Character Spotlight: Lola Levine

by Kayla Aldrich, Read to Them staff

Hello, all! Happy Monday, and welcome to your read of Lola Levine is Not Mean! by Monica Brown. Let's dive right in and get a proper introduction to the title character of this sweet, unforgettable novel:

Lola Levine

Name: Lola Levine

Family: Lola lives with her Mom and Dad, as well as her younger brother, Ben. Fun fact - Ben, notably, has "a strong personality" that Lola's parents say he picked up from Lola.

Friends: Choosing a super best friend is easy for Lola, as the one person in the whole world that she loves to spend time with is Josh Blot. Josh is the always-picks-you-for-a-partner at recess kind of friend, and he and Lola do almost everything together at school.

Personality: Lola has quite the distinctive voice. She is a girl with many opinions, and she is not afraid to let you know what those opinions are. Lola is also very competitive, which can be a good thing... and can also be disastrous.

Likes: From the get-go, Lola lets us know that she has a whole lot of love for soccer. She's got a special t-shirt that she wears on the first day of soccer practice that says: MY GOAL IS STOPPING YOURS! Between sleeping and being active, she'd pick active every single time. She likes to read, paint, and write, as well. Her love of writing stems from her mother's job as a writer for the local newspaper, and Lola can see herself following in her mother's footsteps in the future.

Dislikes: She can't stand when Ben goes into her room without permission. At school, though, the worst days are when Josh isn't there and Lola spends most of her day alone. Girls like Alyssa Goldstein and Makayla Miller are mean to her, teasing Lola about her hair, clothes, and voice.

Notable Quote: "I don't write for a newspaper (yet), but I write in my diary, I write letters, and I write notes to everyone in my family, especially when I'm upset. Sometimes I leave these notes in surprising places, like the dishwasher or inside Ben's shoe."

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