What’s A Birthday Party Without A Gift?

cohdraNKNgft3This week’s prompt will ask you to discuss a character you know well from the independent reading book you are currently reading or one that you have recently finished.

Pretend that it is your character’s birthday and you have been invited to his/her/its birthday party. Based on what you know about your character, what kind of birthday party would your character have? What would be the theme and why?

What would be the perfect gift for your character that you would bring to the party? Remember, a gift doesn’t always have to be something material. You should answer both parts of the prompt based on what you know about the character from your reading of the story.

I am looking for the specific details……no generalizations. Be sure to tell what book (Book titles are in caps) the character is from and the character’s name. Do not give away the main plot line of your book as a classmate may want to read it based on what you write.


  1. Well, Jenna Fox is very… different. She’s not like the rest of us. If I was invited to her birthday, I would probably get her a scan of her mind because it would make her happy to actually be… HER again, or at least have the memories from the mind of the “real” Jenna Angeline Fox. Now she relies on getting the information from someone else, all though the most important part of her mind they got to keep.

    It would be nice to remember things before a terrible accident like she had. I think that it’s very important to remember the past, good, bad, or terrible! It’s important to remember the life you had. If I forgot almost everything before I wake up a year after the accident, then I would not be living a happy life.

    The theme would probably be blue because she’s filled blue Bio Gel and she’s sad often because she doesn’t know a lot about herself. I know I would be. I would make everything blue, the drinks, the decorations, the plates and cups, but probably not the food because that would not look appetizing. Overall I think Jenna would be very happy with the party.

  2. The book I read was called Brian’s Return and the main character was Brian. In the book Brian comes back and his whole world seems stupid because it’s so complex and useless. So he decides he needs to go back and live in the jungle. So the party I would be throwing for him would be a good-bye party.
    If I was invited to Brian’s birthday party I would buy him a book all about survival. The main reason why I would get Brian this present is because Brian loves everything about the wilderness and because he was going back into the wilderness to live.
    The theme of his party would be a jungle. The reason for this is Brian loves being outside and he would really enjoy it.

  3. I am currently reading POP by Gordon Korman. The character this is about is Charlie Popovich, a former NFL player and a town hero. Charlie loves to hit people. Everyday after Marcus the main character is done with football practice he goes to Three Alarm Park, where he has hitting practice with Charlie.
    So I think the perfect gift for Charlie would be a flack jacket. A flack jacket is something you wear in football so if you get hit hard it would not hurt as hard. Since the hitting sessions between Marcus and Charlie sometimes end in injury would now not. At least for Charlie. Also Charlies party would be at a football game at EBU where Charlie went to college.

  4. My character is from the book “A Crooked Kind of Perfect.” If my character, Zoe, was going to have a birthday party it would be music theme. She would probably have a music themed party because she is in love with playing the piano (I personally wish I knew how to play the piano, but I never have any time). She would have her favorite pianist playing on her i-pod and a magnificent cake.
    The perfect gift for my character would probably be a piano. It wouldn’t be anything like clothes or gift certificates’. It would be a piano because she has wanted one since day one, but if the present was supposed to be smaller then a piano then it would be sheet music to one of her favorite songs so she would be able to play the song on the school piano.

  5. I am reading the book peak and if I were Peaks party I would give him a small replica of Mount Everest. I would give him this because he climbed Mount Everest and it would always remind him of the time he climbed it. It would be like a little souvenir. The party would be at a rock-climbing place, because he loves climbing and is good at it. The theme would be climbing. He is really into climbing he loves it. The book Peak takes place mostly on Mount Everest. Peak is fourteen and his parents are divorced. I think the book Peak is a great book and if you haven’t read it you should.

  6. Sorry, I made a mistake. Here’s the new one.

    Savanna’s birthday from MY FAIR GODMOTHER would be a huge birthday bash at some indoors and up market so she could impress her friends. The theme would be medieval for sure because after spending so much time back there with Tristan, Jane, and Hunter. It would be perfect!!

    For her birthday, I would get Savanna a really nice necklace of a wand so she would always remember the time that Chrissy came to grant her three wishes.

  7. Violet, from Francesca Lia Block’s novel Violet & Claire, resembles me more than any other character I’ve ever read about in a book… but I decided to write this about Claire. In Claire I see qualities that I often find in my closest friends. Claire has her head in the clouds, I think she’s like that because the clouds are much more pleasant then her life, she also really wants to be in love (a quality I see in my close friends A LOT). Claire’s birthday party would be a fairy party, despite the fact she’d be eighteen. I would buy her a green wig; she and Violet both are the kind of people who would appreciate gift like that. This book it’s self wasn’t that good it was the characters that really made it a good read.

  8. My character, Helen Rossi from THE HISTORIAN, would have a birthday party in Hungary, where she would invite her Aunt Eva, Paul, her mother, and several others. It would be formal, but everyone would be conversing.

    The party would probably be outside. The mother would probably want it at her house, but knowing Helen, she would probably host it at a hotel. There would be a small guest list, and she would be wearing her suit with her light blue blouse.

    I know she would really appreciate my gift. I would get her her very own, Vampire Hunting Kit. She would have a small gun with silver bullets, a long, slender silver knife, a crucifix, some silver stakes, and a Bible. (Yah, bet WalMart’s Assistant Manager would LOVE to see me walking to the counter with that.)

    Of course, all of those items would be placed in a nice, brown box with a secret compartment in the bottom. I’d make sure to tell her this because, knowing our heroes, a vampire would be likely to show up at any minute, and she’d probably already have used it by the end of the party.

    Yes, Helen Rossi would have loved her party, and in fact, she will. I have to leave for the party in about ten minutes or I’m going to miss my flight. Does anybody know where I can find a Vampire Hunting Kit?

  9. My IR book for this month is THE BOOK THIEF. The main character’s name is Liesel, and if she had a birthday party, it would be very small and with barely anybody invited because her parents are very poor. If I were invited and had to give her a present, I definitely would have given her a book. Liesel loved books and loved to read them with her dad at nighttime.

    Liesel would have loved to get another book for her birthday I’m pretty sure she would have immediately started reading right after her party.

  10. I am reading the book THE RED PYRAMID, by Rick Riordan. I am using the character Carter. If he had a birthday party, it would have an Ancient Egyptian theme. Carter is fascinated with Ancient Egypt. This is because Ancient Egypt is his life. His dad is an archeologist. The dad spends most of his time in Egypt. The cake would be a pyramid, the napkins would look like scrolls, and the cups and plates would look like Egyptian kings. It would all be so perfect. I know he would be happy with the party.

    The gift I would give him would be a new suitcase. He only has one suitcase and he keeps everything he owns in it. I think if he had another suitcase he could have more clothes and other things. I think he would like this gift very much. I would get him a hard one though, because he travels a lot. It would have a geometric design on it too. It would be green and blue. He would then have a much better life.

  11. I started reading the Eragon series last year at school. I really enjoyed it, so I wanted to read the rest of the series. Now I am on the third book, Brisinger, and have really enjoyed it so far. The main character is Eragon. Eragon is what they call a dragon rider. His dragon, Saphira, and Eragon are trying to free the country by knocking the evil king off his thrown. If it was Eragon’s birthday I think it would be a mystical theme, with elves, dwarves, monsters, and dragons, because all of those “creatures” are his best friends. If I were able to give Eragon a birthday present it would be a riders’ sword. It would have to be a riders’ sword because regular swords aren’t as strong when your fighting magicians. Eragon doesn’t have a rider’s sword because his brother, Murtagh stole it from him. I hope I will be able to finish this series soon so I can find out what happens.

  12. If I were invited to my character, Jace’s birthday party, it would probably be a demon hunting theme, well because in my story Jace is part of an elite demon hunting group. I think it would be in some arena and it would be filled with demons and whoever kills the most wins. The name of my book is the CITY OF BONES by Cassandra Clare.
    To me the presents are usually the most important part of a birthday. So you have to get the person something they really want. So I would get Jace a chakhram. A chakhram is a very rare and powerful weapon. It is really small it goes on your finger. In my book Jace seemed like he would like to own one. This is something I think Jace would truly love.

  13. In my book there is this character named Franz and he a tough, strong kid. He and his family got stranded on an island and they made a colony out of the shipwreck and other stuff. I think the theme of his party would be survival. He would not really be likely to have party but if he does it would be survival. He survived, I haven’t read the whole book, but it would be like two years. He would be pretty good at survival be then.
    I would get him a Swiss army knife for his birthday. He would use it every day. He found stuff on the ship but nothing as great as a Swiss army knife. He would use it with every thing he does. It would be a perfect present.

  14. I was reading THE CITY OF GLASS by Cassandra Clare. It is Jace’s birthday.

    Jace is a very interesting guy. He is charming (most definitely), brave, and cunning. Those are only his good qualities. He is also immensely rude, sarcastic, and down right irritating. But above all, he is lost. Jace doesn’t really know who he is anymore. (I am speaking from the end of the book.)
    The theme of Jace’s birthday would probably be rather plain. Jace is a very neat person. He doesn’t express a lot of his feelings. For example, his bedroom: just looking at the room you would have no idea that it was his. For his present, I would give Jace answers. I would fill in the gaps in his life. He never knew his parents they died before he was born. I know that sounds weird you would have to read the book to understand. He had this picture of what he was and who he was, then this drastic change happens and it is all gone. That is partly good considering he wasn’t too pleased with who he was. But it is somewhat tragic. Jace has practically lost himself. He may really enjoy weapons and maybe something else that a teenage boy would like, but I believe that what he really needs is to know where he came from and what his real past is.

  15. I read RED RIDER’S HOOD. The character that I think would have a weird party would be Cedric a werewolf. For his birthday party I think it would be somewhere like a paintball party where they went to play paintball. I pick this for him because he is a very aggressive person and this would fit him perfectly because he likes to beat up on his friends since he is the biggest and baddest one of all. For a birthday present I think I would give him a crown but it couldn’t be made of silver because if a werewolf touches silver they die. It would probably be made of gold.

  16. The book I’m reading is the adventures of Robin Hood. The story mainly takes place in the Sherwood Forest. If it was Robin’s birthday then I imagine that it would be in the Sherwood Forest. He is one of the best archers in the town so I think that he would have some games involving shooting arrows. I think that there would be a large feast for Robin. The feast would have venison in it. The games will be fun for not only Robin but for his guest too. The present that I think I would give to Robin Hood would be the finest bow carved in the world and the strongest and lightest arrow ever made. I know that Robin Hood is a fan of archery and he would love to have the finest bow and arrows in all of the land. The only problem with getting Robin a brand new bow and arrow is that his men would be tremendously jealous. Robin is a good man and I know that he would let all of his men try them out.

  17. Todd is a character in the book THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO. While I read the book, I learned that Todd depended on the knife his guardian, Ben, gave him. He always used it to defend himself while traveling to Haven. On what I read in the beginning of the book, I think Todd would want his own knife for his birthday. The knife would make him feel more like a man, and he was sick of being the only boy in Prentisstown. Todd’s birthday party would be small. He would only have close friends like his guardians, Ben and Cillian, his dog, Manchee, and his friend, Viola. He seemed to miss them all during the book, and having them all together and celebrating his birthday would make Todd very happy.

  18. I am reading a book called “the fire within”, and the person I would get a present for would be Lucy. Lucy is a little girl in my book who is obsessed with squirrels, specificly a partially blind squirrel whom she calls “Conker.” For Lucy, I would get a stuffed gray squirrel, because, obviously as I just stated, she loves squirrels. I think Lucy would be very happy if I brought her a stuffed little squirrel for her birthday.

  19. I am reading “Dracula”. It is about the man named Johnathan. He is trying to sell a house to the mysterious Count Dracula. I would tell you more but I am not that far yet. If Dracula were to have a party it would most likely be a masquerade ball. I would not go ,but I would leave a box on his doorstep. The box would be full of garlic, a crucifix, and holy water. The box would be rigged so that when it was opened it would launch the stuff inside the box on the person how opened.

  20. Robinson Crusoe is a smart guy, smart enough to survive on a deserted island for twenty-eight years all by himself. By the end of the story he has made an entire organized city, large canoes, and everything from tables to pots. The one problem is it took countless hours of failure for the constructions of the simplest things simplest things. For example on making a pot, he tried putting the wet clay directly into the fire but when he took the newly hardened clay f the fire and placed it on the ground, it shattered. After many weeks of trying this tactic of trial and error, he finally discovered that putting the wet clay higher away from the direct flame of the fire and letting it sit there for much longer, resulted in the pot being much stronger than the ones before it.

    Robinson is having a birthday party, and of course the theme is a tropical paradise because he lives on a huge island in the Caribbean, but the main thing is the thing that I’m getting him for his birthday, an “Encyclopedia of Instruction Manuals”, no longer will he be spending many days just pondering on how to build things. He could use it for anything, and he probably could have accomplished a lot more in a lot less time, I just can t wait to see his face when he sees his new present.

    This book is called, “Robinson Crusoe”.

  21. Also, Lucy would have a pink birthday party, because she is a girly girl. She would have a large dragon shaped cake, because her mom, Liz, makes clay dragons for a living, and she loves her mom’s dragons.

  22. Well, I think I would hve kicking party filled with music and food for Max Murphy’s party. It would be a party with a theme of anything, and I meen anything but a Maya party. That party would make Max crazy because his parents always are gone at work, and learn about the Mayans. Max hates the Maya, thats all they talk about. The theme of the party would be most likely an Italian theme. Max loved going to Italia eating freshly baked pizza, pick up soccer games and being with his family.

    Now Max’s present would be the theme. I would (if I had the money) give Max a plane ticket to Italy so he would see his family and be happy. I would give him tickets to soccer games and a week of nobody saying the word Maya. I’m sure Max would be happy to be with his parents. This would be the ultimate party for him.

  23. I placed the silver and black carefully wrapped present on a table. It contained a necklace from a dragon. It glowed red and was truly magical. If you were to look in to the necklace, instead of seeing a reflection or see right through the other side, you would see a fantasy land. Fairies, castles, all in the perspective of a dragon. I headed towards a freshly cleaned sliding glass door to a backyard. I was at a pool party, for Belladonna. She isn’t the party type of person though. She and one boy stood, not by the pool, but over a wishing well, looking down and never flinching. The boy was Steve, one of her other good friends. She heard me and turned around. She and Steve greeted me, but I could tell that they both really didn’t care. They didn’t say another word before turning back around towards the well. Then Steve said something and disappeared.

    Belladonna stood just stood there. She wasn’t surprised.
    “It worked! It really worked!” she said with as much excitement that a girl like her could use. She explained the Steve had gone into another world, the world of monsters. I threw on my cover up and looked into the well. Nothing. It was dark and empty. I gave Belladonna a “What are you talking about” sort of look. She grabbed my shoulder and whispered Phatês in the air.

    I felt like I was being crushed, the air was being sucked out of my body. I searched for air but I couldn’t find any. Finally I fell and fell till my back hit something. I was dead. I had to be. It was really dark, I couldn’t see my own hand from in front of me I sat up and caught my breath. I realized my eyes were closed, and that’s why it was dark. Yellow smoke circled me. I looked at Belladonna, who was now a big black creature with three horns and sharp claws. She still had her eyes, and her height. She had two fang-like teeth poking out of her closed mouth and big feet that held the new monster that replaced Belladonna. I turned to an icy wall that created a mirror, I saw me, but it wasn’t me, I was now a unicorn! I had the stupid pink mane, and the silver swirly horn, and even the rainbow on my back side! I tried to screech, but it was replaced with a “nay.” Belladonna waved me to follow her and so I did. We walked out of the cave and into a green field filled with creatures of all shapes and sizes. Now this was an awesome birthday!

    We found hidden objects and treasures, we ran through forests with long black and dark green vines, and we talked to ghosts. (Steve had done this before with Belladonna, but seemed to be enjoying it as if he were me.) Belladonna introduced me to her old friend from the barber shop. He was ghost in about his late forties. He was very kind, and carried some extra weight with him. He had a crown of white hair and a little beard. We talked to him and other ghosts about hidden keys to magical places with dragons and even places with dark beasts that rule the world, just if you opened a certain door.

    It started getting late, the sun was getting lower then the ghosts and spirits on the horizon line, and it was time to head home. As much as I hated being a unicorn, I wanted to stay this way. No wonder Belladonna is so quiet; she just doesn’t feel fit in with the real world. She really must have liked it here. So, we went back to the cave. Belladonna whispered her magical word again. I was thrown in the air this time. Instead of falling, Instead of falling, I was being pushed up. I was getting crushed with the force and then Splash. I was sitting in two- inch deep water. I looked up and saw a faint light.
    “Nice going you made her land in the well!” Steve’s voice came from nowhere.
    I then was shot up and off my feet again and landed with a thud on the grass next to the well.
    “That was awesome! Best birthday party ever!” I excitedly said while standing up and rubbing out the pain from my “smooth” landing. Belladonna smiled and said
    “Just wait till next year!”

  24. I read the book Heir Apparent. The character was Giannine. She was a tomboy that was into gaming so I think she would have a party at Rassumen’s headquarters.

    The perfect gift for her is a $150 gift certificate to Rassumen’s HQ. She is always wanting to go there but it is really expensive. She wouldn’t invite many people because she is more of a ”one shot wonder.”

  25. I am reading Overboard by Elizabeth Fama. This is a true story about a girl named emily who has been forced around the world with her parents because of their jobs. When they go out of town emily decides to take of on a ferry to meet up with her uncle, who was on a near island called Weh. Emily was so eager to go because she new once she reached him she could go back to the US. The ferry sunk and she and many other passengers were overboard.

    If emily was to have a birthday party It would be on the island and she would invite Isman, a boy who was a surviver, and me. If I had to bring a gift it would probably be food, water, and other supplies to help her get through the struggle. I would also bring clothes and a tent to keep them warm.

    1. The charter in my book is Ender from ENDER”S GAME. Ender is a six-year-old boy who lives in the future, and in order to save the planet from destruction, he must be separate from his family and go to Battle School to learn how to be one of the greatest generals known to man.
      If I were invited to Ender’s party, I would give him a space shuttle ticket to Earth, so he could go there and see his family. This would be the perfect gift because he really misses his mom, dad, and sister. Ender could care less about his brother who hates him.
      His party wouldn’t really have a theme. It would probably just a “Happy Birthday” banner and some streamers hanging from the ceiling, simple stuff. This would be a perfect theme because he doesn’t have many friends to attend the party, and the book doesn’t say what he really likes.

  26. If I were to go to the birthday party of any character in The Clockwork Angel I would choose to go to Jem’s party. Jem, James Carstairs, is a shadowhunter who is parabatai, a partner closer than brothers, to Will, William Herondale. A shadowhumter slayes demons. They are decended from angels and humans. If I were to give Jem I would give him two… I would find a antibiotic that would reverse the effects of his “illness”, I would also find a better wepon then a cane with a blade in it. I know that every one in the instatute would love if Jem were to be cured of his “illness” and he would not die if  I four a cure for him. Jem also should have a wepon that isn’t a cane.  It is just too easy to break. I would give him a metal cane with a jade fist to go with the pendant that will had given hi when he was twelve. I can’t wait for the next book in the internal devices series, the priquile to the mortal insturments. 

  27. My book is named “All Alone In The Universe” it is by Lynne Rae Perkins. The main character in the book is Maureen. She is an adventourus girl and goes on many adventours that are bike rides with her best friends.
    I think Maureen’s birthday party would be going to different places every day. This birthday party would be a mounth long and she would go alone and travel on her bike. I would get her a bag. This would mean she could get somthing at each place she went to. She would have the memories for her life and remember all her friendships, even tough she was not with her friends Maureen looks down int0 peoples hearts and finds somthing about them. These items would remind her of her loved friends.

    1. Sorry I spelled adventurous wrong, and adventures this is how I would spell them. Also month, though, sometimes,people’s . I write it then after I submit it then proof it.

  28. I am reading the book THE BATBOY by Mike Lupicia. The main character’s name in this book is Brian. Brian loves the Detroit Tigers and baseball, and more specifically, baseball history. So, if I were to throw Brian a birthday party, it would be a Detroit Tigers: Then and Now party.

    The reason I would throw this type of party for Brian is that he loves the Tigers. The reason the book is named THE BATBOY is because he his one of the batboys for the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team. It would be themed with famous ball-players from Tiger history, like Ty Cobb, and famous ball-players from the present, like Hank Bishop (this is a fiction book).

    The presents I would get Brian are a signed Hank Bishop bat, ball, and card. I would also get him a Detriot Tigers history book. I would get him the signed Hank Bishop memorabilia because Hank Bishop his his favorite baseball player. If you are asking why Brian just doesn’t ask Hank for his autograph during his job, there are two reasons. One reason is that Brian might loose his batboy job if somebody high up in the Tigers organization finds out that a batboy is asking for autographs from the players. The second reason is that Hank is not the nicest man. He thought that Hank was the nicest guy because he is an angel during interviews, but he isn’t so nice when he meets Brian. I would get him the Tigres history book because he loves history, and he loves the Tigers, so why not get him a Tigres history book? Personally, I think Brian would like the party and the presents I get for him.

  29. I’m reading the City Of Bones. The character that I would probably choose is Jace. I would choose him because I heard that he was very handsome which is a plus! And, that he’s helpful (when he wants to be.) Although, Jace can be very annoying and your worst nightmare, those are some characteristics that a best freind can have. For Jace’s theme I would say that he would have it at a very bad comedian show, just so he can make fun of it. For Jace’s present I would probably get him a gift certificate to a chinese resturant. So, he could buy mu shu pork; Jace loves mu shu pork. So, I guess that’s it!

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