 | Carmen Bernstein |
Age: Carmen Bernstein is a 14-year-old freshman. Hair: Blondish and wavy shoulder-length. Eyes: Warm brown Body: She is "average height" and kind of on the thin side, so she thinks she goes unnoticed. (She wants to stay thin, though, so she's careful to stay away from food items named Danish or Polish, lest she end up looking like one of her short, square, hairy -- but lovable -- paternal grandparents.) Fashion-Sense: Carmen pays attention to fashion, but she's not a fashion plate. Likes/Dislikes: Carmen is on the school newspaper staff and she hopes to go to journalism school at Columbia and then work at the Washington Post (following Carl Bernstein, who is not a relative, though she still thinks they must be linked somehow). The writing that doesn't "fit" (physically or otherwise) with the school newspaper Carmen saves for The Mobile Blogger, her enormously popular blog. Carmen is a true water baby (she is an Aquarius, after all) and loves nothing more than swimming. She could be a star competitive swimmer, but she refuses to be on the school swim team for these reasons: (A) the practice is at 6 AM;
(B) the boys' practice time overlaps with the girls' practice by 30 minutes;
(C) step brother Sam (more about him later) is on the boy's swim team;
(D) she is terrified to dive. Parents: David Bernstein (Carmen's dad) is Jewish and Bridget Bernstein (her mom) is Catholic. She is their only child. They divorced when she was in the fourth grade. David has remarried and is suddenly very involved with his new family. Brothers/Sisters: Stepsister Riley (a junior in high school and an ultra popular cheerleader) and stepbrother Sam, who is the same age as Carmen. Carmen doesn't know how to feel about them. School: Carmen is an English whiz and is on the staff of the school newspaper. Writing is her passion. She's not so crazy about science or math, but she gets by. Crushes/Friends: Carmen has no current crush. She is friends with Nova from their volunteer experience at the library. Brooklyn and Rachel are her best buds. Secrets: Carmen is The Mobile Blogger, which no one knows. She also secretly loves swimming. First Book: Carmen Dives In (April 2005) | 