Sam Carter, Ben Torres, Mia Patel, Omar Haddad, and Leo Park have one school project to finish. Agreeing on how to finish it may be the harder part. Here’s who you’ll be sharing the adventure with. We’ll leave their biggest surprises in the book.
Same project. Five completely different definitions of helpful.
A group project. You know how this goes.
Everybody wants to help. That’s part of the problem.
Who gets to be in charge? Who gets blamed? Who gets interrupted before their idea is finished? Between the jokes, these friends have a few things to work out. You might recognise the feeling.
Who’s helping?Who’s in charge?the planWhat happened?Whose turn?
01Notebook keeper, owner of several excellent intentions
Sam Carter
Last year, the class photo showed one of Sam’s ears. This year, he would like to be remembered for something else.This time, he has a planThe notebook is ready. The world has made no such promise.
First impressions
A notebook under his arm. An idea in his head. Everyone else’s job already worked out.
What Sam wants
To do something at Maple Ridge that people will still talk about next year. Preferably something he meant to do.
Who you want on your team when...
Give Sam a blank page and he will find somewhere to start. Give him a disaster and, eventually, he will find the funny part.
When things go wrong
The more things go wrong, the more he wants a better plan. His friends may want a turn to speak first.
Would you stick to your brilliant idea if your friends had a different one?
Expect a little trouble
He means to contribute to the school community. What comes out of his mouth is another matter.
With the others
Ben is his best friend, which does not mean Ben will agree that growing another ear is a bad solution to the yearbook problem.
02Best friend, snack expert with surprisingly useful ideas
Ben Torres
Ben’s goal for the year is to eat a vegetable without being surprised by it. He is taking this seriously.Ben has this covered. Probably.There is more to him than the lunch incidents suggest.
First impressions
Usually beside Sam. Often thinking about food. Ready with an answer nobody asked for.
What Ben wants
Good snacks, a good time, and friends who trust him when the job matters.
Who you want on your team when...
When a room gets busy, Ben can be surprisingly practical. He also shows up for his friends, even when the plan is a mess.
When things go wrong
Something goes missing and people look at Ben. It gets old, especially when he is trying to help.
Would you trust the class joker with the most important job?
Expect a little trouble
Sam wants to become unforgettable. Ben suggests surviving the cafeteria’s gray soup.
With the others
He and Sam can turn a lunch break into a list of terrible ideas. But being somebody’s best friend should count for more than knowing all their old mistakes.
03Rule checker, the one who actually read the instructions
Mia Patel
Mia can stop a wildly ambitious plan with one very reasonable question. This does not always make her popular.Hang on. Has anyone checked this?Before the grand announcement, Mia has a question.
First impressions
She has checked the schedule. And the budget. And the bit of the instructions everyone skipped.
What Mia wants
A project that works, a fair share of the jobs, and things in the places they are supposed to be.
Who you want on your team when...
If an idea needs turning into something people can actually do, Mia is the person you want at the table.
When things go wrong
The clock keeps moving. The poster is crooked. How much fixing is there time for?
Would you finish something imperfect, or keep trying to get it exactly right?
Expect a little trouble
Everybody else is several minutes into an enthusiastic speech. Mia needs about six words.
With the others
Sam likes getting things started. Mia likes knowing how they will work. Put them together and you get either a useful team or a very detailed disagreement.
Omar wants to learn three card tricks that do not end with someone calling for help. Progress is progress.A small trick. A full performance.An audience of three is still an audience.
First impressions
A flourish, a prop, and the strong suspicion that an ordinary moment is about to become a show.
What Omar wants
That lovely second when everybody stops talking and watches the trick.
Who you want on your team when...
He can make people laugh, wake up a tired room, and make waiting feel a little less like waiting.
When things go wrong
Sometimes the best-sounding version of what happened is not quite what happened. That is awkward when your friends were there.
Would you tell the plain truth if the more exciting version got a bigger laugh?
Expect a little trouble
There may be unnecessary props. There will certainly be a dramatic explanation.
With the others
Sam and Omar both enjoy a good story, especially when people are listening. Mia tends to ask which parts actually happened.
05Quiet observer, already noticing the missing piece
Leo Park
While everyone is explaining the problem, Leo is looking at it. He may have noticed something.Give him a momentA quiet person can have a very good idea.
First impressions
The new kid. Not the first to speak. Not somebody you should mistake for having nothing to say.
What Leo wants
A little room to think, and enough quiet to finish his own sentence.
Who you want on your team when...
Models, maps, shapes, spaces: Leo can see how pieces might fit while the rest of the group is still arguing.
When things go wrong
An idea does not get much of a chance if four other people are talking over it.
When everyone has something to say, who do you make room for?
Expect a little trouble
He does not need the longest speech. Sometimes the shortest line is the funniest one.
With the others
Mia understands a useful design. Ben can lend a practical hand. Sam and Omar may need reminding that a pause is not an invitation to fill it.
