Friday Barnes

## Freitag "Friday" Barnes

Freitag Scheunen in Friday's real name. Scheunen is how you write "Friday Barns" in German, although her last name is "Barnes," with an "e." So, she is Freitag Barnes, officially.

### Aliases

Friday Barnes, Barnes, Friday, Freitag, Freitag Scheunen

### Relatives

Dr Rupert Barnes (father), Dr Evangeline Barnes (mother), Dr Orion Barnes (sibling), Dr Halley Barnes (sibling), Dr Quasar Barnes (sibling), Dr Quantum Barnes (sibling), Bernard Barnes (uncle), Helena Barnes (maiden name Wainscott) (auntie), Ian Wainscott (stepcousin), Bella Barnes (cousin)

## Biographical information

### Date of birth

Exact date unknown, but in October on a Thursday

## Physical description

### Eye color

Muddy Brown

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*"Of all the impertinence.."*

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ATTENTION! This page has spoilers. **A LOT** of spoilers! If you haven't read the whole series, you are advised to not read this page.

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**Friday Astrella Barnes** was a mistake to her parents, Dr Rupert and Evangeline Barnes, as they planned all their children systematically and when their youngest child applied for high school, Friday was born, making her notably younger than her siblings. However, this didn't make her any less smart. When she was in Kindy and was learning finger painting, she walked out and into Grade 1 (USA version), which made her skip a grade, although not legally. Like the family, she is also nonathletic and not good at any sport, except maybe yoga, and that might not even apply. When she was 11 years old, she solved a bank robbery and used the reward money to send herself to Highcrest Academy. Her parents only let her go in the third term, but she went in the first term like other students. Although she is extremely clever and has an academic mind, she does not understand social things like rhetorical questions, sarcasm and rudeness. This is due to her always being in the shadows, just observing and staying quiet.

Friday first met Melanie Pelly on the first day of term when a car crashed into her suitcase, which crashed into her and she fell over and hit a statue. Soon, when Friday went to her dormitory, they met properly and accepted each other as a roommate. Very quickly, Friday learnt of Melanie's unintentional, yet impeccable observing, her ability to tell when someone is lying and her constant wanting to sleep. Later, this is helpful to the plot of Girl Detective. Soon, Friday met Ian Wainscott during her first geography lesson and was amazed by his charm and good looks. However, Ian's impressive entrance didn't stay in her mind because as soon as Friday's IQ was learnt to be higher than Ian, imploded her pencil case while framing her. Though this is at first thought to be because of her IQ, this could have been because of her throwing his father in jail. Soon after that, Ian hid her clothes and threw it in the swamp. Throughout the books, there are sometimes when they are friends, but most of the time they are rivals and sometimes enemies.

During the whole series, Friday Barnes is the main character of the series, solving mysteries in every book, including one big mystery (see this page). Her "adventures" are normally done with her friends, namely Melanie and Ian. During the series, Friday and Ian are constantly thought of being in love and thought to be dating, including by the Headmaster. Melanie supports this movement and always annoys Friday and Ian with saying they are in love. This always ends in them denying, sometimes at the same time. But Ian and Friday did get together in book 8, after Friday kissed him.

## **Appearance**

She is described to have light brown hair and muddy brown eyes. It is constantly said that she is short, and sometimes it is a joke in the series. It is revealed that she is 5ft 2 inches at the age of 15. In the USA editions, she has short, shoulder, length hair and in the AUS editions, her hair is tied in pigtails with hairties.

Her signature costume is a brown cardigan, a black shirt, blue jeans, discount sneakers and of course, a green, porkpie hat. However, in the AUS covers (drawn by Lilly Pirri) she has a white shirt with yellow stripes.

It is known she has had that costume for a while. However, she did not have it in preschool, or at least the first day, because she wore a white lab coat and gloves because she heard 3-4-year olds were unhygienic.

Although she is mostly described as " dull-looking", Melanie once said that she would be quite pretty if she stopped wearing her brown cardigan.

## **Personality**

Friday Barnes, to say the least, is a child genius. Her IQ is very high - the same could not be said for her EQ. She hurts people's feelings without knowing, and she doesn't know what to do in a social situation. She also does not understand love - in Bitter Enemies, she had to define it scientifically to understand it.

Friday goes to Highcrest Academy, and is a girl detective there. She solves people's little problems, ie. Missing Homework, Missing Calculator, Cheating Classmate including a big one that lasts for the whole series, including a Swamp Yeti, Criminal, Thief, Pranker, Graffiti Artist, Bad Conditions of Camp and Headmasters. The book also ends on a cliffhanger, which normally only results in a small problem which can be Friday fixes easily in the next book, either on Previously in Friday Barnes or Where We Left Off. And even in Never Fear there is a cliffhanger! Danger Ahead and Bitter Enemies seems to be the only exception to this.

In the beginning, she is barren and emotionless, but later on she develops feelings. In Big Trouble, she almost cries, in No Rules, she faints because of a person (not blood), in Plot Thickens she actually cries (2 times) and in Bitter Enemies, she almost cries due to her brief trip to Switzerland.

## **Skills**

#### Good memory

This is said and shown throughout the book, especially in Danger Ahead. When asked whether she has a photographic memory, she dismissed this and said no one has a photographic memory.

Deductions

She can make logical conclusions based on just a little information.

#### Observations

Including the mundane, and remembering it. For example, in Girl Detective, Melanie commented that Miss Harrow gets new birds every Tuesday, and even though Friday was not interested in this at first, she used this evidence in her proving that Miss Harrow was the swamp yeti. She used her observation skills to solve many mysteries, big and small, throughout the entire series.

#### Cleverness

This is constantly shown throughout the whole series. She has no problem answering questions that teachers give her in class and knows more than most teachers in her school. In the last book she was moved up to yr 12 even though her other friends were in yr 8.

#### Picking Locks

It is said in Big Trouble that this was because her parents went to a conference in Kuala Lumpur and forgot to tell her about it, and she fashioned a pick and got in the house without keys.

#### Art

Friday has incredible art skills which were unlocked when she hit her head in The Plot Thickens. She has said it is better when she paints what is in front of her as she states she does not have many emotions.

## **Possesions**

#### Backpack

In her backpack there are many things, like a tension wrench, a battery powered angle grinder and latest state-of-the-art handcuffs.

#### Porkpie hat

This was a gift from her uncle, along with brown cardigans when Ian threw, along with the rest of her clothes, in the swamp, when they were arch-enemies in book one.

#### Brown cardigan(s)

She owns many of these, and wears them all the time to "blend in". This often works either too well, or not well enough.

#### Magnifying glass

She uses these to closely inspect things when she is solving mysteries.

#### Lockpick

Although this is in her backpack, she is consistently shown to use this.

#### Ham Radio

The ham radio was a gift from Uncle Bernie in Girl Detective as a loophole to communicate with each other. However, it has only been shown to be used once in Danger Ahead.

#### Phone

Friday receives an old '90s flip phone in book 8 from her uncle in a cake and Melanie used it to contact the police, as per Friday's instruction after Friday and Ian didn't return by "morning".

#### Nose

Friday uses her nose to sniff a lot of things, to solve mysteries.

## **RELATIONSHIPS**

### FAMILY (IMMEDIATE)

#### **Dr Rupert Barnes**

Her relationship with her father is not very good. In Girl Detective, it is thought that she only ignores him and lies to him when he attempts to act like a good parent. However, as it is shown in Big Trouble, there is much more to their relationship than it seems. At first, when Friday's mother gets kidnapped, he only asked Friday as a last resort. It is also shown he is very oblivious and unobservant. However, when he gets framed for, Friday still helps him and proves that he is not a thief. The only reaction to this was no thanks from him, most likely not even realising she did anything. In Bitter Enemies, he also used her as a ladder and as an anchor baby.

#### **Dr Evangeline Barnes**

Her relationship with her mother is not as known as her father. She is shown concerned when Friday said she was going to Highcrest, thinking she was 9 and in preschool. In Big Trouble, when she drops a helicopter on the school grounds, she doesn't say hello or goodbye to Friday. Though this could be because it is not the third term yet, it could also be to do with her having no emotion. In Bitter Enemies, she also used Friday as the anchor baby. However, Dr Barnes has also tried to have them all go on a holiday, is shown to be determined when her water broke in Switzerland and had the decency to be concerned when Friday announced she was going to go to boarding school, so maybe she isn't all that bad.

#### **Dr Quantum, Quasar, Orion and Halley Barnes**

Her relationship with her siblings is hardly known Friday used to keep away from her siblings whenever they played "Conjugate That Verb" and is known to, along with their parents, have no sense of location. They are all doctors. In Bitter Enemies, they used Friday as an anchor baby to gain visas and citezenships in Switzerland. Orion and Quasar tell her some shocking news at the end of Danger Ahead.

#### **Bernard Barnes**

Bernard Barnes, or, Uncle Bernie, is shown to be Friday's closest family member. In book one, Friday was always excited for Thursdays when Uncle Bernie visits and are both shown to enjoy watching plastic surgery and housewives shows. He also gave a ham radio when she first started at Highcrest, was basically the reason Friday is in Highcrest and gave Friday her signature green porkpie hat. Friday and Uncle Bernie has hugged before, so they are rather close for Friday to be hugging.

### FRIENDS

#### **Melanie Pelly**

Melanie Pelly, without doubt, is Friday Barnes' best friend. They first met in Girl Detective and they are both dormitory partners. They pretty much cannot do without each other. Melanie, without Friday, would not know what day of the week it was, be in the wrong class at the wrong time and not know how to do quadratic equations. Friday, however, would not know when she irritates the teacher so much that the teacher's about to have a brain aneurysm. Melanie Pelly also goes along with Friday for most of her adventures and attempted to go with her for her swamp yeti investigation. This includes even going out to save Ian when he just got kidnapped. Melanie also ships Friday and Ian together and it always annoys Friday and Ian. Nevertheless, Friday and Melanie are platonic best friends and the strength of their relationship is very easy to envy. Although it doesn't say in the book, it is pretty confident that Friday would sacrifice herself for Melanie and vice versa.

#### **Ian Wainscott**

Friday Barnes' and Ian Wainscott's relationship is...complicated. You can see the article here

#### **Harrison Abotomey**

When Harrison first arrived at Highcrest, he fell in love with Melanie. At first, everyone thought that Harrison was in love with Friday, not Melanie, which made Friday confused and Melanie go on and on about love triangles. Harrison kept on stalking Melanie, but since Friday and Melanie go everywhere together, they thought he was stalking Friday still. When it was revealed he likes Melanie, Friday didn't mind and Melanie and Harrison got together (Melison). This might have come to **Friday** and Harrison being friends, but that is unknown until Never Fear.

#### **Binky Pelly**

One of Friday's first mysteries was Binky's mystery of why Simmons is angry at him and where the homework went. Due to this, and his sister being Friday's best friends, they have become reasonably close. Binky looks up to Friday very much, almost as high regard as his rugby coach.

#### **Mirabella Peterson**

Mirabella was shocked when she learned her father was almost sued and became angry at Friday. This resulted in them hating each other, or rather, Mirabella hating Friday and Friday ignoring her. Mirabella then on promised to make Friday's life miserable, not knowing that her view of "miserable" was the complete opposite of Friday's view and failed terribly, as a lot of attention was often brought on her throughout  the all the books. Mirabella is a character who is constant in the series. Friday, in Danger Ahead, once solved the case of who made the bald spot in Mirabella's hair. Friday was also who Mirabella called on when she became "fat".

### **Delia Michaels**

Delia is the first person Friday solved a mystery for at Highcrest.

### **Parker**

Often needs help from Friday, not because he is troublesome, but because he gets on teachers nerves a lot from being dim-witted. - he also is in love with Friday, as seen in Book 8.

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**APPEARANCES**

* *Friday Barnes: Girl Detective*
* *Friday Barnes: Under Suspicion*
* *Friday Barnes: Big Trouble*
* *Friday Barnes: No Rules*
* *Friday Barnes: The Plot Thickens*
* *Friday Barnes: Danger Ahead*
* *Friday Barnes: Bitter Enemies*
* *Friday Barnes: Never Fear*
* Friday Barnes: No Escape