When We Were Orphans | Teaching Key Figures

Character Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major characters in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Characters

Christopher Banks - This character is also known as Puffin.

Akira - This character is Christopher's best friend.

Sarah - This character is an orphan socialite.

Jennifer - This character is the adopted daughter of Christopher.

Christopher's mother - This character campaigns strongly against the opium trade.

Christopher's father - This character makes a living working for a trading company that is involved in the profitable business of opium trade.

Uncle Phillip - This character betrays the family by condoning Christopher's kidnapping.

Sir Cecil - This character is honored at the Meredith Dinner.