Writers are usually avid readers. So it makes sense that they would create characters who share this characteristic. Often for this reason, these characters act as an author surrogate—representing a fictionalized version of themselves directly within the pages they write.

• Hermonie Granger (Harry Potter series): The brainy friend of Harry Potter and Ron Weasly, Hermonie is no stranger to a book or the Hogwarts library. Often called the brightest witch of her age, she no doubt became so smart because of all that reading.

• Matilda Wormwood (Matilda): Matilda learns to escape her horrible family by reading constantly. Despite being only five years old, she teaches herself to read and spends as much of her time at the library as possible.
• Francie Nolan (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn): "The world was hers for the reading." Despite her poor background, Francie is a voracious reader who spends time in the library and reading under the Brooklyn Bridge. This helps her escape the struggles of her background.
• Quinten Coldwater (The Magicians series): Quinten is an overly average and unimpressive protagonist. But his greatest superpower is a love for the fictional Fillory book series (similar to the Chronicles of Narnia) which turn out to be more real than fantasy.
• Liesel Merminger (The Book Thief): During the tragedies of WWII Germany, Liesel escapes her situation through books. But because there are so few books to be found amidst the war, she must steal them the local mayor and his wife.
• Klaus Baudelaire (A Series of Unfortunate Events series): All three of the Baudelaire orphans have a skill that helps keep them alive despite some unfortunate events. For Klaus, that’s reading books and finding out much needed information.
• Bastian Balthazar Bux (The Neverending Story): The young protagonist steals the eponymous story from an antique bookstore. In reading the book, he’s literally pulled into the story and becomes a character in the narrative.
• Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice): Being well-read was a common trait among many of Jane Austen’s heroines. This is certainly true for one of her most well-known characters. Elizabeth is described as being “a great reader, and has no pleasure in anything else.”
• Mr. Gilbert Norrell (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell): Mr. Norrell is a British practical magician and owner of the largest collection of books on magic in the country. He’s built this collection, in part, to deprive others of the books, of which he’s very protective and jealous.