whole lot about the things that life has in store for him. He likes to know what is going to happen and when it is going to happen.

[Jacob]

I am reading the book Fat Kid Rules the World, it is a book about an obese seventeen year old boy named Troy that is from what I can tell is very self-contious, for example when ever he walks in public he feels as if everyone stars at him all the time making him feel very uncomfortable. The auther made sure that the reader can tell that he is very self-contious about himself all the time, how he breathes, how he moves, how he jiggles, and how he eats. From how far in the book I am now he has become friends with a homeless twenty year old that has drug problems or so people say and that is how he acts, he asks for cough medicine he raided his step-father's house once and took a lot of perscription medicine I also think he has a drug problem, another thing that he does is use Troy for his money, he will ask him how much he has and he will run off for a few hours and comeback empty handed without the burger he promised. Troy has also been in a band for a little while that he was going to play the drums for but had no clue how to do since he hasn't played the drums since seventh grade, he quit the band because of that reason. So what I can take in from this charater is that the auther put together a very good self-contious obese child that just wants friends and to be "normal" and the auther did very well at describing what he goes through on a regular day, my opinion on this main charater is that Troy is a well put together and planned out charater.

[Heather]

The book that I am reading is titled Flip it is about a boy trapped inside someone else's body. I think that a good character is a person that plays the character well also I think that a character should be spontaneous and not be afraid to get things done. In Flip the Characters name is Alex but he is trapped in to Flips body he never gives up he is fighting to become Alex again because that is who he is supposed to be but he is trapped and does anything to go and accomplish what he wants to get done. Alex-Flip is a person that accomplishes great things the way the author writes about this character is tremendously amazing.

[Sean M SFHS]

I think a good character is someone who you can relate to, maybe not to their specific situation but to their feelings and unspecific situation. I can relate to characters that are athletes that may face doubt from coaches or teammates because of background, or physical challenges. I can relate to a character from the book the big field. He is overshadowed by a particularly confident teammate of his and when he gets injured it is his turn to step up and be recognized.

[Ashley C]

In my own thoughts, a good character is brought to life when related to me. In the book, "MockingJay" by Susane Collins, I can relate to Katnis. As she is the leader of the rebellion, I am a leader of my family. We both have a big responsibility we have to deal with, and along the way we always learn something new. You might say that I am exaggerating and I'm not a leader, but I am. Along with my mom, I am the one taking care of my brother when my dad isn't around, just like Katnis when her dad isn't around. When I am alone taking care of my brother and don't want to be, I think about how Katnis is strong and I should be too. A great character makes any type of reader relate, and this is definitely a great character if it can relate to me, a reader who doesn't like to read and barely does. How does your character relate to you?

[Aarika]

In my book "The Six Rules of Maybe" my character Scarlet is really nice to everyone, even the people she might not like. People trust her with all their problems, she's the first person they go to when they need help. She cares about everyone all the time, she doesn't leave anyone out. She seems to relate to them which makes it easier to talk to, she always says the right things and doesn't bring anyone down. It makes her feel bad when others are feeling down or when she can't help with their problems.

[Monica]

Where It BeganAnn Redisch Stampler

Gabby Gardiner, the main character of the book Where it Began by Ann Redisch Stampler, is a girl living in Beverly Hills, going to a rich, private school, and revolving her life around her 'hot' boyfriend, Billy Nash. As far as Gabby knows, Billy owns Wiston school, as well as everyone in it. Being on of the most popular boy's girlfriend makes Gabby one of the most respected girls in the school. Thanks to her controlling, image-concerned mom, Gabby's new hair style and wordrobe, also makes her the hottest iteam in Beverly Hills. But not for long. Shortly after school starts, she gets into a car crash. Instead of living her easy life, she has to now fight for everything she wants, including Billy.

What makes Gabby a good character is how the auther makes her easy to relate to. Using common problems, such as high school drama, the auther makes Gabby a down to earth kind of person. One thing that confuses me about Gabby's character is her dislike for fake people, but yet she, herself has changed to fit in with the crowd.

Overall I believe that Gabby was a good character and even though the book was confusing at times, it was work reading.

[Jessica]

Describing your character like they're a real person is the key. You have to make them have feelings, otherwise the readers won't have any emotions towards the character or anything that's happening. Make your character worth remembering, make them something we look forward to in later pieces. There needs to be something interesting about them, make a twist that you have to keep reading to figure out what it is. Give them personality, if they don't have any personality they'll just be the same as the other characters.

[Ryan]

I am currently reading Feed by: M.T Anderson. Feed is about seven teenagers who visit the moon. the main characters name is Titus, Tutus is 16 and is always bored of whatever he does and is always complaining. he does not make a good character but the way that the M.T uses him in the story makes him a like able character. the character could be able to relate to many people if they are down about something.