Mark walked into the house and set his shopping bags on the counter. There was a lump of regret settled deep in his stomach. “Did you get your new baseball cleats?” asked Mom. “Yes, but I also bought a new bat, glove, and two shirts. Now that I think about it, though, I didn’t need those other things. I just wasted all of my birthday money,” Mark answered, shaking his head.

Which character trait best describes Mark?

“Yum! I love Grandma’s sugar cookies,” Daniela told her twin brother, Devon. “Me, too. It stinks that there are only six cookies for each of us,” said Devon. “Hey, I have an idea! Let’s tell Melissa that they fell on the floor, so Mom had to throw them away. If she falls for the lie, we can divide her six cookies, and we’ll each end up with nine!” suggested Daniela.

Which character trait best describes Daniela?

“I know you didn’t do it on purpose, Mom, but it’s a shame that you dropped the sugar cookies Grandma made for us, and they all had to be thrown away,” Melissa said to her mother. “What are you talking about? I didn’t throw away the sugar cookies. In fact, I found them hidden behind the cereal in the cupboard,” said Mom. Melissa looked at her mom. “What? I don’t understand.” “I think the twins played a trick on you,” explained Mom.

Which character trait best describes Melissa?

The tomcat stretched lazily and then licked his paw. “I’m taking off for a bit,” he told his son. “You’re going to search for some milk, aren’t you? Can I come along?” his son asked. “I’m thirsty, too.” “Not today,” the tomcat answered. He had no intention of introducing his son to the porch step where the farmer’s wife set out a bowl of milk for him as soon as the sun was at its highest point in the sky. If he came, I’d have to share my milk. No way!!

Which character trait best describes the tomcat?

“Give me that tape,” Brayden demanded, reaching for the roll of tape Gary was holding. “I need to use it.” Paige glanced over at the two boys. “Aren’t you forgetting to say something, Brayden?” she prompted. “Oh, I guess I am forgetting a word. Give it to me now,” said Brayden, snatching the tape from Gary’s hands.

Which character trait best describes Brayden?

“The next five days are going to be awesome!” Brad commented as they drove down the bumpy, gravel road toward the camp check-in station. He looked down at the camp brochure he had opened on his lap. “Dad, what do you think I should do first- the zip line, the waterslide, or the obstacle course?” Brad’s father laughed. “Let’s just worry about getting you checked in for now and locating your cabin. There will be plenty of time for your new activities after I leave.”

Which character trait best describes Brad?

Renee checked her watch while she tapped her fingers on the table. “We need to get going, Mom, or we are going to miss the entire picnic. We should have left about twenty-five minutes ago.” “I’m just double checking to make sure we have sunscreen and insect repellent packed. I suppose we should find some hats to wear, too. The sun’s rays can be especially harmful at this time of the day if we aren’t well-covered,” Renee’s mom said.

Which character trait best describes Renee’s mom?

“Wasn’t that a great basketball game? I can’t believe it went into overtime. How suspenseful!” said Wyatt. “It was boring compared to a football game. Football is much more entertaining to watch than basketball,” replied Noah. Wyatt ignored his friend. Noah was always saying things like that. “Do you want some chips and salsa?” “Not really,” Noah answered. “Don’t you have any normal potato chips in your house?”

Which character trait best describes Noah?

A little later, Noah’s mom arrived to take him home. “I just don’t understand why you choose to be friends with that kid,” said Wyatt’s sister, Ali. “He’s always complaining about something. Is he ever in a good mood?” “Well… no. But he was the first kid who was nice to me when we moved here. I remember how scared I was to get on the bus, but he said I could sit with him when he saw me looking for a place to sit.”

Which character trait best describes Wyatt?

“Did you get your basketball shoes last night?’ Tally asked Charlotte. “Yes, my mom and I went shopping, and I picked out a red pair of shoes,” Charlotte replied. “Red?! We were all going to get the same pair of orange and black high tops, remember?” “I tried that pair on, but I didn’t think they were very comfortable. Besides, I don’t really like the idea of having the same pair as everyone else. I think that looks silly,” explained Charlotte.

Which character trait best describes Charlotte?

“Mrs. Meyers, may I speak with you?” asked Mary as the other students headed outside for recess. “Sure. Let’s sit down.” Mrs. Meyers pulled a chair close to her desk. “What is it, Mary?” “Do you remember the writing that was found on some of the playground equipment last week?” Mary asked. “Yes, I remember quite well. Did you take part in the vandalism?” “Kind of. I didn’t write anything myself, but I was there when my cousin and her friends did it,” Mary confessed.

Which character trait best describes Mary?

Zoe watched as the tall boy confronted the shorter boy on the playground after school and started teasing him. The tall boy was surrounded by a group of boys who laughed at every mean thing their tall friend said. Zoe walked up to the tall kid. “Why are you picking on him?” Everyone grew silent for a moment. “I just videotaped that entire scene with my phone. I’d be happy to show it to the principal, or even your mom if you want me to.”

Which character trait best describes Zoe?

“Dawn, would you clean out the dishwasher for me? I really want to play some video games before I have to go to hockey practice,” asked Craig. “No. Cleaning out the dishwasher is your chore,” Dawn answered. “It would be a shame if Mom and Dad found out that you got sent to the principal’s office because of what happened at lunch on Monday,” warned Craig. “Ugh!” Dawn grunted, as she opened the dishwasher.

Which character trait best describes Craig?

Emma opened the door to her mom’s van and climbed inside. “Well, aren’t you a sight! You have a scrape on your cheek and your leg from Sunday’s bike accident, a bruise on your leg from tripping over the kitchen chair a week ago, and now something else? What happened today?” her mom said, noticing her daughter’s bandaged finger. “I accidentally cut some skin on my finger with my scissors,” Emma answered.

Which character trait best describes Emma?

Mom was driving Chris to his art class. Suddenly, she groaned. “It looks like we are going to get stuck waiting for a train again.” Chris reached into his bag and pulled out a book. “You need to be like me, Mom. I always have a book with me, ready to read in times like these.” “You’re right,” said Mom. “You always seem to have a book with you these days, Chris.” “If I am going to reach my goal of reading sixty books this school year, I need to read fifteen books each quarter,” explained Chris. “I’m proud of you for setting such a lofty goal,” said Mom.

Which character trait best describes Chris?

Rob’s mom stood in front of the TV screen. “Mom, I can’t see my game!” Rob cried. “Did you clean your room like I asked?” she demanded. “I am going to do it later,” Rob replied. “No, you will do it now,” Mom said. Rob trudged to his room. Three minutes later, he returned to his position in front of the TV screen. His mom silently walked to his room and opened his closet door. A mountain of dirty clothes, toys, and sports equipment tumbled out. “Rob, get back in here!”

Which character trait best describes Rob?

“That’s too bad that your little brother is sick and can’t go trick-or-treating tonight,” commented LaSandra. “Yeah, I suppose it is,” said Neveah. “He was pretty upset when I left the house to meet you.” “It kind of stinks for you, too, because now you’ll have to share your candy,” said LaSandra. “Are you kidding? I’m not sharing any of it. I did the work of trick-or-treating, so I will be eating all of it myself,” Neveah replied.

Which character trait best describes Neveah?

“I am so angry right now,” hissed Andrea. “I can’t believe Kelli told the teacher that she saw me cheating on the test.” “How do you know Kelli told the teacher? Maybe Mrs. Hanson noticed you cheating herself,” replied Ashlee. Andrea glared at Ashlee. “I just know, okay? I saw Kelli watching me. I need to come up with a plan that will teach Kelli to mind her own business.” She paused. “I know what I’ll do. I am going to put something in her locker- like one of my brother’s sweaty socks. Her locker will reek for weeks!”

Which character trait best describes Andrea?

“I don’t feel like doing my homework,” complained Patrick. “Me neither,” agreed his sister, Ivy. “Hey, I have an idea of what we can do to make our homework more exciting! Let’s race to see who can finish it first?” “Patrick, do you have to make everything into a contest? If we rush, we’ll probably get half of them wrong. I’m going to take my time and do it right,” said Ivy.

Which character trait best describes Patrick?