Thread resurrection this may be, but, it did peak my interest. My charrie, Sabbath, is 11, going on 21. He is wise beyond his years due to a tough upbringing. He had to grow up fast, as did all his gyspy cousins in order to survive. Well that, and also the idea of writing as a 'stereotypical' 11 year old, elicited nothing but an inner groan from me, LOL.

I've posted in this thread before (see post #5), but since it was revived, I'll toss out some thoughts again.

I'm a teacher at a school where PK - 5th graders go to school. I've taught 3rd and 4th grades in the past, which where I live amounts to 8, 9, and 10 year olds. Our fifth graders are 11 going on 12, so they're what I imagine to be a first year at Hogwarts.

They're pretty mature. They're closer to a teenager in the way they act than they are a little kid. I think we do pretty good here on SS with how we portray them.

I personally have an 11-year-old son (well, will be in August) and he's still very much the baby. His brother, by high contrast, just turned 12 in February and has always been very mature and self-assured. So I do wonder sometimes what the "typical" 11-year-old is like, considering the vast differences between the two. Of course, they have some similar interests as brothers tend to, like Magic: the Gathering (a favorite card game of both my husband and me) and Minecraft. They're also just starting to get into enjoying role playing games like D&D and Pathfinder, which my husband is trying to find time to run for them. I was pretty mature myself, though I'm still very shy to this day. My husband was a little more like our younger son, though less the baby and more mischievous. I had a boyfriend from the time I was 10, rarely being single from that moment on. Not serious, mind you, but already interested in boys. My boys, on the other hand, have no interest in girlfriends. So I'm again left wondering what the "typical" 11-year-old is like.

At this point I've pretty much decided with Kyle, I'm just going to wing-it and do what seems about right for his upbringing. In a bit of contrast to me, he's shy around adults, though doesn't have trouble answering questions in class, and isn't shy around his peers. I was mostly shy around my peers, didn't like bringing attention to myself in class, and had easier relationships with adults. He's also got a healthy fear of heights, which I always had. Aside from that he's his father's son. Like me and my older son, he pays great attention to detail. Like me, dates tend to escape him, leaving him poor in history subjects. (Sorry Kyle!)

I don't know if this helps me play him realistically or not, but to be honest the best I have to go on are my own two sons and what little I can remember from my childhood experience.