Extra Credit Andrew Clements Character Analysis

People can become friends and understand each other even though they are from different countries. Extra Credit, by Andrew Clements, is a story that takes place in Linsdale, Illinois, and Bahar-Lan, Afghanistan. Abby Carson is failing sixth grade, so she does a special extra-credit assignment by writing to a pen pal named Sadeed Bayat. While they are trying to bond their friendship, they both notice that problems occur around them, as some people disapprove their letter correspondence. During Abby’s exchange of letters, Abby’s personality slowly and gradually changed throughout the story. At first, the text states, “Sure, and then you suddenly start doing every single bit of your homework (with care), and then start in on some big extra-credit project” (Clements) (109). Since Abby heard that she was about to fail sixth grade, she immediately started to try to raise her grades.

To make the story interesting, the author creates a conflict between two different communities by stating, “That’s right- run, boy, and tell that foreign girl her letters are not welcomed here or you will be hurt by me and my friends” (Clements) (136). From this quote, the author makes this interesting for readers by making the conflict relate to the theme of the story. Therefore, many readers would be captivated by this book. Near the end of the story, the author employs a literary device, such as imagery, by saying, “She saw the field through Sadeed’s eyes; it wasn’t flat and boring, but beautiful” (Clements) (183). From this sentence, the author provides imagery for the reader to feel heartwarming, heartbreaking, and interested. As a result, numerous readers would enjoy this book from the author’s imaginative writing. In conclusion, the book, Extra Credit, would allow readers to be attracted by its interesting, heartwarming, and heartbreaking