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Abigail Night

How Mrs. Childs describes this journal, I think it is more like a diary. I won’t start each entry as Dear Diary, that is completely lame. But I’ll write from my heart. That’s what Mrs. Childs told us to do, and that’s what I want to do. I’m excited to have a place to share me, all of me—the good and the bad, the happy and the sad. And to know no one else will read it, because this is for me. This is mine. It is safe.

—Abigail’s Journal

  1. What is your name? Abigail Night

  2. What is your favorite nursery rhyme? Either There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe or Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary.

  3. What is your favorite subject in school? I like to read, so English and I like to sing, so Choir.

  4. What is your favorite flavor of jelly bean? I like lemon lime, tangerine, or pink grapefruit.

  5. Which flavor of ice cream do you prefer? Lemon custard ice cream or orange sherbet

  6. What do you think is your very best feature or characteristic? My skin. I don’t have acne problems, and I don’t have freckles, so my sister Paige tells me my skin is flawless.

  7. What is your strongest talent? I am kind to people and I have a good singing voice.

  8. Do you play a musical instrument, if so which one? I can play the piano, I’m not very good but I can play some songs.

  9. What do you usually do when you have leisure time on your hands? My favorite thing to do is hang out with Dillon. I also like to go swimming, or read a book, or spend time with my sisters.

  10. What is your favorite season and why? I like Spring. It just makes everything in life feel new—and like the whole world just gets a fresh start.

  11. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go? I want to go back to Disneyland. I went there with my family when I was seven. I remember loving it.

  12. What is your favorite color? Lavender and light blue

  13. Who is your best friend and how did you meet? Dillon is my best friend. We met in choir in 7th grade.

  14. What is your favorite home cooked meal? Roast beef tacos

  15. What is your favorite grab and go meal? Hot Pockets

  16. What kind of vehicle do you usually ride in? My mom’s silver Toyota Corolla

  17. Which family member do you most resemble? I wish I was like my sister Paige. My mom says I have my dad’s eyes, and sometimes people think my little sister, Maraline, looks like me.

  18. When was the last time you visited a park and what did you do while there? Dillon and I walked to a park and just swung on the swings and talked.

  19. Do you have any pets? We used to have a bunny named Thumper but he died last year.

  20. How many books have you read last year? I don’t know, but I like to read. Maybe twenty or twenty-five.

An excerpt from The Other Side of Quiet

I’ve never written in a journal before. I’ve wanted to, but I never have. I don’t really understand the difference between a journal and a diary. I think a journal is where you write down facts like “I ate tuna for lunch today”, although I hate tuna. But the point is a journal is a place where you record what you did for that day. I think a diary is more personal, a place where you really share who you are and what is important to you.

* * *

I didn’t write last week, but Mrs. Childs says that’s fine. She says I don’t have to write once a week, but if that’s my goal, and I miss a week, then I can just write more the next time, which sounds good to me. This time I want to write about my boyfriend, Dillon.

* * *

Dillon is sad and I don’t know what to do. He doesn’t want to talk much. At first I thought it was me. I worried he was losing interest in me. But he finally told me.

Tara C. Allred talks about Abigail

Abigail’s story line is central to all the other characters in The Other Side of Quiet. From the early beginning, I had a sketch of her character. I knew her family dynamics. I knew what would happen to her in the novel. But as the story unfolded it seemed other characters’ development outshone hers.

 

This became even more apparent later, when I visited Venture High School’s creative writing class and introduced them to all the novel’s characters. It was especially interesting to hear the different comments and questions raised around Abigail. Following a debate over the small details of her life, I wondered if Abigail’s character was under-developed.

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But as I revisited her character, I soon recognized that she’s shy, as well as a kind person. At the beginning of 2015, each character was spotlighted on this site. I let the characters determine the order, and true to her nature, Abigail was the last to be introduced. This is because she hangs back and is silent, letting others have the spotlight, until circumstances shift the focus onto her.

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Overall Abigail is a very sweet, caring, and loyal girl. And is one of the many students in The Other Side of Quiet who experiences a life-changing year.

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