Classroom activities

Set a series of simple questions relating to the character to be answered descriptively by the student - eg physical appearance, role in the story, personality traits, relationships with other characters.
Ask the students to "Put your character's shoes on" - students write about how their chosen character would respond in different situations (eg if TV was banned, if an old man dropped his groceries, if his/her pesky sister was in an accident, if peers were pressuring him/her to do something wrong).
Create a class chart of main characters - categorise in terms of their personalities; discuss 'stereotypes'; classify as animal, human, supernatural, imaginary creatures; in a positive way list characters who may have things in common with students in the class (eg good at sport, an only child, had an adventure at sea, tells good jokes, wears purple boots etc.).
Illustrate - create a portrait based on the illustrator's work or from the student's own image of the character's appearance.

This can be part of 'The Literature Wall' - an ongoing activity. Use a simple chart with the letters of the alphabet displayed boldly. When the class or individuals have completed books, the author's name can be written up in an attractive style so the class builds up a list of different authors who have been read.
When completed (at the end of term or end of a reading contract for example) reduce to provide each student with a photocopy to keep - this will assist them when making further selections, reminding them of books, authors or genres they particularly enjoyed. It may also be very useful for parents to assist their children with book selections.

Use the selection of books to stimulate students to read a variety of authors and genres. Create an entire wall or display area where students' responses and activities are displayed and readily accessible for other students to view and admire.
Keep some large class charts on the wall, where everyone can contribute individual ideas or articles of interest. Add to it all the time or organise different students each week to be in charge of arranging attractive presentations on it.

As students progress through reading the literature (in individual contracts, in small groups, as serialised oral reading etc) have a large chart drawn up to which they can add the title of any book which matches questions/statements/criteria such as:
A riveting read! A book you can't put down! That's me! A book with a character like you! So unexpected! A book with surprise or unexpected twist! I'll try that! A book with a writing style on which to model your own story.
Statements may be simplified to suit the grade level or the theme in focus.

Students need to look at textual features of a book as well as the literary content. Discuss a front cover or read through chapter titles to stimulate interest before a book is read.
Students can use textual features to make predictions and discuss how successful these are in grabbing their interest. Students review these again after the book has been read to see if they feel differently or to assess how accurate their predictions were.
Ask students to rename the book or design an alternative cover which would give the reader some ideas about the story.