There are a plethora of mentor texts you can use to work on character analysis. In fact, it can be a bit overwhelming to narrow them all down! Some books are great for identifying character traits or comparing characters, while other books allow the reader to see how a character changes throughout the story. So picking the right mentor text can depend on your purpose. I’ve compiled a list of my 10 essential character analysis mentor texts to help you narrow down all of the options and start planning your lessons!
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10 Character Analysis Mentor Texts
Last Stop on Market Street
The Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena is a classic that can be used to teach so many concepts, but it works exceptionally well for character traits! During his outings around town with his grandma, CJ wonders why they don’t have the same things as other people. She helps him see the beauty in the things they do have. A great book to use to compare the two characters or identify how CJ changes throughout the story. Definitely a must-read!
Miss Nelson is Missing
Miss Nelson is Missing by James Marshall was always one of my go-to books for teaching rules at the beginning of the year. The students don’t listen to sweet Miss Nelson, but when she is replaced by the strict substitute Miss Swamp their behaviors change. This naturally lends itself to discussions about the traits of each teacher as well as comparing both of them. An older book but still a classic!
The Paper Bag Princess
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch challenges the typical roles of fairytale characters. In this story, the princess takes matters into her own hands to save a prince from the dragon! This story definitely lends itself to discussions about character traits. To further enhance students’ thinking, you can compare/contrast these characters to the prince & princess roles in traditional fairytales. Such a fun story!
The Bad Seed
The Bad Seed (and all of the other books in Jory John’s series: The Good Egg, The Cool Bean, The Smart Cookie, The Couch Potato, The Sour Grape, and The Big Cheese) are ideal for identifying character traits. Students can compare/contrast the characters from the different books. These books are all very cleverly written and highly entertaining stories that kids are guaranteed to love!
Enemy Pie
Enemy Pie by Derek Munson is a great option for tracking how a character changes throughout the story. When a new enemy moves into the neighborhood, one little boy must learn how to deal with the conflict. Luckily his dad knows the secret to getting rid of enemies – enemy pie! Also, perfect to use at the beginning of the school year!
Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun
Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy tells the story of Lucy who is different from her classmates. A classmate who teases her all the time finds himself needing help. Will Lucy use this as a chance to get back at him? This story encourages us to have the courage to be who we are. You can compare the characters or track their changes!
The Invisible Boy
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig is a sweet story about a quiet student who often gets overlooked. That all starts to change when a new student arrives. The two pair up on a project and finally begin to get others’ attention. This story is a nice reminder to include everyone, especially those who tend to get overlooked.
My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother
You can’t go wrong with any Patricia Polacco book for working on character analysis. Her writing depicts such detailed and complex characters that feel very realistic. In My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, we meet an older brother who can always do everything better than his little sister. She wishes that just for once she can show him up.
Henry’s Freedom Box
Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine tells the courageous true story of a slave determined to earn his freedom. After losing his family, he is determined to mail himself to the North inside a crate in order to be freed. This can also be used for teaching theme.
The Oldest Student
In The Oldest Student by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, we meet Mary Walker, the oldest student to ever learn how to read. This true story tells how she overcame adversity and remained persistent until she finally learned how to read at age 116. She is definitely an inspirational character with traits students can easily identify!
Additional Character Analysis Mentor Texts
There you have it, my list of 10 essential Character Analysis Mentor Texts. Did you find any new books on the list? Are there any books you love that did not make my list? Please share your book recommendations in the comments!
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