Blubber characters

Appears from the start

A fifth grader who narrates the story. Jill is lively, confident, and eager to amuse her classmates. She does not begin the campaign against Linda, but she joins it readily and often treats her own cleverness as more important than the harm being done.

Also known as Blubber

Appears from the start

An overweight girl in Jill's class. After giving a report about whales, Linda becomes the target of a degrading nickname and organized harassment. She is quiet, socially isolated, and given little meaningful protection by classmates who see what is happening.

Appears from the start

The socially dominant girl in Jill's class and the chief organizer of the bullying directed at Linda. Wendy presents commands as games or group decisions, using approval and the threat of exclusion to make other children participate.

First appears in chapter 2

Jill's close friend outside the shifting classroom hierarchy. Tracy shares Jill's taste for jokes and imaginative schemes but is not governed by Wendy's approval in the same way, giving Jill a friendship separate from the group targeting Linda.

Appears from the start

A classmate who stays close to Wendy and helps reinforce her authority. Caroline follows the group's treatment of Linda and benefits from remaining on the safe side of the class's social divisions.

Appears from the start

Jill's fifth-grade teacher. Mrs. Minish assigns the oral report that prompts Linda's whale presentation. Much of the bullying takes place within the class community without her recognizing or stopping its full extent.

First appears in chapter 2

Jill's younger brother. Kenny is part of her home life, where teasing and arguments occur within the boundaries of a family relationship rather than the coercive social campaign developing at school.

First appears in chapter 2

Jill and Kenny's mother. She expects Jill to take responsibility for her choices and imposes consequences when Jill's pursuit of excitement crosses into damage to someone else's property.