Sharla Norvell

Sharla Norvell is an 8th grade student at Whistling Pines Junior High.

Sharla is the school rebel with a tough exterior and a sensitive soul. She’s very hard to befriend, but anyone close to her knows she is insightful and caring. Her pessimistic attitude helps her avoid disappointment since she automatically assumes the worst about situations and people. Although she is not a bully, many peers perceive her that way since she does not back down from confrontations.

In Secret Paths to the Sea, she has long, light brown hair that hangs loose, unstyled. In the Rockett games, Sharla has dyed her hair golden blonde and styles it in a bun at the back with a pompadour fluff in the front. She uses heavy eye makeup in cool hues. She dresses punk - preferring leather and animal print clothes - and always wears heavy combat boots. Sharla is the second shortest character in the Purple Moon canon, behind Mavis.

Sometime after Purple Moon was sold to Mattel, Sharla's character design was changed. The most notable change being her hairstyle, which went from a pompadour/flip to short and spiky.

Background
Sharla is the eldest child and daughter of Emil and Loretta Norvell. Some years before the start of the Rockett Series, her father left her mother on bad terms. When he was walking out the door, her mother was crying. Young Sharla assumed it was because it meant Loretta would have to keep her job as a manager at the bowling alley. (Sharla implies in a poem that she was watching from a second story window in her old house.) By the time the events in Secret Paths to the Sea happen, Sharla hadn't seen her father in three years, although later materials state that he occasionally comes into town to see her and her younger sister, Janine.

Unlike other characters with separated parents, Sharla's family clearly has money problems; Secret Paths to the Sea shows that her family lives in a trailer; and in Starfire Soccer Challenge, she initially dismisses the idea of trying out for the Starfires because her family doesn't have enough money for the team's trip to England. Despite their financial issues, her mother lets Sharla have her own room while Janine sleeps in their mother's bedroom. She also has a part-time job at the Hot Dog Hut, a restaurant her uncle works at in the mall.

Personality
Because of her parents' broken marriage and her noticeably lower socio-economic status than the rest of her peers, Sharla has become bitter and rebellious. She has a hard time opening up to people and is often snippy to others; sometimes taking her anger out on people who have nothing to do with her problems. She is also pessimistic and, based on personal experience, generally assumes that anything good that happens to her will eventually go bad. She believes that it is best for people to take care of themselves before anyone else, in case anyone tries to mess with them emotionally.

Sharla despises the popularity scale in school and thinks that people are ignorant for following it. When Rockett tells her how great the Valentine's dance is going to be, Sharla points out that the vote for King and Queen of Hearts is just a popularity contest.

Interests & Skills
Sharla's main hobby is writing poetry, something multiple people, students and teachers alike, have noted that she is extremely talented at. She is a frequent performer at the Jive Juice Bar, and she wants to be a famous author when she grows up. When there is a thunderstorm, which she also likes, she will read poetry by candlelight. She likes wearing clothes with animal print designs and listening to hard rock music.

She also enjoys bowling and plays soccer in River County's AYSO league. As part of the Fireflies soccer team, Sharla enjoys playing any offensive field position.

Her favorite colors are black and silver.

Relationships
Sharla's best friend is Bo Pezanski. The two often skip classes, go partying, and pull pranks together. When either of them need to get away from their family, they will often stay at the other's place. At least one of Bo's older friends, Bloodhound, is a mutual friend of hers.

In New School, Miko notes that Sharla is friends with a black girl named Tayana. Tayana is never seen in the games or mentioned outside of this one reference so the extent of their friendship is unknown.

Academics
Sharla has Mr. Baldus as her homeroom teacher. Due to her tendency to skip school, she has a C/D in most of her classes. Naturally, however, she excels in her Creative Writing class (A-) and has a decent grade in Language Arts (B-). While her report card in Secret Invitation doesn't list it, she is in the same art class as Rockett and The CSGs. She doesn't participate in any extracurricular activities save for being The Pine, a role she shares with Chaz Franklin.

In Tricky Decision, Mr. Rarebit gives her information on the various art classes offered by the school after noting her talent in it.

From the 4th to 6th grades, Sharla was a champion speller.

Secret Paths to the Sea
Sharla is resentful of how an upcoming father/daughter school field trip spotlights that she hasn’t seen her own father since her parents got divorced and means she can’t go on the trip. She fights with her mom about who is to blame for the divorce and how much it hurts that her dad doesn’t come around to visit. Her mom pleads with her ex-husband to call Sharla but doubts that he will follow through.

After traveling her path of arctic caves leading to a frozen beach, Sharla finally gets to talk to her dad about the divorce and gleans new understanding about why it was best for her parents. She asks her uncle Horus if he will stand in for her dad on the father/daughter field trip, and he agrees, which means she won’t be excluded after all.

The secret stones in her necklace are Trust, Peace, Maturity, the story stone, and one unknown that has an animation of a girl sitting alone and looking out a window. Her story is "Mother of the Waves."

Rockett's New School
Before school, Sharla forged a note from her mother saying that she needed to be excused for the entire day to go to an eye doctor's appointment (so that she can see the board from the back of the class).

Sharla tries to get Bo to come to school with her, but he decided to skip just as he got to the Birdcage, much to her chagrin. When she initially meets Rockett in the Birdcage (depending on the player's choices), Sharla tries to scare her by offering to go hang out at a nearby corner store and teach her how to smoke. When Rockett declines, she mocks her for being a coward and conformist. A journal entry in her locker reveals that Sharla does not actually smoke cigarettes.

Before homeroom, Nakili accidentally bumps into Sharla in the hall causing her to yell at her. Miko sends her a letter later telling her to stop yelling at her friends and to think of "the Golden Rule." In homeroom, Sharla writes that she admires Rockett's confidence in being able to get up in front of the class and talk about herself.

Later in the day, Rockett receives an anonymous poem. The handwriting on the note matches Sharla's.

Ruben sends Sharla a note, calling her his friend and offering to talk to her about whatever is going on in her life, since he suspects that they could relate to one another.

At lunch, Sharla is one of the people Rockett can run into in the lunch line. Sharla sarcastically trades insults with Mr. Pill, calling him a friend of her dad's and asking Mr. Pill where her dad went.

At the end of the day, Jessie writes Sharla a letter to say hi since their gym lockers are next to each other.

Rockett's Tricky Decision
At the start of the day, Sharla sends Mr. Rarebit a note asking about the different art classes available and whether or not he has visited The British Museum. (He has.)  Sharla also receives a note from Bo telling her not to save anything important on the school computers due to the Jawbone virus, that he will see her sometime after lunch, and asks her for info on any Halloween parties happening that weekend.

After gym class, Sharla becomes fed up with Jessie leaving all of her stuff lying around and threatens to get her friends and beat her up. Rockett can choose to mediate, angrily confront Sharla, or stay out of the situation. In all instances, Sharla eventually backs off.

Sharla has plans to hit every Halloween party in town on the night of Oct 31. No matter which party the player makes Rockett attend in the game, Sharla can be periodically glimpsed in the backgrounds of the parties. She is wearing a red devil costume.

Rockett's Secret Invitation
If Rockett ends up in her Language Arts class during the day, she might be grouped up in a poetry group with Sharla, Arnold, and Arrow. In one choice, Sharla scolds Rockett for being negative about Arnold's poem when she herself hasn't even written one yet. In another, Sharla will share a dark, moody poem about loneliness and longing for someone. Rockett compliments her on it, but Sharla doesn't believe her.

At the end of the day, if Rockett chooses to go straight home after the meeting with the CSGs, she runs into Sharla and Bo waiting at the Birdcage for their ride to a party. After some banter among the three, the friends offer to have Rockett come along with them. However, when their ride from Bloodhound shows up, Rockett chickens out. As they pull away, Sharla wishes Rockett a happy holidays.

Rockett's First Dance
In their Language Arts class, Rockett talks with Sharla about the upcoming Valentine's Day dance. At some point in the conversation, Sharla notes that the Battle of the Bands and the King/Queen of Hearts contests are just lame popularity contests. Rockett can agree with her, tell her that no one cares what she thinks, or quietly argues that it might be fun anyway. In the last choice, Sharla notes that it's not fun for the two who are left out. When Rockett tells her that Sharla probably doesn't care, Sharla snaps at her for assuming she knows what it's like for her. Rockett apologizes, and Sharla notes that maybe she doesn't try to fit in because she just doesn't know how to. In the second choice, Sharla tells Rockett that she clearly cares what other people think of her, and that she can't make a decision without wondering how the popular kids will react. Eventually, Nicole interrupts their conversation and the two get into an argument. Mrs. Tinydahl angrily breaks the three up and forces Nicole back to her seat. In the next choice, if the player chooses the second option, Sharla tells Rockett to stay away from Nicole. Mrs. Tinydahl hears her and sends her to the principal's office for continuing to talk. In the third option, Sharla passes Nicole's note along to Rockett, but tells her to ignore it.

At the dance, depending on the player's choices, Rockett will run into Sharla. Just before the King and Queen of Hearts are announced, Sharla tells her that she and Bo stuffed the ballot box in her favor. Several locker items reveal that Sharla brought her cousin Gene Stanger as her date.

Rockett's Camp Adventures
When Nicole and Stephanie try to force Gabriella out of her place at the front of the line, Sharla comes to her defense, reminding Nicole that they are not in Whistling Pines. If Rockett sides with Nicole, Sharla calls her a sell-out and leaves with Ginger to go get in line. If she doesn't, Ginger holds her back when Nicole forces her way to the front anyway, telling her that fighting Nicole isn't worth it.

Sharla ends up on the Red Pinecones Team with Nicole and Stephanie.

When Ruben and Cleve play keep-away with Nicole's towel, Sharla encourages the two.

Rockett's World
Sharla is first mentioned in What Kind of Friend Are You?  While they haven't spoken to each other, Rockett thinks she's scarier than Dana or Nicole with her "raccoon-esque eye makeup", and "her perpetual sneer." The books mention that she has a smoking habit, but it is unknown if this is just Rockett's perception of her or if her character was changed to actually have one.

Purple Moon Place Treasures
See: /Treasures/