Asher
Asher is a clumsy, inept, but good-natured as well as good-humored twelve-year-old who just happens to be Jonas's best friend. Asher is usually late to school, which forces him to recite the standard apology, directed to the class.
Since Asher is not very hand-eye coordinated, his great friend Jonas is always there to help. One time when both were doing their volunteer hours at the recreation center, Jonas picked up an apple out of the snack basket and simulated a game of catch between the two males. Even though the activity was boring and easy for Jonas, he still played so that his friend could get some practice.
Prior to the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas was worried about Asher's Assignment because Asher didn't seem to have any serious interests. Surprisingly, the Chief of Elders and the Committee decided that the best Assignment for Asher would be Assistant Director of Recreation. During the ceremony, the Chief Elder went on and on about how hard it was to find the perfect Assignment for Asher, at times. She also told the Community what Asher's mistakes were when he was little. For example, when Asher was a three, he still didn't have proper language acquisition. One day Asher had gotten hungry so he said "smack" meaning a snack. Well, in the community, smacks were a system of punishment for children. They stung painfully when brought upon you. The system was this: one smack across the hand for a minor issue and two smacks across the knees if it occurred again. Asher had one day, impatient for his snack said "smack" instead of "snack", so that's what he got. His friends had tried to correct him, but it was too late. Asher had been given a smack across the hands, correcting himself when he released what he had said. However, the following day Asher made the same mistake, this time taking the punishment on his knees. This happened for a few more days, until Asher stopped speaking. "We had a silent Asher for a few days." had said the Chief Elder. The Chief Elder had mentioned some of Asher's mistakes at the ceremony, which slightly embarrassed Asher.
Character Trait Adjectives:
Harmless (Chapters 1-8)
Any mistake that Asher ever made was not meant to harm anyone. It was just an innocent little mistake by the clumsiest kid ever. No intention of hurting anyone.
Town Clown (Chapter 7)
Asher is more than just a class clown – he's a town clown! His mistakes are entertaining for the community, and he also isn't breaking any rules!
Proud (pg. 53)
Asher is very proud of the Assignment he got – Assistant Director of Recreation. The author describes him as "beaming next to the Chief Elder". He likes recreation and he is relieved that he didn't get a bad Assignment.