What Are Characters Made Of? A Rhyming Challenge

In case you're new to my blog, for my day job I'm the lead teacher of an infant classroom in a child development center that helps both Special Needs and typically developing children. I sing to my babies All. The. Time. One song that I sing a lot is this old nursery rhyme. I'm aware of how ridiculously gender biased it is, so sometimes I come up with new lyrics on the fly that go specifically with the baby I'm singing to. Not all of my little girls are made of sugar and spice, and not all of my boys are made of frogs and snails.

As I was singing some silly rendition of this song the other day, I thought (as I often do) about characters in Middle Grade and Young Adult books. Most YA heroines are far from sugar and spice. I know my own Juniper Sawfeather is. And Mark Dowd from my Passing Notes is definitely not the frog and snails type. So, I offered a challenge to some writers to come up with rhymes for their protagonists. They are pretty fun. Enjoy!

Laura Wolfe, author of the award-winning YA horse mystery Trail of Secrets writes this about her main character Brynlei:

Brynlei is a sensitive, compassionate,  shy, and determined animal lover. she is an accomplished equestrian and straight-A student. Because of her sensitivities, she senses things in the environment that others often miss. She plays by the rules (at least until her circumstances in Trail of Secrets force her to break them!) Physically, Brynlei is slender, caucasian, with light brown, shoulder-length hair.

And here's her rhyme:
What is Brynlei made of?
What is Brynlei made of?
Compassion and grit;
She'll find "who done it."
That's what Brynlei is made of.

Click on the picture for an Amazon link for this great book.

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Author H. L. Burke has a fun YA steampunk series around the crafty character Nyssa Glass. (I'm reading the first book in this series, Nyssa Glass and the House of MIrrors, right now, and it's quite clever.) Here's what she writes about Nyssa:

Nyssa Glass is reformed cat burglar turned electrician's apprentice who just wants to live an honest, hardworking life with her gears and gadgets, but who finds herself constantly being drawn into danger by her criminal past. She's sixteen, snarky, with a sharp gaze and a sharper sense of humor ... and she never goes anywhere without her trusty goggles.

And here's her rhyme:
What is Nyssa Glass made of?
What is Nyssa Glass made of?
Gears and grit
And razor sharp wit
That’s what Nyssa Glass is made of.

Click on the picture for an Amazon link to the first book in this series.

Juniper Sawfeather from my YA series that includes Cry of the Sea and Whisper of the Woods is hardly a sugar and spice girl.

Juniper Sawfeather is the teen daughter of environmental activists. The ideals of her parents run in her veins, and although she craves to have her own life and interests separate from them and their influence, it is her intense love of the natural world that motivates her to be a hero.

My rhyme about Juniper:
What is Juniper made of?
What is Juniper made of?
 Ideals and schemes
And saltwater dreams
 That’s what Juniper is made of.

Click on the image to get to Amazon.

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Ryan Petty has a brand new dystopian YA novel published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books. Here's what he has to say about the female protagonist in Resistant.

With no memory of her past, Jennifer is entering a world in ruins after escaping a secret testing facility.  Although alone and scared, Jennifer perseveres through a world where people's minds are altered by what survivors call the SA8 virus.

Here's his rhyme for Jennifer:
What are little girls made of?
Courage and drive,
To try and stay alive.
That's what little girls are made of.

What are little girls made of?
A Passion to find the Truth,
In a World Lost in Her Youth.
That's what little girls are made of.
What are little girls made of?

Breathing in Air that's Not so Pure,
Is She the One that Holds the Cure?
Is that what Jennifer is made of?

Click on the book cover image to link to Amazon.

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 Katy Huth Jones has written a wonderful YA fantasy novel called Mercy's Prince. Here are her descriptions of her two leads, Mercy and Prince Valerian.

Prince Valerian d'Alden is seventeen, second son of the king of Levathia, and so not expected to rule. A tall, unassuming young man with long dark hair and brown eyes, he is a scholar and desires to be a monk when his older brother finally marries and has an heir. For now he is required to learn the skills of a warrior, though there has not been a war in his lifetime. 
 
Mercy is fourteen, only daughter of the pacifists' village Healer. She has cared for her four-year-old brother since their mother died in childbirth. She is petite but strong with clear blue eyes and auburn hair that she wears in a braid of three strands. It has never been cut and so reaches below her knees. She is betrothed to the village leader but has always desired to see the outside world.

And here are her rhymes for both of them:
 What is Prince Valerian made of?
What is Prince Valerian made of?
Reading and writing
With fighting and riding.
That's what Prince Valerian is made of.

What is Mercy made of? 
What is Mercy made of?
Healing and giving
And pacifist living.
That's what Mercy is made of.

Click on the book cover for a link to Amazon.

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And last but not least, my dear Mark Dowd from Passing Notes.

Mark Dowd is a sweet guy who has loved one girl for years. He works hard and takes care of his family, but he’s just not the smartest, handsomest, and definitely not the most eloquent when it comes to romance. He’s finally got Bethany’s attention, but he’s terrified of losing her. And when the notes from the ghost start coming, he’s afraid the advice from them won’t work.

Here's my rhyme for Mark:
What is Mark Dowd made of?
What is Mark Dowd made of?
Adoration and fears
And lovesick tears
That’s what Mark Down is made of?

Click on the picture to get this sweet story for only 99 cents.

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I do hope you enjoyed this fun little post. Please share your thoughts below and maybe a rhyme of your own.