By Josh Hanagarne, World’s Strongest Librarian
We love to read about people in trouble. Take a look at the bestseller list from any given year and you’ll see a common theme: people trying to get out of a sticky situation.
This is especially true in children’s literature. Kids love to read about resourceful children who get themselves out of a jam through their wits, perseverance, and with the help of their friends.
Surprisingly, many characters would save themselves a lot of trouble if they’d pay more attention to their studying and less to the world around them.
But that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun to read about, would it?
Here are three of my favorite fictional characters whose curiosity or study habits make for especially wonderful reading.
Alice from Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland
There are many, many unforgettable images and moments in Alice’s story. The Queen of Hearts, The White Rabbit, The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, the Caterpillar with the pipe, “Drink Me,” Humpty Dumpty, and on and on and on.
One thing that isn’t quite as striking or memorable is the book’s opening. Do you remember what Alice was doing when she noticed the White Rabbit? She was supposed to be doing her lessons. She closed her textbook, complaining to her cat about how dull it was, and suddenly she was down the rabbit hole. I’m glad she went, because now we have her story. But although she learned many lessons, she didn’t learn what was in her textbook.
Winston from 1984
1984 gave us terms and images like Big Brother, Thought Crime, The Thought Police, Doublethink, Newspeak, etc. It is the story of a society in the future where any trace of individuality is punished horribly.
Winston is the main character. He is unhappy with the state of things and throughout 1984 he begins to rebel in increasingly dramatic ways. Things get especially terrible after Winston is caught performing the unspeakable act of…reading a book that he isn’t supposed to.
Calvin from Calvin And Hobbes
This doesn’t take much explanation. There are few things I love as much as I love this comic strip. And hands down, my favorites were always the scenes where Calvin is either trying to get out of doing his homework or he begins daydreaming in class.
I can open up my Calvin And Hobbes Anthology at any time and find something to make me smile, laugh, or nod my head in recognition.
Liesel from The Book Thief
I’m not going to talk about this at all. The Book Thief was one of the nicest surprises I’ve ever had in a book. Trust me. Just go read it.
What did I Miss?
All right, you geniuses, I’m sure I’ve left a few million books out of my list. If you can think of more, let’s talk about them in the comments section.
About the Author: Josh Hanagarne is the twitchy giant behind World’s Strongest Librarian, a blog about living with Tourette’s Syndrome, kettlebells, book recommendations, buying pants when you’re 6’8”, old-time strongman training, and much more. Please subscribe to Josh’s RSS Updates to stay in touch.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for having me on your blog today. This was a lot of fun to write and I love what you’re doing here on study skills mentor. Hats off to you, friend!
Calvin is GREAT! I could almost believe he was modeled after me as a child. He truly captures the essence of what it means to be a little boy…
I love Huckleberry Finn when the widow tries to teach Huck about Moses and all he wants to do is smoke. But, in a great example of dramatic irony, Huck must have learned it after all since he ends up being like Moses.
I’m a teacher, so I shouldn’t like Calvin. But he’s a bright, creative, underachiever – I’d probably adore the kid if he were in my class! Ah, yes, and I’d feel obligated to kick his butt until he got his act together.