I
thought I would take this opportunity to let someone else’s words speak to our
library readers. This year the topic for our annual essay contest was “The
Bravest Character I know.” We had over 100 entries and while the decision to
choose winners from the various age groups is never easy, the best writing
seems to rise to the top.
We
had twelve judges read and reread all of the fabulous entries that we received.
We would like to thank the teachers and librarians who work so hard to give
this opportunity to their students. Perhaps you, too, will find a character to
admire from a selection of the winning essays below:
“Sara
Crewe is truly a brave girl. When faced with sadness, she always stays
creative, telling her stories everywhere. Nobody can be as brave as Sara. Sara
Crewe is an inspirational girl, telling us to always stay brave through trauma.”
Ananya
Ramamoorthy (Grade 4), Sara Crewe from A Little Princess by Frances
Hodgson
“Imagine
if everywhere you went people turned and stared at you. You couldn’t go
anywhere without people’s heads turning towards you. That’s how August Pullman,
from the book Wonder by RJ Palacio, felt every single day. August has a
severely deformed face which makes him stand out from other kids. He is really
courageous to live through all of the challenges he’s had to face.”
Cameron
Badger (Grade 5), August Pullman from Wonder by R.J. Palacio
“Then
Annemarie and her family pretended that there was a death in her family so they
were going to have a wake at the uncle’s house and people would come to mourn.
Annemarie was brave because when they pretended that there was a death, the
Nazis came in and asked if they could open the casket. Everyone was scared and
nobody said anything. After that the mom went to help the Jews at night and Annemarie
and her little sister, Kirsti, were at the house all alone and it was scary
because the Nazis were in the neighborhood.”
Catherine
Cronin (Grade 3), Annemarie Johansen from Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
“Liz
the once ordinary girl who gets herself into a tricky ordeal is the bravest
character I know. She is strong, passionate and a true role model for anyone
who is being bullied or needs some more self-confidence. Liz is passionate and stays
cool under pressure. She is willing to stand up for herself and her rights and
that makes her braver than anyone who played in the hunger games, or trekked
over the desert, that makes her a hero that we could all be if we just had her
confidence and bravery.”
Joy
Xu-Allan (Grade 4), Liz from Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
“Poppy
is one of the most brave literary characters I know. I mean, a tiny deer mouse
outwitting a great horned owl is just awesome! She fought a great horned owl 1
to 1 and all she had for protection was a porcupine quill! That is just Amazing
with a capital A!”
Nijara
Akkole (Grade 3), Poppy from Poppy by Avi
“Harry
Potter is brave and loving to his relatives and friends. To save his cousin
Dudley, from trouble, he had the courage to use spells which were forbidden
outside the magical world of witches and wizards. Harry also loved his
godfather, Sirius, and protected him when others thought he was guilty of a
crime. As Harry knew he was innocent, he hid him in a chamber in Hogwarts to
keep him safe from his enemies. He impresses everyone by defending his
godfather in the trials and honestly standing up to the truth. I will always
help others in difficulty like Harry and be loyal.”
Nevan
Sujit (Grade 4), Harry Potter from Harry Potter (Literary Series) by J.
K. Rowling
“Esther
is not a typical benevolent character wrapped in a cape of invincibility, but a
regular girl who attempts with perseverance to stand up for her beliefs even
though she knows that she will lose this game against her corrupt male
dominated society.”
Meenu
Ravi (Grade 12), Esther from The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
“So,
being able to risk yourself for others is a quality that not only modern day
heroes have, but also everyday people with good hearts like Oliver. Based on
Oliver’s character traits, his constitute of personality, and his background,
he is the bravest character I have read about. His sacrifice for others, his
forgiving attitude, and especially his leadership qualities all play a major
role in his fearless and heroic attitude making him the bravest character he
is.”
Venkata
Dasuri (Grade 7), Oliver Twist from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
“Poppy
was scared of porcupines. All mice were, because Mr. Ocax said that porcupines
eat mice, but secretly he was also scared of them. But, when Poppy went to a
log, she got scared because she saw a porcupine named Ereth. Ereth was a nice
porcupine and she decided she was going to be brave and be friends with him because
he didn’t want to eat her. He dropped a big, sharp quill for Poppy to use to
fight Mr. Ocax.”
Scotty
Lynch (Grade 3) Poppy from Poppy by Avi
“I
have been told that, like Harry, I had been left on the doorstep of an
orphanage. The only difference is that I went to a family that loves me. I
can’t imagine living without my mom, my dad, or my sister. We all have a
special bond and help each other. Harry didn’t get that luxury. It’s easy to
say that you’ll always stand by people, but once you actually have to do it,
it’s hard to not back down. Harry also has stuck with his friends through thick
and thin, not hesitating to protect or defend them. All in all, Harry is a
brave person who managed to support the world on his shoulders.”
Allysa
Lahaise (Grade 7), Harry Potter from Harry Potter (Literary Series) by
J. K. Rowling
“Bravery
is defined as courageous behavior or character. Throughout literature, there
are many brave characters. Some characters change over time and prove to be
braver than originally thought. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is no
exception. Neville Longbottom is a character who fits the definition of
bravery/courage.”
Mary
Erickson (Grade 11), Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter (Literary
Series) by J.K. Rowling
Hopefully
these essays will inspire you to pick up one of these books at the library, or
to find the bravest character you know all on your own.
The
entrants were all students who live in Norwood. They were grouped by grade and
judged in comparison with their peers. The winners were as follows: Ananya
Ramamoorthy (First Place, Grade 3-4), Catherine Cronin (Second Place, Grade
3-4), Joy Xu-Allan (Third Place, Grade 3-4), Nirjara Akkole (Honorable Mention,
Grade 3-4), Scotty Lynch (Honorable Mention, Grade 3-4), Nevan Sujit (Honoarble
Mention, Grade 3-4), Venkata Dasuri (First Place, Grade 5-8), Allyssa Lahaise
(Second Place, Grade 5-8), Cameron Badger (Third Place, Grade 5-8), Mary
Erickson (First Place, Grade 9-12) and Meenu Ravi (Second Place, Grade 9-12)
