Extra Credit

Abby Carson is the novel’s joint protagonist. Abby lives with her older brother and parents on their large family farm in the fictional town of Linsdale, Illinois. While Abby is a talented athlete and outdoorswoman, she lacks discipline in her academic life and finds school very difficult. The author emphasizes her love of outdoor pursuits and her physical talents to help explain why she has difficulty in school and to frame this compassionately. Abby is presented as one of the many people whose talents lie outside the academic setting but who must pass through it as a life stage. This aspect of her character highlights an irony in the book, as she is compelled to attend school, while Sadeed, who is academically talented, lacks educational opportunities.

Abby is a curious and open-minded character who is genuinely interested to learn more about Amira and Sadeed’s lives in Afghanistan. Because of her interest in their village, family, and schooling, Abby is able to establish a positive, personal exchange with Sadeed and Amira. Her willingness to learn about their culture and showcase it in her presentation helps her develop a real friendship with them, and teach her classmates about a new place and people. Over the course of the novel Abby becomes more consistent and committed to school, in part because of her pen pal exchange with Sadeed and Amira. Abby is inspired by Sadeed’s beautiful writing and drawing to put more time and effort into her work, too. By conversing with Amira and Sadeed, Abby sees her life from a new perspective and no longer takes her hometown for granted; instead, she begins to appreciate its own form of beauty and abundance. These changes in Abby’s perspective add to the novel’s theme on Friendship and Personal Growth.

Amira Bayat is Sadeed’s younger sister, and a secondary character. Amira is a sensitive child who longs for her older brother’s validation and acceptance, and enjoys the attention she receives from her classmates for participating in the pen pal project. Amira is a kind and hardworking girl, but not as accomplished academically as her older brother, Sadeed. Because Amira is not fluent in English, Sadeed helps her write letters to Abby. While Abby enjoys receiving these letters, she is more interested in corresponding with Sadeed, since his letters are more engaging and detailed. Amira’s main role in the book is to help explicate the gender-based discrimination suffered by women and girls in Afghanistan, by creating a direct contrast to Abby. Over the course of the novel Amira’s character does not change very much, but she does enjoy a more friendly relationship with her brother, Sadeed, partly because his perspective of her as a girl is changed by his connection to Abby.

Mahmood Jafari is the schoolteacher in Bahar-Lan. He teaches Sadeed, Amira, and children of other ages in their one-room schoolhouse. Mr. Jafari is an open-minded, courteous, and optimistic person. For instance, when he receives a letter from Abby, he persuades the village elders to permit Amira and Sadeed to reply to it. Mr. Jafari believes that this pen pal exchange will show mutual respect between Afghans and Americans. He tells the village elders, who are reluctant to agree to the project, that traditional courtesy requires it. This shows that he is willing and able to make strategic arguments in order to further his students’ opportunities. Mr. Jafari is Sadeed’s main ally and role model in the adult world and represents the ways in which even compassionate and progressive adults must negotiate the complex realities of life.

When a strange man threatens Sadeed for corresponding with an American, Mr. Jafari is optimistic that the incident will not escalate, and he wants to continue the pen pal exchange. Mr. Jafari also lends books to Sadeed to encourage his reading, and even loans him books which are not part of the approved curriculum. A passionate teacher, Mr. Jafari hopes that he can continue to help his students and improve their education. With his openness to new people and experiences, Mr. Jafari represents Afghans who are interested in learning and forming friendships across cultures.