Reading Response Blog # 16

1/18/2015

Strong characters are what make a good story. Without interesting, dynamic, driven characters, a great plot can really flop! On the flip side, well-developed characters can make simple plots more exciting.

One of my favorite book characters is Miggory Sow from "The Tale of Despereaux". Miggery is a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish to be a princess. Even though Miggery is a secondary character, her parts were the most interesting to read, especially because she overcomes so much hardship but doesn't really know it. She was sold into slavery and beaten by her master, but she always kept a positive attitude. She's a bit dim-witted, often dumbfounded with surprise by what happens to her. The author shows this by having her say, "Gor!!!" all of the time, which is just a nonsense sound. Even though Miggery isn't clever, agile, or attractive like many other book characters, she's lovable and admirable because of her determination to achieve her extremely unlikely dream of becoming a princess.

The Week's Prompt:

Choose one of your favorite book characters. Describe the character and explain why you like this character so much.
How does this character make the book so enjoyable?

I look forward to hearing about your favorite characters!

53 Comments

Sam

1/19/2015 09:35:48 am

Dear class,
my favoriot book character is probably Thomas from the maze runner series. The reason why I like thomas as a character so much is his versatile mind and how he thinks different and does things different from everyone else. I can relate to him in that way. Thomas is a skinny boy with jet black hair long legs and a hard past. Thomas has his strengths and weaknesses like everyone else But his weaknesses are pretty big. Along with him and his maze runner friends non of them can remember anything about their real life all they can remember is there names and there basic skills. On the bright side thomas can do some pretty cool things like speak telepathically with special people like him. He also can run so fast he was granted the wish to become a Runner. Only the best are able to go into the maze. These reasons show why Thomas is my favorite book character. All book characters have there ups and downs what are your book characters strengths and weaknesses?

Sincerely,
Sam

Rheona

1/20/2015 06:01:18 am

Hi Sam,
I wonder if Thomas has all of these skills that you mentioned throughout all of the books.
From,
RHEONA

Marc

1/20/2015 06:53:52 am

Dear Sam,
Wow! Great job on your response. Isn't it cool how we see Thomas in the same ways? But when you said "granted a wish to become a runner, " do you think Thomas wanted to be a runner?

From,
Marc

Talia

1/21/2015 11:54:59 am

Sam,
What are some of Thomas's weaknesses?
From,
Talia/Bob

Olivia D.

1/23/2015 12:45:04 am

Dear Sam,

Great response Sam! Nice job explaining the book, you really captured the main detail.

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Rheona

1/19/2015 10:03:46 am

Hi class,
A character I like is Willie-May from Tiger Rising. Willie-May is a woman that Rob hangs out with a lot in the Kentucky Star. I like her because she is like a cartoon wise owl but at the same time she is someone that you would imagine on the street smoking. I enjoy Willie-May because there is no way you could guess what she is going to say next.

From,
RHEONA

Layla

1/20/2015 07:46:55 am

Dear Rheona,
I totally agree with how you see Willy May. She is very wise. I look forward to your next post.
Sincerely,
Layla

Nathan

1/22/2015 08:30:14 am

Rheona,
I agree Willie may is very wise but someone you could imagine smoking on the street, do you think she is funny like I do?

Yours truly,
Nathan

Sage P

1/23/2015 12:42:53 am

Dear Rheona,
I really liked your response! I liked how you used The Tiger Rising. I also think Willie-May is a very wise character. What do you mean by, a cartoon wise owl? I didn't really understand.
From,
Sage P

Forrest

1/23/2015 12:46:48 am

Dear Rheona,

Great response! You really think deeply about willie-may. I think the same thing about willie -may. She is a great person. What do you think Rob thinks about willie may?

Forrest

Amy

1/19/2015 10:17:49 am

Dear class,
My favorite book is The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. My favorite character in the book is sadie. I like sadie a lot because she is like me.. outside of school. She's not afraid to speak her mind. And she is confident in what she says. Sadie likes to be in charge and she mostly is in the story. Carter (her brother) listens to her and follows her lead. Sadie doesn't like to be bossed around, and if she is she will get really mad.
Sincerely,
Amy

Rheona

1/20/2015 05:58:41 am

Hi Amy,
I Absolutely LOVE that book! Where are you in the story?
I love Sadie too! I love how you related yourself to her! If you where in the story would you ever trust a mysterious man that clams knows you?

From,
RHEONA

Amy

1/23/2015 12:42:38 am

Dear Rheona,
Well in the story Sadie knew that she recognized Amos from somewhere. Then later in the book she has a flashback about her sixth birthday and she see's Amos in her flashback saying "Happy birthday, Sadie." See if that happened to me i guess i could try and trust him. Anyways in the story i'm at the point where they are in the house of life and they are talking about all the secrets!
Sincerely,
Amy

Arim link

1/23/2015 12:37:17 am

Dear Amy

I don't really like sadie because she's just to bossy. I like Carter because he listens, unlike Sadie. So I disagree with you, but I do like Sadie too sometimes because she's curious like me.

From Arim

Alec

1/20/2015 05:06:26 am

Dear Class,
My favorite book character is from The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan. My favorite character from the book is Percy. He is very brave and he killed many many many monsters. He can make things that people say that is impossible possible. He also has a lot of courage and never wants to give up. He has talked to many gods and he always stands out. Sometimes, when people bow to the gods, Percy doesn't bow and starts to be rude. Thats because some gods are his enemys. And so thats why Percy is one of my favorite book character.
From, Alec

Rheona

1/20/2015 05:54:27 am

Hi Alec,
If you were Percy would u ever make the same choices as him?
From,
RHEONA

Alec

1/23/2015 12:34:08 am

Rheona,
I don't think I would want to go make a sacrifice like Percy did. TOO SCARY. The choices that Percy did, I don't think I want to. I want to go to school instead. Too risky.
Alec

Sam

1/20/2015 06:40:27 am

Dear Alec,
Percy Jackson I agree is epic. He can control water and he has a awesome dad whose a God. He also has the coolest kindest friends you could ask for, Anna Beth and Grover. Nice character pick.

Sincerely,
Sam

Talia

1/21/2015 11:52:34 am

Alec,
What makes Percy stand out when he talks to the gods?
From,
Talia/Bob

Julia

1/20/2015 05:30:25 am

Dear Class,

I like the characters Megan form Nature Girl by Jane Kelley. I like this character because her personality changes as the story goes along. She starts out as a "city girl", but when her family goes to Vermont for the summer, she has to accept changes. She experiences these changes in an interesting way. You will have to read this excellent book to understand what I'm talking about.

Yours Truly,
Julia

Talia

1/21/2015 11:50:40 am

Julia,
I like how you challenged people to read the book!
From,
Bob/Talia

Sage P

1/22/2015 10:33:20 am

Dear Julia,
I really liked your response! I have one question though, what do you mean by "city girl." I really like how you mentioned that she has to accept these changes. Your response really got me intrigued, to read Nature Girl.
From,
Sage P

Julia

1/23/2015 12:41:53 am

Dear Sage,

When I said "city girl" I meant she hated the country and wanted to have internet and her cell phone. I guess when I said "city girl" it's a bit of a stereotype. I could have used a better choice of words. Thank you for the response!

Your Friend,
Julia

Sage W.

1/23/2015 12:33:42 am

Dear Julia,
By "city girl" do you mean girly city girl, or like a tough kinda city girl?
Great response can't wait to read your next one!

Marc

1/20/2015 06:50:14 am

Dear Class,
I think my favorite character is Thomas from the Maze Runner Series. Thomas is such a curious character (and the main character) and he makes the story so much more interesting. He's always going into danger, and what good would these books be without danger? However, Thomas still isn't "the tough guy." He has few weaknesses, but they are really big ones. For example, he will get hypnotized whenever he would see Teresa.

I really like Thomas as a character because he's outgoing, and he thinks differently from all of the other characters. For instance, he was the "trigger" in the maze. Therefore, I see him as the guy who makes things happen.

Sincerely,
Marc

Talia

1/21/2015 11:48:34 am

Marc,
Who is Teresa?
From, Talia/Bob

Layla

1/20/2015 07:39:58 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
My favorite character in the book One Crazy Summer is Delphine, the main character. She is my favorite because she is polite, kind, respectful, and keeps all her sisters in line. Delphine is a good older sister. She takes care of her sisters, and acts as the mother they never had.
From,
Layla

Talia

1/21/2015 11:46:55 am

Layla,
I know that you have a really good taste for books. Do you recommend this book? I just finished reading Esperanza Rising, and now I have no idea what to read next. If you don't recommend One Crazy Summer, do you have another book that you recommend?
Thanks,
Bob/Talia

Olivia D.

1/21/2015 12:47:06 pm

Layla,

Great response! Your book seems so interesting, I defiantly want to try to read it. Dolphins seems like a great character.
Why is the book called Crazy Summer?

Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Layla

1/22/2015 11:42:08 am

Dear Bob\Talia,
I love the book Esperanza Rising!!!!! Did you like it???? Also, I do recommend One Crazy Summer. I am definitely enjoying it so far!
From, Layla

Sofia

1/22/2015 07:42:14 am

Layla,
Delphine sounds like an interesting character! Would you want to be like her?
Sofia

Sage W.

1/23/2015 12:36:55 am

Dear Layla,

Great response! When you say mother they never had do you think Delphine was set on being her sisters "mom" because they never had one?

Talia

1/21/2015 11:41:49 am

Ms. Kimball,
One of my all time favorite characters is Minli from Where The Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. I like her because when she sets out to do something (no pun intended) she does it even though everyone says it is impossible. She is very brave. For example, she went on an adventure that she could never come back from if she wasn't careful enough. She is also very kind. When she could ask the Old Man of the Moon only one question, and Dragon had asked for Minli to ask a question for him, Minli asked Dragon's question instead of her own. She had gone on this journey to ask her question, so not asking her question was a big deal. Those are a few reasons why I like Minli so much.
From,
Talia

Julia

1/23/2015 12:46:02 am

Dear Talia,

If you were Minli would you make the same choices as her? Do you have any other connections with Minli? Thank you for responding to my blog and so many other peoples posts!

Sincerely,
Julia

Olivia D.

1/21/2015 12:42:55 pm

Dear Class,

The story my favorite character is in is called "The book Thief"
And my favorite character in this book is Rudy. The reason I like this character is because he never gave up, and no matter how much he was doubted he still had a dream to become a professional athlete. This book is set in the time during the holocaust and is a very intriguing story. I defiantly recommend this book.
Sincerely,
Olivia D.

Sage W.

1/22/2015 07:33:38 am

Dear Class,
I have two favorite characters but I think I'm gonna talk about Katness.
The reason is Hunger Games was the first book I read were the girl was the hero, and Katness made me realize anyone can be a hero.
She also showed me that you can do things that seem crazy to some,but end up being the best thing that happened to in this case Panam.

Sincerely,
Sage W.

Julia

1/22/2015 10:21:39 am

Dear Sage,

That's an interesting way to think of Katniss's character. I agree with you that anyone could be a hero. What made you choose Katniss instead of a different character? Great response!

Sincerely,
Julia

Nathan

1/22/2015 08:26:11 am

Dear class,
One character I really like is Capricorn Anderson from Schooled. The reason I like Cap is because he can be so clueless. For example, when Zach is speaking to Cap about the locker, Cap says something along the line of “Rain says when locking something away, you are actually imprisoning yourself”. That sentence just made me laugh.

Yours truly, Nathan :)

Sage P

1/22/2015 10:29:37 am

Dear Class,

I am choosing my character, from the book Wonder.The character that I chose, is August. August has a deformed face, but he is a really fun character to read about. August is sometimes shy, and other times he can be really outgoing and talkative. August was really shy in the beginning of the story, but as the story progresses August becomes a really outgoing character, in the story. I like August, because the story wouldn’t be the same without him. The story is about this kid August and how he has a deformed face. The story would be totally different without August as a character. Another reason why I like August as a character, is he shows us threw his world and he shows us how he lives with challenges along his life. August makes the book enjoyable by, changing the whole story along the way. August changed the whole story, by changing his personality and making friends. I think that is a cool twist to a story.
From,
Sage P.

Talia

1/23/2015 12:41:32 am

Sage,
I agree! When August gets to know the kids at his new school, Beecher Prep, he gets more outgoing and more comfortable. With them. He even writes notes to the bully at the school with his best friend! I like you'r response a lot!
From,
Talia

Sage P

1/29/2015 11:09:50 am

Dear Talia,
Thank you for writing your reply, it means a lot.
From,
Sage P.

Arim link

1/22/2015 11:37:25 am

Dear class

My favorite character is Yassen in Alex Rider Russian Roulette story of an assassin. He's my favorite character because when he got told that if he tried to escape the fort he was going to get shot, he still made strategies of how to escape and then one day he did. Also, even though he lost everyone he cared died, and his uncle betrayed him he still got hope. He's also my favorite character because he is very loyal. These are the reasons why he is my favorite character in this book.

From Arim

Mikey link

1/22/2015 11:57:57 am

Dear Ms. Kimball,
One of my favorite storybook characters is Rafe Khatchadorian from the book 'Middle School - How I survived Bullies, Broccoli, and snake hill' by James Patterson. I find him as a funny character to read about, considering he loves causing trouble, he hates school, and he just loves making a huge ruckus. He loves chaos and always breaks the rules. He may be a troublemaker, but on the inside, he is really nice. He has a very active imagination, and he just loves having fun in his own way.
Sincerely,
Mikey

Danny

1/23/2015 12:10:10 am

Dear Mikey,
Do you think Rafe likes School?

Forrest

1/22/2015 01:09:31 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,

When I was thinking about this question I realized that I like characters who I can relate to maybe because they are my age or they like things I like. I chose Trevor from the book Pay It Forward. Trevor is the main character and he is my age. He is an only child who lives with his mom. The characters I seem to like are strong and have big ideas. I was really impressed with Trevor at the beginning of the story because when his teacher Mr. St Clair came to the school no one took the time to get to know him because his face was disfigured. Trevor got to know him right away and asked him about his face. Mr. St Clair liked that he was honest. Trevor is also really independent. He has to be because his mom works a lot and he is on his own alot. He is also confident. He takes on Mr. St Clair’s extra credit project and creates something really big and puts it into action. He takes risks like he gets to know a homeless person and helps them, and helps a neighbor that he didn’t really know. I can relate to Trevor in a lot of ways and he makes me think about things in a different or deeper way.

Your student,
Forrest

Talia

1/23/2015 12:46:02 am

Forrest,
That seems like a good book. Do you recommend it?
From,
Bob

Yubin

1/22/2015 01:17:56 pm

Dear Class,

One character I like is the swallow from the book called “The Happy Prince” written by Oscar Wilde. In the story, the swallow was very faithful to the prince, so, instead of flying to the south, he stayed with the prince and helped him distribute his jewels to poor people much to their delight. Even when the swallow felt his body freezing, he thanked to the prince for having taught him the true meaning of happiness, in other words, sharing love one another.

Sincerely,
Yubin

Layla

1/23/2015 12:31:30 am

Dear Yubin,
Great response!! It's very nice that the swallow thanked the prince.
From,
Layla

Yubin

1/23/2015 12:01:24 pm

Dear Layla,

Thanks for the comment! It is very important to be thankful to other people.

Sincerely,
Yubin

Julia

1/23/2015 12:38:24 am

Dear Yubin,

I enjoyed reading your response! Why do you the think the Swallow was so faithful to the prince? Did the prince help the the prince in some way? I liked your choice of words when you said "much to their delight".

Sincerely,
Julia

Yubin

1/23/2015 12:28:10 pm

Dear Julia,

I'm glad that you enjoyed reading my response! The reason why the swallow was faithful to the prince is because he was a kind-hearted swallow. He stays with the prince to help the poor in the city. He sacrificed his life for this noble cause.

Sincerely,
Yubin

Danny

1/23/2015 12:06:10 am

Dear Class,
one of my favorite novels is The Familiars. In this book my favorite character is Gilbert. I like him so much because unlike the other characters he is more of a wimp. When the stone runlet was being destroyed instead of helping out he was trying to go to his happy place. He is funny as well. At the bridge of betrayal the voices in his head were saying that his friends were trying to get the fly's he was carrying. I like Gilbert the most because he is an underdog. Every frog in Duka (were Gilbert lives) is better than him and it makes the story a little better because of that.
Sincerely,
Danny

kaela

1/26/2015 03:15:46 am

Dear Ms.Kimball
I like the charecture Grace in The Year of the Dog because she is a nice person who is sad she is different because she is Chinese American but she is also proud. She likes to make new friends and is very kind. She is cool to and thous are the reasons why I like her.
sincerely kaela

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Student Work
for
Ms. Kimball's Grade 5 At Underwood, 2014-2015

Relive the greatness of this unforgettable group of students, my fabulous fifth grade class from Underwood Elementary School in Newton.