Reggie Frye is My Favorite Guy by: Kimberly Sabatini

This month we're talking about our favorite characters we've written. 

I LOVE all my characters. I've written them in YA, MG and picture books--but my favorite has to be Reggie Frye. 

Reginald Hemmingway Frye was once the very first character of my very first and very badly written rhyming picture book. And he keeps popping up, in some shape or form, as a character in a variety of projects I've written. I know who he is from Pre-schooler to teenager andf everything in between.

In general, he is a persistent and lovable fellow with a vivid imagination and an internal compass stearing him to be his most authentic self. I can't wait until the day he's on your bookshelf and stolen your heart like he has mine.

Here's an exerpt from my young middle grade novel--REGGIE FRYE: THE UNDERWEAR ESCAPADE

“Reggie! What are you doing out of bed? You start school tomorrow morning.” Mom pinched the skin between her eyes, smearing some nut butter on the bridge of her nose. She was doing that thing she always does when she gets a headache. 

Reggie nodded. He was a headache-making machine. He didn’t even have to try. He was just good at it.

“Sorry, Mom. I’m going right back to bed. All I need to know is where you put my Galactic Hero underwear. I’m going to wear that kind to school tomorrow.”

“Oh, Reggie. You can’t have your Galactic Hero underwear back.”

“I can’t?”

“It looked like you were pretty happy with your new boxers, so I used the old ones.”

Reggie’s eyes grew to three times their size. It wasn’t a pretty sight picturing your mom wearing your teeny-weeny Galactic Hero undies. 

“Oh, for goodness sake, Reggie.” Mrs. Frye had the unusually amazing ability to read his mind. “I wasn’t wearing them. I love Galactic Heroes as much as the next mom, but do you really think I could fit into those little pants?”

Reggie snort-laughed thinking about his Mom trying to stuff herself in. “I guess not.” He giggled. 

She giggled, too.

“So, what did you do with them?” Reggie asked, dipping his finger into the nut butter jar when his mom turned her head.

“I used them to wash the windows. They fit on my hand perfectly.” Mrs. Frye wiggled her fingers. “But I threw them out when they got too dirty. I’m sorry. I didn’t think you wanted them anymore.”

Reggie nodded. “I didn’t, until now, but that’s okay. I’ll figure something else out.”

Mrs. Frye bit her lip and called out, “Figure something else out?”

But Reggie had already dashed back upstairs. Just like Captain Rador, he was a man with a plan. He’d solve his own problems, make himself snake proof for tomorrow and find a way to convince Mr. Boomba he was born to be the very first Galactic Heroes Fourth Grade Battalion Commander. 

And here is your teaser...