It’s my second Six for Sunday post of the day and this time around it’s time for me to tackle this week’s actual prompt and pick some characters that I think make good role models!
Six for Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Steph at ALITTLEBUTALOT. You can find a list of prompts for July, August and September here
Good Role Models
Nate from One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
About the book…
Yale hopeful Bronwyn has never publicly broken a rule.
Sports star Cooper only knows what he’s doing in the baseball diamond.
Bad boy Nate is one misstep away from a life of crime.
Prom queen Addy is holding together the cracks in her perfect life.
And outsider Simon, creator of the notorious gossip app at Bayview High, won’t ever talk about any of them again.
He dies 24 hours before he could post their deepest secrets online. Investigators conclude it’s no accident. All of them are suspects.
Everyone has secrets, right?
What really matters is how far you’ll go to protect them.
This might seem a strange one as Nate is the ‘criminal’ in One Of Us Is Lying but in reality he seems like a pretty good guy and when the school turns on their sporting superstar Cooper, Nate is the one there to stand up with him and for that reason alone he makes my list of good role models
Amelia Fang from the series by Laura Ellen Anderson
About the book…
Meet Amelia Fang.
She loves playing Goblin Tag, and cuddling her pet pumpkin, Squashy. She hates going to her mum and dad’s boring Barbaric Ball. Oh, and one more thing – Amelia is a vampire.
When the spoilt prince of Nocturnia captures Squashy, Amelia must plan a daring rescue. But things in the Kingdom of the Dark may not be all they seem…
Join Amelia on her first abominable adventure. She won’t bite!
I’ve not read all the Amelia Fang books yet but Amelia comes across as a really kind character who seems to be very understanding and accepting of those who are different from her, whether it’s her eclectic group of friends or her willingness to listen to the feared bookworms in the short story written for this year’s World Book Day. If everyone could be a little more accepting like Amelia I think the world would be a better place!
Jack Rothman from Jack of Hearts [And Other Parts] by L. C. Rosen
About the book…
My first time getting it in the butt was kind of weird. I think it’s going to be weird for everyone’s first time, though.
Meet Jack Rothman. He’s seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys – sometimes all at the same time. His sex life makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, ‘it could be worse’.
He doesn’t actually expect that to come true.
But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he’s been getting take a turn for the creepy. Jack’s secret admirer knows everything: where he’s hanging out, who he’s sleeping with, who his mum is dating. They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They need him to curb his sexuality, or they’ll force him.
As the pressure mounts, Jack must unmask his stalker before their obsession becomes genuinely dangerous…
I think Jack is a great example of loving yourself, he goes through a lot in the book but he’s not prepared to compromise being who he is to make other people’s bad behaviour stop. I think he’s a great example of showing that people’s behaviour is their issue not yours. People shouldn’t have to be ‘less gay’ to stop homophobic behaviour. Females shouldn’t have to change the way they dress to stop ‘distracting’ men.
Izzy O’Neill from the series by Laura Steven
About the book…
Izzy O’Neill is an aspiring comic, an impoverished orphan, and a Slut Extraordinaire. Or at least, that’s what the malicious website flying round the school says. Izzy can try all she wants to laugh it off – after all, her sex life, her terms – but when pictures emerge of her doing the dirty with a politician’s son, her life suddenly becomes the centre of a national scandal. Izzy’s never been ashamed of herself before, and she’s not going to start now. But keeping her head up will take everything she has…
Izzy isn’t afraid to stand up for what is right and to defend herself. I still need to read A Girl Called Shameless but I know she takes a stand again. People shouldn’t have to deal with the issues she’s defending herself and others against but while people do Izzy prepared to stand up for themselves and others makes for a pretty good role model I think!
Smudge from Everdark by Abi Elphinstone
About the book…
It is midnight in Crackledawn – a midnight full of magic. Sea dragons stir in the depths of the ocean, silver whales surface beneath the moon and sand goblins line the shores. Everyone is waiting for the phoenix, the guardian of the kingdom’s magic, to rise up from the forests of Everdark.
But there is no sign of the phoenix tonight. Something else surges up out of Everdark instead: a harpy bent on stealing Crackledawn’s magic.
It is up to an eleven-year-old girl called Smudge and an eccentric monkey called Bartholomew to set sail beyond the legendary Northswirl and stop the harpy before it’s too late.
So, grab your compass and roll down your sail – the first adventure in THE UNMAPPED CHRONICLES is about to begin…
This was only a short story but I absolutely fell in love with Smudge! She’s proof that you don’t have to be top of your class to do something amazing! She’s not fearless by any stretch of the imagination but she works to overcome her fears and is a great example of true bravery!
Fatuma from When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson
About the book…
Omar and his brother Hassan, two Somali boys, have spent a long time in the Dadaab refugee camp. Separated from their mother, they are looked after by a friendly stranger. Life in the camp isn’t always easy. The hunger is constant . . . but there’s football to look forward to, and now there’s a chance Omar will get to go to school . . .
With a heart-wrenching fairytale ending, this incredible true story is brought to life by Victoria’s stunning illustrations. This book perfectly depicts life in a refugee camp for 8-12 year olds.
I absolutely adored Fatuma. Despite all the hardship she was facing herself she stepped up to look after Omar and Hassan and did all she could for them, including making a long trip so they would be as comfortable as possible going for an interview about being resettled even when she knew she wouldn’t be benefiting from it. She’s a wonderful example of a selfless human being doing her best with limited resources.
They were my #SixforSunday! If you’ve taken part leave a link to your post below and I’ll be sure to check it out!
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