At-Home Blog #5: Complex Character

12/4/2016

Believable characters are what make a good story. Complex characters that have a realistic combination of traits and interesting flaws can really bring a story to life.

One of my favorite characters is Bradley Chalkers from There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom. Although Bradley comes across as a mean, uncaring, and pessimistic jerk at first, deep down, he struggles with extremely low self-esteem and doesn't believe that he is capable of making friends or doing well in school. Watching him learn to believe in himself (with the help of Carla) was the best part of the book!

The Week's Prompt:
Choose a character from your independent reading that you feel is believable, complex, and well-developed. Describe the character's traits. Does the character have any flaws? If so, describe those too.

I look forward to hearing about the character you choose!

56 Comments

Nadya

12/5/2016 06:57:34 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,
I am going to describe Adam from Adam of the Road. Adam is a minstrel. I feel that one of his traits is determined. The reason I think that is because in the story his dog Nick gets stolen and he loses his father when he gets lost. That though does not stop him from carrying on. As Adam tells stories on plays on his harp this boy looks frantically for his beloved dog and father. That is all I think.
Sincerely Nadya.

Ms. Kimball

12/6/2016 04:29:36 pm

Dear Nadya,

Adam definitely sounds determined based on the evidence you shared about him losing both his dog and his father. That sounds rough! Adam must have more traits that simply being determined though. You mentioned he plays the harp. Is he musical? Does he have any traits that give him difficulties in dealing with things?

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Owen C

12/14/2016 08:04:55 pm

Dear Nadya,

I had a little trouble understanding the book. What does the word minstrel mean? Maybe I might understand it better. Adam does seem like a fun character, Can you describe some more character traits for me about Adam? Can you explain a little more on how Adam's dog and father get lost?

sincerely,

Owen C.

Nadya

12/15/2016 04:55:52 pm

Dear Owen C.
The word minstrel means that you do not have a home and you go around playing music and telling people stories. Also minstrels often have animals like dogs that perform with them. Some other traits that I think he has is being very happy because he is happy most of the time. Also I think he is very caring and has a warm heart because even when he is far from them he does not forget the people that are important to him or helped him out. Now I will tell you about his father and the dog. The dog gets lost first so I will tell you about him first. Really The dog gets stolen by a minstrel who wants to play a game of cards and if he lost then the other two would get back the horse that he won from them, but if he won he would take the dog and keep the horse. But the father does not agree so during the night the other minstrel steals the dog. Later on when Adam and his father are looking for the dog Adam sees him and the other minstrel and runs ahead. His father does not see where he is going so he goes another way. That is how the dog is stolen and the father gets lost.

Katie

12/6/2016 07:54:35 pm

Dear Class,
I am writing this blog for the character Tobias from the book “Allegiant.” Tobias is a wonderful character and fits perfectly into the story. I think that one of Tobias’s traits is strong. This trait about physically and mentally strong. A reason for this trait is when Tobias gets put under a virus that makes everyone around him go brain dead, but he doesn’t. This is also a flaw to Tobias, because he’s scared that he thinks he likes to hurt people. Tobias also is brave because when a loved one died on part of his own account, he was able to forgive himself and move on with their memory always with him, and I think that takes quite a lot of bravery.
Yours Truly,
Katie

Ellie

12/13/2016 07:39:23 pm

Dear Katie,

I love your response! I think you are saying he is strong because he doesn't ever go brain dead and that he is brave when a loved one died. Is that correct?

I am wondering why you said that he "fits perfectly into the story." What do you mean by that? Is it because a lot of people are weak and cowardly, and they needed someone to help? Or something else entirely?

Why does Tobias think that he likes to hurt people? I was a little confused there.

All in all, I like your response! Thanks!
Sincerely,
Ellie

Katie

12/14/2016 03:23:35 pm

Dear Ellie,
I’m so glad that you liked my response! You have some great questions that I would be happy to answer. You were correct with what you thought I meant. Next, when I said, “He fits perfectly into the story,” I meant that his character and personality really helped to understand the story better when I was reading it. Also, Tobias feels that he might let go and just start hurting people for the fun of it, but he doesn’t want to lose control like that. But, this feeling conflicts with his personality, which is, that on the inside, he’s truly a caring person. I hope that this clears up your questions, and thanks again for the feedback!
Sincerely,
Katie

Anika

12/6/2016 10:29:15 pm

Dear Class,

I'm going to describe the character Mary Lu Lynnex from the book "The Secret Garden". I think that Mary Lu is a perfect add-on to the story so the story can have tension. I think that one of Mary Lu's trait is confused. This trait goes along with many different places of the story. The evidence is that Mary was confused that no one came to get her from the shed, that she was always sick, and that her mother never wished to see her. So I think that with all the things going on in her life Mary Lu is just confused.

Sincerely,
Anika

Caroline

12/13/2016 07:59:53 pm

Dear Anika,
Mary Lu seemed like a very fun character to read about. I was confused when you said "No one came to get her from the shed" What shed? Why was she in a shed? Also why do you think that all things in Mary Lu's life confusing. Is her life a whole bowl of question marks. Finally why was she always sick. Does she has some disease. I was also wondering if you wanted to be friend with Mary Lu in all.
Overall Good job. I would lover to learn more about Mary Lu

Sincerely,
Caroline

Anika

12/15/2016 07:26:38 pm

Dear Caroline,

First, great questions. What I meant by that she was left in a shed was that there was a spread of Cholera so she hid in a shed and since all the people were dead no one came for her. Second, I think that everything in her life is confusing because her mother never wanted to see her, she had to move from India to England, and that she was never told the exact truth. Next, Mary was always sick because when she was being born in India, she had got a disease because her Mother was always going to parties instead of taking care of herself and her soon to be born child. Finally, I would want to be friends with Mary Lu because she always goes on fun adventures and it seems like that all she really needs is a friend. I hope this answers your questions.

Sincerely,
Anika

Kate

12/7/2016 04:06:39 pm

Dear Class,

I am writing about a character named Tris from the Divergent series. I think one of her traits is brave, though this can also become a flaw because sometimes she even admits to herself that she is stupid to go on some of her daring adventures. Next, she is also brave because even when she knows that she could be the person that relaxes and lets someone else do the work for a change, she doesn’t she is brave and does it herself. She is also brave because a lot of the time she goes into danger to help people even if it means risking herself. That, going into danger to help other people also makes her selfless. Even if she knows that she might get extremely hurt, she will do something anyway because it will help a lot of people. In the book it explains that being brave and being selfless are quite similar, for example when she offers to do something dangerous instead of having another person do it, that was a selfless and brave choice. Once she also gave herself up, to an opposing force, because other people were being harmed which was a selfless and brave choice as well. Tris is also a very believable character, because she has flaws, one of her flaws is that she is short tempered, so lots of times lashes out on people, for example when someone didn't cooperate with her, she did something to hurt them though arguable they deserved it. Clearly, Tris is a believable, and strongly developed character.

Sincerely,
Kate

Jacob

12/13/2016 09:44:03 pm

Dear Kate,

I think you did a nice job describing your character's traits and backing it up with clear examples. One question I have, is how is it brave to do something yourself? In my opinion, she sounds a little selfish or stubborn because she can't trust people. Like in your example of where she could have other people do the work but, she does it herself. Plus, why would she risk her life for her people when she threatens them later? But, overall you did a good job.

Sincerely,
Jacob

Kate

12/15/2016 08:43:40 pm

Dear Jacob,

What I meant when I said that she is brave when she does things herself is because these things are extremely dangerous and life threatening. So it is brave she does it herself when she has many, many opportunities to let somebody else do it. And yes she at some times in the book is stubborn, not so much as selfish but that was not what I was trying to connect to when I talked about bravery. Lastly, I read over my response several times and I don't understand how you thought she was risking her life for someone and then threatening them later, I see where I talked about her threatening someone, but where is she risking her life for someone?

Sincerely,
Kate

Max

12/15/2016 03:59:45 pm

Dear, Kate

I think that your response was detailed and neat. But can you give an example of how Tris is short tempered because when I read the book I didn't think that. Also, in this sentence "Once she also gave herself up, to an opposing force" who is the opposing force and why are they the opposing force.

Sincerely,
Max

Emma

12/7/2016 07:52:31 pm

Dear class,
I am my independent reading I’m reading Divergent, by Veronica Roth. The character I’m going to write about is four. Four is very complex character in the way that he is sort of 2 people. What I mean by that is that his character traits our tough and brave, but also caring. The author points these traits out by having him yell at a crowd of people, saving a girl that was about to be killed, and caring for a girl who was heart. Four does have flaws but some not easy to see. In a scene of the book Four shows that he is afraid of heights. This seen is when he climbs up a Ferris wheel ladder, and he gets really high up in the air. Then he looks down and show a faint expression of fear. This character is one of my favorite characters, and always makes me want to read on.
Sincerely,
Emma

Willie

12/7/2016 08:34:03 pm

Dear Ms.Kimball,
I am reading the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. The main character, Harry is someone who I think is bold and daring. For example, when Ron and Harry couldn't get to the Hogwarts Express, Harry was daring enough to take the flying invisible car to Hogwarts in front of muggles! He knew that if the muggles saw him, he would be in huge trouble. There is a flaw to this trait. First of all, a muggle did see him. Second of all, the flying cars engine ran out of gas and he hit the whopping willow, which is a tree that can move it's branches. Third of all, he did get in trouble for all the commotion he caused with Ron. I think it requires a lot of bold and daring in your blood to do things like that.
Sincerely,
Willie

Thomas H

12/8/2016 04:44:16 pm

Dear class,
I am also reading Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, as my indie read, and instead of the hero, i'm going to describe a villain. Draco Malfoy, Harry's enemy at Hogwarts, is sneaky and cruel. For example, in the Half Blood Prince so far, Malfoy has given a cursed necklace to Katie Bell, who when touched the cured item was in a life-and-death emergency. Also, in the past books, he has been very mean and sneaky, like following Harry around in quiddich, who can see the snitch better then him.
These examples tell me and I hope they tell you that Malfoy is sneaky and cruel.

Wyatt

12/12/2016 05:13:41 pm

Dear Thomas,
I like how you are going to mix it up by doing the bad guy instead of the good guy. It gets boring after everyone does that. I am wondering who the heck is Katie Bell. Next time introduce the characters before you start throwing the characters at me. My last question for you is... is Malfoy creepy stocking Harry or just watching him.

PS. Watch out for the commas and period

Sincerely,
Wyatt

Thomas H

12/13/2016 04:09:02 pm

Dear Wyatt,
Katie bell is a side character, but I'm going to to tell you what I know about her anyway. Katie bell was a former chaser on Harry's quiddich team, and from what I know, She is really good. Although she is a side character, Katie shows up every now and then as a friend to talk to. Also, Draco Malfoy does stalk Harry--but at different times, because everyone is watching him in quiddich (AKA the teachers) and he does not stalk him in quiddich. I hope that answers your questions.
Sincerely,
Thomas H

Emma

12/13/2016 05:11:16 pm

Dear Willie,
I understand that Harry Potter is bold and daring, but you also said that they were in a flying car because missed Hogwarts express. But then how did they get to Hogwarts without a map, or something to tell them where to go? And why did they miss the Hogwarts express? Finally, Does Harry have any flaws that change the book or effect anything, and how?
Sincerely,
Emma

Alex

12/8/2016 04:40:42 pm

Dear Class,
I am doing my blog on Mrs.Grimm from The Sisters Grimm. I haven't read much of the book but here goes. I think Mrs.Grimm is suspicious. This is because I am only in the begging. In the text it says " Mrs. Grimm ignored the comment and flipped through the key ring, inserting on key after another into the locks until she had unlocked them all. Then she rapped her knuckles on the door three times and said 'Were home'". I think this makes her suspicious because she unlocks her million locks, knocks on the door three times then says we're home. That's like some secret pass code or something and I'm wondering what Mrs. Grimm is up to. Also, that is straight up a very suspicious thing to do in general. So that is why I think Mrs. Grimm from The Sisters Grimm is suspicious.
Sincerely,
Alex

Caly

12/12/2016 05:49:11 pm

Dear Alex,
I just want to clarify with you about something you said in your blog. When you say that Mr.Grimm is suspicious what do you think the deeper meaning is to that? As you were saying you just started the book. What do you think the deeper meaning to the story is as a whole. Over all I I think you had a good response. I really like how you used the text to make your writing more thoughtful and detailed
Sincerely,
Caly

Alex

12/13/2016 04:32:43 pm

Dear Caly,
Thank you for the feedback. I just want to say that I've already finished the book and Granny Relda ( Mrs.Grimm) is a very nice but a little suspicious. I think the deeper meaning to her being suspicious is because she doesn't want the kids to be exposed to dangerous things yet, because Sabrina and Daphne just met their granny that was said to be dead. Again thank you for the tips and questions.
From,
Alex

Caly

12/8/2016 05:17:40 pm

Dear class,
I will be talking about one of the previous characters I have discovered in my previous book Flora & Ulysses by Kate Dicmaillo. Flora is a young girl not much older than you or I (if you are a 5k student). One of the traits I would give Flora is, shy because her parents got divorced and she grew more shy. A flaw to being shy, I would give her is she's not open to make friends, in the text it mentions she has only one neighbor, that she will sometimes see but never plays with. One of the most interesting things I find about her is that the text describes her as a clinic, aka a person who has no hope or feelings. I think in my own opinion this is more of a flaw than a trait because she trapped her feelings inside her like a ship in a bottle. But during the story she turns the flaw into a trait, by finally realizing she does not have to keep her feeling trapped inside of her all the time. Overall I think the author did a very good job constructing Flora.
Sincerely,
Caly

Alex

12/12/2016 06:49:20 pm

Dear Caly,
I agree with you that Flora is shy from your response. I think you described her well. I also agree with you that the author wanted Flora's shyness to be more of a flaw. A few questions, when did her parents divorce? I was thinking if they divorced when she was really young, like two or three, it wouldn't have that much of an effect on her. Over all I think you did a very good job on your response.
From,
Alex

Caly

12/16/2016 05:17:17 pm

Dear Alex,
I just wanted to clarify with you about what I said in my response. Flora's parents got devorced when she was 8 years old. And she took enesutive and she declared herself a clinic. But later in the story she takes that back.
Sincerely,
Caly

Owen 5

12/8/2016 05:53:43 pm

Dear Ms Kimball
I am reading a book called Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. Im am choosing Mo Meggie's dad. Mo is very kind Mo is kind because of the following he once made a treasure chest for Meggie to put her books in. Mo also loves books but he never reads to Meggie because of a long story to long to explain. In a way Mo is sort of suspicious because he waited to tell Meggie all sorts of crazy things it sounds like he bases his life on. Finally I think Mo is trust worthy you can count on him for almost anything for example Mo saved his daughter by even risking his life. That is my summary of Mo.

Sincerely,
Owen 5

Thomas B.

12/14/2016 04:18:55 pm

Dear Owen 5,

Your summary of Mo sounds interesting. He loves books, and he loves Meggie, which sounds believable for a dad.

What do you mean by "Mo sounds suspicious,"? what makes him so suspicious? Who is he suspicious of? Maybe you could have explained that a little more?

Sincerely, Thomas B.

Owen 5

12/18/2016 10:34:09 am

Dear Thomas,

Mo is suspicious because he has this experience when he read out loud to his wife and strange mean people came out so Mo picked a sword that came with them and made them run for the hills. Then he realized that his wife disappeared into the book. And from there he never really talked about it since.

Yours truly,
Owen 5

Max

12/8/2016 06:58:26 pm

Dear, Ms Kimball

I am reading a book called "The Testing." The main characters name is Cia Vale. In the book she has to go through multiple tests to prove that he is able to lead the apocalyptic world. I think she is cunning because she can make a choice and minimize the consequences of that choice

I also think that she is fearless because she never gets scared in the book she just gets out of the situation.

Sincerely, Max

Kate

12/12/2016 04:38:12 pm

Dear Max,

Cia Vale does sound rather brave and strong if she is training to lead this apocalyptic world. It must take a lot of effort to go through this series of tests! When you say that she can minimize the consequences of that choice do you mean that she is able to mostly control the outcome of her given situation? How does this make her cunning? Also, you mention that she is fearless as well as cunning do either of these traits ever become a flaw, if not what makes her believable, does she have any flaws?

Sincerely,
Kate

Max

12/19/2016 06:33:26 am

Dear, Kate

You are correct about her being able mostly control the outcome. Cia is cunning because when she had to go through the tests she always succeeded and took a lot of risks. Her fearless trait is a flaw because out of the tests she trusts everyone and she gets trapped in a metal box because of it.

Sincerely, Max

OwenC

12/8/2016 08:00:23 pm

Dear class,
I am reading My Side of the Mountain. I am writing about Sam Gribley. I noticed he had some interesting character traits. Sam is kind of a strait forward kid. He was all excited and optimistic about, going to live in the woods. His skills with nature really intrigued me. The fact that he could get food and, make a shelter on his first night, would really impress someone. Sam is also kind hearted. He makes friends with a raccoon and, He loves to be outdoors. on the other hand, he is kind of scared. On his first night he cried. When he was catching fish, his fish hook broke, so he almost cried again. That is all I can think of for the first half of the book.

Sincerely,
Owen C

Nadya

12/12/2016 04:31:19 pm

Dear Owen C,
As I can see Sam is a rather nice character. I like the fact that he likes animals and I would also be scared if I had to live in the woods. He also seems very prepared to live in the woods and I like that about him. I do have a question. Why does Sam go live in the woods in the first place? Did he get kicked out of his house? Did he just run away?
Sincerely Nadya.

Owen C

12/18/2016 09:56:14 am

Dear Nadya,

Thank you so much for the comments. I can tell you liked the character traits I picked. Sam really loves the woods for a city boy. To answer your question, Sam did not like having so many brothers and sisters and no private space. So he decided to run away. Sam's grandfather ran away when he was Sam's age, he got on a ship but he chickened out right before the ship left. So Sam ran away to his great grandfather Gribley's farm in the Catskill Mountains. When he got there all he found was the foundation of the old house. So his adventure of living off the land began. Thanks for being my blog partner!

sincerely,

Owen C

Jacob

12/8/2016 08:59:16 pm

Dear Class,
I'm describing Luke from Saving Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea. Luke is a complex character who is smart, competitive, and flexible. He is good at writing, this was demonstrated when he wrote a student council speech for a friend that was running. He is also competitive,which is shown through many examples in the book. In one example, he stays up really late to study for a math challenge he wants to win. He is always competitive with Jessica, that is because he likes her.
Also, he is careful about the friends he chooses and tries to stay out of trouble. For example, some of his friends were playing spin the bottle and people’s feelings were getting hurt, so he left the group to go with some other friends. In the book, there are many highs and lows for Luke but he is able to go with the flow. I think this is a good quality because you can make the most out of a bad situation and you don’t get too upset when things don’t go your way.
One of Luke’s character flaws is that he wanders off topic when something doesn’t appeal to him. It happens in class and during presentations. Also, he doesn’t talk to girls much, mostly because he is shy.
So as you see, Luke is a complex character with many traits and some flaws.
Sincerely,
Jacob

Isaiah

12/13/2016 04:55:58 pm

Dear Jacob,

I think did a good job on your RRB you described Luke well. You also gave reasons for your thinking. I also think it was a good idea to ad his flaws.

Sincerely Isaiah

Isaiah

12/15/2016 04:31:07 pm

P.S

Jacob can you give an example of when Luke is flexible? Also why is it a bad thing that Luke is shy around girls?

Sincerely Isaiah

Jacob

12/18/2016 09:10:18 pm

Dear Isaiah,

Thanks for the additional feedback. An example, of Luke being flexible is when he didn't like his new school and campaign schedule. But, he got used to it and made time,and then he was back on track. Another example of Luke being flexible, although he usually studies and misses out on things, one day he decided to let loose by going to the party with friends.
It's not a bad thing he is shy around girls but it's an area for improvement. He could develop better social skills with girls and be more prepared for later in life.

Sincerely,
Jacob

Wyatt

12/8/2016 09:17:28 pm

Dear class,
I was reading because of mr. terupt, but I finished it. One of the characters in the book was Peter and I thought that he was a very complex dude. I think he is tricky because sometimes he acts like there’s no problem the gules your feet together. He also tries to compete with someone named Luke which is a hardo. Somehow Peter always rises to the top of the pile. On the other half of him he is not mean and has a new inner self. Mr. terupt (Peter’s teacher) got a concussion and he hit him by accident. Peter was so quiet and he didn’t pull any pranks and just sat there and let it sink into his head. The two sides to him are completely different, pulling pranks and silent person in the corner. I know a lot of people would be like that, but he didn’t talk to his parents or anyone. Finally, to conclude my thought, I think that Peter is a complex character.

Sincerely,
Wyatt

Thomas H

12/12/2016 06:05:20 pm

Dear Wyatt,
It sounds to me as if Peter is like Bradley Chalkers. You wrote that he has two sides to him. You told me "The two sides to him are completely different, pulling pranks and silent person in the corner." Can you tell me some differences? Also, you said he was "tricky". Tell me more about that.
I enjoyed reading about Peter.
Sincerely,
Thomas H

Wyatt

12/18/2016 08:37:11 pm

Dear Thomas,
Peter is like Bradley, but he isn't fully a good guy. Peter is a character the teachers didn't really like, just like Bradley. Sometimes Peter would blame other people for what he did wrong. Mr. Terupt doesn't get Peter in trouble, in fact he actually helps him. Once Peter hit Mr. Terupt with a ice ball, he blamed himself for everything and moped around about it. He didn't talk, but he did in his head. He was frustrated because he thought that he was starting to do better in school and then the ice ball incident happened.

Peter is tricky because he glued Luke's shoes together with Elmer's glue. Also, he tied Luke's laces together when they had a fire drill. These are just a few of the things that Peter does throughout the book.
Sincerely,
Wyatt

Caroline

12/9/2016 07:42:57 am

Dear class,
I am going to describe the character Lexie from Mr. Terupt Falls Again.
Lexie is a very complex character but it was fun to watch her change throughout the story. I thinks that Lexie's trait is confused, because sometimes she wants boys t like her and sometimes she dosen't. For example Lexie had made some bad decisions and went to go and hang out with some teenagers who pressured her to smoke. Lexie didn't know what to do so she tried it and got in a lot of trouble. One of Lexie's flaws falls into confused because sometimes she docent know what to do.
Sincerely,
Caroline

Anika

12/12/2016 08:44:25 pm

Dear Caroline,

It sounds like that Lexie is confused and sometimes easily pressured into doing bad things from my understanding. Do you think that maybe there's a reason that Lexie was so easily pressured? Do you think she has always thought that nothing would go wrong for her, and then when she got into the real world she was hesitant to go to the right friend group and turned to a more mature and older friend group? Finally, in reality would you be friends with a person like Lexie or would you avoid them. I ask this because it seems that you're trying to sort of defend Lexie even though she has made some horrible choices so I want your real opinion on Lexie. Overall though good job I think you covered a lot of details about Lexie.

Sincerely,
Anika

Caroline

12/13/2016 08:06:16 pm

Dear Anika,
I think Lexie was so easily pressured into doing things because she wanted to be noticed and wanted boys to like her. I also think that Lexie went to go hang out with the big teenagers because she wanted to know how to impress boys. Also the teenagers pressured her into smoking.
Finally. I didn't mean for it to sound like I didn't like Lexie, or want to be friends with her. I do think that she needs some help, but I would lover to be her friend because I love to help people.
Thank you for the feedback

Sincerely,
Caroline

Ellie

12/9/2016 06:35:17 pm

Dear Class,

Sorry this is late. Here is my RRB.
I have been reading a series called Spirit Animals. The character I choose is a girl named Meilin. In the beginning, she seems vain and girly, but later in the story you discover her real personality: She is an EXTREMELY prickly girl. It helps and hurts sometimes. In one part, when somebody is teasing Meilin, she snaps back fast, and she ends the argument. But in another part, she snaps at somebody who was just joking around, and a massive argument begins.
That is my RRB.
Sincerely,
Ellie

Katie

12/12/2016 05:13:42 pm

Dear Ellie,
I liked your reading response blog very much. From this information, it seems like Meiline has changed throughout the story, by being self centered at first, then becoming a little sassy. I’m confused by when you wrote, “In the beginning, she seems vain and girly.” I was confused by that because I don’t understand what you meant by girly. Also, since Meiline seemed to change through the story, how were some ways that you could tell that she was changing?
Yours Truly,
Katie

Ellie

12/18/2016 10:13:06 am

Dear Katie,

Thanks! For your information, "girly" means like the stereotype some really young boys think girls like: flowers, makeup, beauty, and the color pink. I hope that helps!

You could tell that Meilin was changing multiple times throughout the story. At the beginning, a former friend of Meilin named Shane came up to her, and Meilin just sort of said "hi" and ignored him. But then, later in the story, Meilin encounters Shane again, and she full-out attacks him, yelling at him and acting, as you have said, quite sassy.
I hope this clears some things up!

Sincerely,
Ellie

Thomas B.

12/12/2016 07:09:32 am

Dear Class,

I am reading "Ramona and Beezus" by Beverly Cleary, and I think that Ramona is a very interesting, and also hilarious, character. She seems to throw a great big noisy fuss all the time if she doesn't get her way, and this really annoys her big sister, Beezus. Ramona also has a lot of imagination. For example, she tries an art class that Beezus takes, and the art teacher compliments her work. She also has an imaginary lizard named ralph, who she treats like a real pet.

This is why I think Ramona is such an interesting character.

Sincerely, Thomas B.

Owen 5

12/13/2016 03:42:32 pm

Dear Thomas B.

Ramona does sound very interesting. Could you explain what you meant by "doesn't get it her way"? And why do you think Ramona has that imaginary lizard? I think your response is awesome and it sounds very interesting to me. Would you give this book a rating as a good book or not? Finally would you recommend this book it sounds very interesting.

Sincerely,
Owen 5

Thomas B.

12/19/2016 07:29:39 pm

Dear Owen,

What I meant by "If she doesn't get her way," is "If things don't go the way she wants them to". Also, I think Ramona has an imaginary lizard because she wants a nice pet who loves her, since the family cat loathes (hates) her. Finally, I would give the book a 4.5 star rating out of five stars.

Sincerely, Thomas B.

Willie

12/12/2016 05:39:43 pm

Dear Emma,
Four sounds like a interesting character with an interesting name. Four also must be very brave to go save the girl. Does Four have any other flaws besides fear of heights? Also, does he have any traits that may backfire or already have backfired on him?
Sincerely,
Willie

Emma

12/15/2016 05:01:00 pm

Dear Willie,
Yes, Four does have more than one fear/flaw. This flaw/fear is that he scared to shoot innocent people. I know most people would be afraid of shooting someone, but since four is in the faction dauntless he's not suppose to be afraid of shooting innocent people. In fact, this flaw/fear gets in the way because his faction goes into war. And since his fraction goes into war he is sort of forced to shoot innocent people.
Sincerely,
Emma

Willie

12/15/2016 04:25:25 pm

Dear Emma,
They got to Hogwarts by following the Hogwarts Express in the flying car. And yes, they can see the Hogwarts Express if you were wondering. Also, I hadn't known why the couldn't get on the Hogwarts express because I hadn't got to that part yet but now I know. Dobby, a house elf, had told Harry not to go to Hogwarts. Harry tried anyway. So Dobby made it so when he tried to walk through the wall to get to the train, he didn't go throught. He and Ron went at the same time so Ron couldn't get in either. Finally, Harry does not. Or at least they haven't effected the book yet.
Sincerely,
Willie

DeAngi

12/17/2016 09:03:54 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,

The class is doing to so well! You were using us as test subjects and I guess you learned a lot from our class. Anyway, what are you guys going studying for, like in general? I am very curious to learn what you guys are doing and I hope that I can visit you sometime ( Don't get your hopes up ). Also, another question, do you still use the chime?

Yours Truly,

DeAngi Partovi

P.S. I am sorry that the writing is so bad, I only got 5 hours of sleep last night and i'm a little bit tired, A LOT.

Ms. Kimball

12/19/2016 07:11:36 pm

Hi DeAngi!

Thanks for writing. Just to be fair, every class serves as a test subject at some point in the Ms. Kimball Experiment of Teaching :)

Lately we've been studying some fun topics. We're learning about weather in Science. In Reading and Writing, we're working on Poetry. The Beatnik Cafe poetry share is on Friday, which should be fun. In Math, we are multiplying decimals. All very fun stuff. Definitely try to visit sometime. I'd love to see you!

And lastly, of course I still use the chime! It's my "Get Kids to Be Quiet" Tool Extraordinaire! How could I survive without it?!

Anyway, so great to hear from you. Take a look at the "Former Students" tab on the left menu of the website. You'll find a cool commenting blog for all former students. Try it!

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

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At-Home Blog #5: Complex Character

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Reading Response BlogForMs. Kimball's Grade 5 At Pine Hill, 2016-2017​

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Reading Response Blog
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Ms. Kimball's Grade 5 At Pine Hill, 2016-2017