There are so, so many characters I’ve met in books over the years that I’d want to meet – and many that I feel like I have met! Early examples were Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables, Matilda from Dahl’s book of the same name, Sara Crewe from A Little Princess, and Trixie Belden from her book series. As I got older I got to know Scout and Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird, Anne Frank from her Diary of a Young Girl, Cassandra Mortmain from I Capture the Castle and a bit later all the characters from the Harry Potter series. There are lots of adult books with characters I loved as well, but I think it’s these books I read as a child and young adult (or in books meant for that age) that have stayed with me the most. I met them during parts of my life that were hard, full of change and growth, where I was grappling with who I wanted to become and how to get there, and with the world in general. I didn’t have a great childhood as I never really had true friendships and never felt like I fit in, so the characters I knew from books were who I had to keep me company on a more permanent basis than any of the “friends” I had back then (none of which I’ve stayed in touch with into adulthood or ever see now). This is one of the truly magical things about reading – it offers so much, particularly to those of us who feel like we are missing important things in our own lives, whether that’s friendship, support, people who understand us, or a safe space of our own. I’ll never really feel like any of these characters are behind me, because they still make me feel less alone when I think of them, even this many years later!
What about you guys? Anyone else have mostly characters from books for younger readers on their list this week? Anyone share any of my picks?
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