Allan Hubbard

Via Pinterest As I mentioned in Emily's post, Allan didn't originally exist. I'm not really sure when he came about, probably about the time the others lost the eight older sisters they previously had. I know I decided I didn't want Jill to have to be the one in charge. And, being the oldest in a family of girls who really wishes she had an older brother, I wanted to give that to her.

Allan is very responsible and very nice. He is kind to Emily, even though she throws it in his face. On some occasions, he does show his disapproval of Joey's mannerlessness (my computer doesn't think that's a word, but I'm using it anyway), but he only wants his crazy little brother to be a gentleman. He treats his sisters well, like the ladies they are. Well, he still tries to treat Emily like a lady even though she doesn't act like it because he's just that sort of person, but she doesn't like it.

In putting Allan through a character development exercise (I normally don't do those, but I was struggling, and I'm not sure it really helped much in the long run), I discovered that he's not much of one for science fiction. He's not a huge fantasy reader, either, though he does really like Lord of the Rings and he shares the same fond memories of Narnia and E. Nesbit that his younger siblings do. He's really more of the G. A. Henty type. I'm not, but it's okay for my characters to be different from me. Not that there's anything wrong with Henty. They're just boy books.

Despite being more of a historical fiction type, Allan was still very open to the possibility of other worlds, even before they went to Calhortea and had only seen the mysterious writing on the walls. He fairly easily accepts it when there, and is thrown into the role of hero and sister protector. Only problem is, he doesn't really know what he's doing. But he still does his best, and that's what counts. He'll never back down due to cowardice. And as a Christian, he is determined to always do what's right. He'll never tell a falsehood, even if sticking to the truth could cost his life.

Allan Hubbard is a fine young man, and the sort you rarely see in modern books and movies. He is not without fault, but he does his best to do what's right always, not whatever will give him gain. And he's a good big brother. Yes, he's only twelve, but he is beyond his years.