About the Characters

Kate Merritt- Kate is the main protagonist of Angel Sister. She is a spunky, independent fourteen year old girl living in Kentucky with her parents and two sisters. As the middle child, Kate feels she has to do double duty and look out for both Evie and Tori. She is wise beyond her years and always trying to solve problems. Kate is the sister who takes their current situation the hardest and feels the most emotional burden because of her father's addictions. Kate never complains about having so many responsibilities, she simply just deals with them and does her work. She can be a very caring person, as shown when she takes care of Victor after he comes home drunk late at night, or when she first helps Lorena. When Kate finds Lorena abandoned by her family on the steps of the church begging for an angel, she immediately knows she has to help, no matter the price. She stands up for what she believes in and doesn't like to back down. At the end of the day, she would do anything for her family and friends.

Nadine Merritt- Nadine, the daughter of Preacher Reece, is married to Victor. She has three daughters- Kate, Evie, and Tori. Despite her father's disapproval, she dates and marries Victor at a young age because they are madly in love with each other. She takes charge of the household when Victor can't and sometimes enlists the help of Kate. She felt like she could never live up to everything her father wanted from her and feels like a disappointment to him. Nadine doesn't really agree with what her father does, including constantly quoting scriptures and praying over her. As much as she loves God, she just doesn't feel everything her father does is what is right for her. She wants to take charge of her own life and live up to his expectations, but doesn't want to leave Victor or the rest of her family.

Victor Merritt- Victor is the son of Grandfather Merritt, who doesn't approve of his relationship with Nadine. He first fell in love with Nadine and knew she was the one he wanted to marry when they discovered they shared a love for the poem "Evangeline" during school. Victor leaves his family and Nadine to go fight in World War I, but when he comes back, he is struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and an alcohol addiction. He wants to be able to take care of and support his family, but he feels like he has let them all down. He feels bad when Kate must care for him in his broken state. Victor could never please his father either, and he wants to finally be able to take control of his life.

Lorena Birdsong- Lorena is the five year old girl Kate finds abandoned on the church steps when she is supposed to be bringing her grandfather some jam. Lorena was left behind by her family in the hopes that she would be taken in by someone who could take care of her in the way that she deserves, as they were unable to do so themselves. Lorena's mom promised that they would return for her as soon as they could and gives Lorena a piece of paper with her name and birthday on it so she will never forget who she is. When Kate finds Lorena, she is crying because an angel hasn't found her yet, as her mother had promised would happen. She tells Kate that she has to be angel, but Kate tells her she is far from one. She helps Lorena and brings her home, but little does the Merritt family know how much a five year old girl named Lorena Birdsong was needed to keep their family from tearing apart at the seams.

Preacher Reece- Preacher Reece is the father of Nadine. He owns a church in Rosey Corner. He's extremely disappointed in Nadine when she starts going out with Victor, and is even more enraged when he discovers they are getting married. Nadine never could live up to his expectations, and he constantly prayed over her and quoted scriptures to her. After Kate and Aunt Hattie stand up to him about Lorena, he suffers a stroke and loses his ability to talk and move.

Grandfather Merritt- Grandfather Merritt is the father of Victor. He also runs a church in Rosey Corner. Victor could never please him no matter what he did and is not pleased at the fact that he is with Nadine. Grandfather Merritt and Preacher Reece are on opposite sides of the fence and do not get along at all. He blames Victor for the death of Preston, his other son, who drowned.

Evangeline (Evie) Merritt- Evie is the oldest of the Merritt girls at sixteen years of age. She has fiery red hair and a very ladylike personality. She gets scared at little things. Evie refuses to climb trees or catch frogs down at the lake and prefers reading by the oil lamp to playing hide-and-seek in the dark. She tends to ignore things that don't fit into the way she wants them to be.

Victoria (Tori) Merritt- Tori is the youngest Merritt sister. Her biggest worry is whether she can find enough worms to go fishing. She loves messing around outside and isn't proper like Evie.

Aunt Hattie- Aunt Hattie knows almost everything, considering that she's delivered nearly every baby in Rosey Corner for over thirty-six years. Some people tried to ignore her unless they needed her, but not Nadine. Nadine says if there's one you can depend on in the world, it's that Aunt Hattie will tell you the truth, like it or not. She's not afraid to stand up for her beliefs and the people that she loves, like Kate.

Carla- Carla is Preacher Reece's wife, and Nadine's stepmother, who married secretly Preacher Reece after Nadine's mother died during childbirth. Nadine doesn't like Carla, and Carla doesn't like Nadine.

Ella Baxter- Ella is Carla's sister. She and her husband Joeseph are the family chosen to take Lorena in by Preacher Reece, much to the disapproval of Kate and her family. She forces Lorena to call herself "Polly" because Lorena is not a "proper name", hits her with a fly swatter, and locks her in a closet. She doesn't care about what is best for Lorena.

Fern- Fern is the strange woman who lives in the woods who every is afraid of. Kate and Lorena begin to trust her after she helps Kate escape from the outhouse and rescues Lorena from the Baxters'.