How do I keep track of characters in a book with ADHD?

Keep a short cast list: name, who they are in five words, who they are tied to, and the page you met them. Add a character only the second time they appear, so the list stays short.

Is there a free printable character list template?

Yes. This page prints a one-page cast list with twenty lines and a second box for places, groups and invented words.

Are the character lists at the front of books spoiler-free?

Not always. Some describe characters in ways that reveal later events. Read only the entries for people you have already met.

Is there an app that keeps a spoiler-free cast list?

Magic Bookmark builds a cast list only from what you have read, for its supported titles on iPhone. Kindle's X-Ray explains characters and terms in Kindle ebooks that include it. We have not tested either hands-on for this page.

§ · Appendix · 3 min · Checked 27 October 2026

What goes on a cast list when ADHD keeps dropping the names?

A cast list needs four things per character: the name, who they are in a few words, who they are tied to, and the page where you met them. Add a line only when a name comes back a second time, and you will write a handful of lines per evening instead of a census. The printable below fits a long novel on one page.

Reading aids: · ·

Why do names fall out?

A novel introduces people faster than it explains them, and you have to hold each one in mind until the story makes them matter. That holding job leans on working memory, which is one of the areas where many people with ADHD have less room. When a name reappears two hundred pages later, the context is gone, and the scene stops making sense. Why you forget what you read goes into the mechanics.

A cast list is working memory on paper. You stop trying to hold everyone and start looking them up.

What is the second-mention rule?

Do not write down every name. Most named characters appear once. Add someone the second time they show up: by then you know they matter, and you have a better idea of who they are. This keeps the list short and the reading moving.

What each column is for.
Column	Example of what to write	Keep it to
Name	The name the book uses most	One name; add a nickname in brackets if needed
Who they are	Captain of the guard; narrator's sister	Five words
Tied to	Works for X; rivals Y	Two names
Met on page	p. 42	The page or chapter
Last seen	p. 310	Update when they return after a long absence

Cast list

Second-mention rule: add a character the second time they appear. Write in your own words. Never write what you think will happen.

Name	Who they are	Tied to	Met on page	Last seen

Places, groups and words

For fantasy and sci-fi: houses, factions, cities, invented words.

Name	What it is	First seen

Does the book already have one?

Many long fantasy and historical novels print a list of characters or a map at the front. Use it, but be careful: printed lists sometimes describe people in ways that give away later events. Read only the entries for people you have already met. Your own list is spoiler-proof because you wrote it.

Can an app keep the list for you?

Some can. Kindle's X-Ray, on Kindle ebooks that include it, lets you press and hold a character, place or term to learn more about it. (Amazon KDP) Recap tools go further for some titles: Magic Bookmark builds a cast list of who's who and how they are connected only from what you have read, so new characters appear once you have met them, for print, ebook and audio copies of its supported titles on iPhone. (magicbookmark.com) We have not tested it hands-on. A paper list still has one advantage: writing it is itself a small act of recall.

When should you start one?

Any book with a list of characters printed at the front.
Any book where you have already had to flip back to check who someone is.
Any series, from book one. Your list from book one is your recap before book two; see reading a long series and the series tracker.

Sources

magicbookmark.com (cast list description), checked 2026-10-27 checked 2026-10-27
Amazon KDP Help: X-Ray for Authors

Tools that serve this method

Labeled tool cards: the only purchase links on a method page.

Magic Bookmark

BORROW FIRST65/100

A spoiler-free recap and cast list that stop at your exact page, for print, ebook or audio copies of supported titles.

Free first book, then $1.40 to $4.99 per book · Time to First Page: Not yet measured · Desk review · provisional

A paper reading log

SHELF ITNot scored

A notebook page with a line per book: the tracker that cannot notify you.

$ · Time to First Page: Not yet measured · Community-sourced (n=not stated)

Questions

How do I keep track of characters in a book with ADHD?: Keep a short cast list: name, who they are in five words, who they are tied to, and the page you met them. Add a character only the second time they appear, so the list stays short.
Is there a free printable character list template?: Yes. This page prints a one-page cast list with twenty lines and a second box for places, groups and invented words.
Are the character lists at the front of books spoiler-free?: Not always. Some describe characters in ways that reveal later events. Read only the entries for people you have already met.
Is there an app that keeps a spoiler-free cast list?: Magic Bookmark builds a cast list only from what you have read, for its supported titles on iPhone. Kindle's X-Ray explains characters and terms in Kindle ebooks that include it. We have not tested either hands-on for this page.

Changelog

2026-10-27 · Initial publication.

Scores on this page come from the rubric: how we test.