Top (10) Tuesday for March 15, 2011

This week at The Broke and the Bookish, the Top Ten is:

What book characters would you adopt into your family?

Reflecting on my list, it looks like I picked characters based on need- kids that need extra love and attention.  Most of these characters have put up a great fight to survive, and I could give them a soft place to land (if they could put up with my 2 rowdy daughters!)

Zulaikha from Words in the Dust 
by Trent Reedy (not in the Lemme Library yet)

I would love to adopt Zulaikha.  She grew up under the rule of the Taliban, so life in the US would be a shocking experience.  She has worked so hard her entire life, I would love to give her new opportunities.  If she lived here with me, could attend the University of Iowa

Zoe from Wild Things
by Clay Carmichael (F CAR)

I know she loves her Uncle very much, but I would love to give her a loving home.  She is sweet and very smart.  She has abandonment issues, but I could change that.  I am allergic to cats, so she can't bring her little stray friend.

David from David Gets in Trouble 
by David Shannon (E SHA)

I like naughty boys, especially cute ones and David is a naughty, cute boy!  I think if we could just channel his destructive behavior in a positive way, he could do great things. 

Piper McCloud from The Girl Who Could Fly 
by Victoria Forester  (F FOR)

Poor Piper.  She doesn't need anyone to adopt her, she has  fine parents- but I adore her.  After she breaks out from the evil government scientists, I could give her a great home.  I wouldn't make her hide the fact that she can fly- I would embrace it and encourage it.  

Nobody (Bod) from The Graveyard Book 
by Neil Gaiman (F GAI)

The moment Bod crawled up the hill to that graveyard, I knew I needed to adopt him.  Think how different his life would be if I would have adopted him before the ghosts got a hold of him.  He never would have to struggle with the choice between ghost life and the real world. Bod would make a sweet addition to my family.

Jona from The Giver 
by Lois Lowry (F LOW)

Oh, Jona.  Poor Jona.  Such a sweet, caring boy, given a task too terrible for such a young child.  I could adopt him and he could leave all of that behind.  He wouldn't have to get a job unless he wanted one- he could work in the food court at the mall, or get a job as a bagger at Hy Vee... very low stress options. 

Leonardo from Leonardo The Terrible Monster 
by Mo Willems (E WIL)

Leonardo has low self esteem, and I think that moving in with a loving family would help him.  We could all pretend to be scared of him- give him a boost.  I could enroll him in some monster training sessions at the rec center, and he could get really good at scaring.  If he finds out that scaring really isn't for him, we would accept him for whatever he is... scary or not.

Boots from Gregor The Overlander 
by Suzanne Collins (F COL)

Boots has a great family and doesn't need to be adopted, but I want her!  She is sweet, cute, charming and not afraid of bugs.  She could visit Gregor and her mom whenever she wanted- weekends and holidays.  My girls would love her!  We don't have roaches, but I'm sure she would be ok with that.

Xing-Xing from  Bound by Donna Jo Napoli (F NAP)

If I don't adopt Xing Xing, I will call DHS and have her taken away from that horrid step mother.  Xing Xing suffers not only at the hand of her step mother, but at the traditions of Ancient China.  She could live with me and I would wait n her hand and foot.

Angel from The Same Stuff As Stars by Katherine Paterson (F PAT)

If I adopt Angel, I would have to adopt her brother too, and that would be ok.  Angel is a smart, sweet, responsible girl who happens to have a mom that has made some pretty bad choices.  She would love me, as I am a librarian, and Angel loves the library.  Any child who would walk 3 miles to the library can live with me any time.