Chaz and Friends

Character Analysis

Henry and Keiko are the only Asian kids at an otherwise all-white school, and they're harassed pretty frequently for this by a boy named Chaz and his posse of friends. These kids are just bullies who buy into the idea that all Asian people are the enemy—and they try to make Henry and Keiko suffer for it. Henry spends much of his time ducking away from Chaz and his cronies, frustrated by how narrow-minded and mean they are. They might just be kids, but in this book Chaz and co. are a constant reminder of how racist the world Henry and Keiko live in is.