Webber is the main character of this book. He is the top track
and cross country runner at Spratling High School in Michigan.
Traits:
Hard Working - He is the fasteest runner on both the Track and Cross Country teams at his school. He also works very hard to stay in shape by doing exercises even when his leg is in a cast.
Fun-Loving - Goes to a friend's birthday party as soon as he gets out of the hospital, and even tries to dance with Maxie with his broken legs and crutches.
Guilty: - Once Webber remembers that it was he who was driving the car and hit the little girl, he begins to have frequent nightmares. He becomes depressed and antisocial from both his friends and family.
Grandpa
Grandpa is Webber's Grand Father. He calls Webber Boomer for a famous hockey player. When he heard the news that Webber beat every single person in the school on the mile by running it in 4:30, he promises Webber for a good pair of running shoes.
Traits:
Disappointed - Grandpa was a little disappointed after buying lots of hockey equiptment of Webber when he was little. It turns out that he was never very interested in hockey.
Protective - Grandpa takes the blame for hitting Taffy Putnam when Webber is driving. Even when Webber regains his memory and remembers what really happened, he forbids him from telling anyone the truth, saying that he still has his whole life ahead of him and can't risk having something like this on his record.
Regretful: - Grandpa regrets that when he was young, he couldn't join his friends in the war. For not being useful then, he tries to make up for this past mistake by taking Webber's blame of driving over Taffy Putnam.
Mom
Webber's mother owns a fabric store in town, and is the only source of income to the Freegy family.
Traits:
Poor - Webb's Mom doesn't make alot of money working at a fabric store, and has to support herself, Webb, and his Grandfather.
Sad - Having lost her husband when Webber was still young, she still isn't completely over the death of her husband.
Dad
Webber's father died early on in Webber's life and is still missed by all the Freegys.
Traits:
Brave - Webb's Father lost his life when a stupid man went for a walk on a frozen lake in early March. The ice broke and the man went under, but Webb's father managed to save him. He didn't make it himself.
Compassionate - Webber remembers when he and his father were going to go for a ride on their boat. While Webber was waiting for his father on the dock, he spotted some kids who were fishing, but before they threw the fish back in the water, they poked both their eyes out. When Webb and his father left on the boat, he told him about what he saw, and his father turned the boat right around and yelled at the kids who were blinding the fish. He even broke their fishing robs in half.
Dylis Clark
Dylis is a passionate animal rights activist, and acts somewhat like Webber's conscience in the book.
Traits:
Compassionate - When both she and Webber were young, a man came to their class to talk about bicycle safety. Webber, who was reminded vividly of his father because the man's voice was just like that of his father's, began to cry. Dylis, whose mother had died at around the same time, stood up and hugged Webber to make him feel better. Although she was yelled at by Webb to go away, her going to hug him shows compassion.
Philanthropist -
Taffy Putman
Taffy Putnam is the little girl who is riding her bike when Webber hits her in Grandpa's car. She is never actually seen in the book. Only mentioned.
Traits:
Hurt - When Webber hits Taffy, she narrowly avoids death at the hospital. However, she never recovers fully and will be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
Loved - Taffy is a little girl who was loved by many people, especially her parents, and Dylis Clarke, who baby-sat her quite frequently. As seen above, Dylis cares about Taffy enough to keep making Webber feel guilty about her.
Maxie Gallagher
Maxie is the girl in Webber's grade that he really likes. The two begin spending more time together after he breaks his leg, but then Webb loses interest in her as he is tormented by the thought of what he did to Taffy Putnam.
Traits:
Rich - Maxie and her family live in a huge mansion in the a richest neighborhood in Spratling, Michigan. She also goes to the Carribean during every school break with her family, which can't be very cheap..
Snobby - Althoguh Maxie can be very nice and sweet, she sometimes makes a big deal of something small and unimportant. For example, when Webber is thinking about Taffy, Maxie talks to him about how she had to spend an hour at the nail salon because she chipped her nail.
Webber
Beefy