How does the author use language in the novel, Threatened?

As the story is narrated by a 12 - 13-year-old boy who is self-conscious about his lack of literacy, the language choices are fairly simplistic, with a small smattering of words that may be unfamiliar to the reader but become clear through context (such as Prof's clothing, the taqiyah and the galabia). Luc often refers to people by nicknames instead of their actual names, such as "Prof" for "Professor Abdul Mohammad," as well as some characters who are never given a name at all (e.g. the Hunter and the shopkeeper). Similarly, he refers to certain things by the names he has for them rather than their actual names, such as "mock men" for chimpanzees and "moonsickness" for malaria. Though Luc encounters characters from various social and cultural backgrounds, no attempt is shown in the language to show a difference in vernacular (accents, speech patterns, etc.).