Summary

Dan Santat, as author and narrator, describes how everything he knows centers around his small hometown of Camarillo near Los Angeles . His mother suffers from Lupus, so the family does not travel much, leaving Dan, an only child, to amuse himself with normal childhood activities in his hometown. He has a good childhood.

Things change in middle school as bullies come onto the scene. It is at this point that Santat’s life becomes stressful. He tries to stay small and invisible to avoid the ire of bullies, but then he is faced with his worst middle school experience when an assembly on drugs ends early, and Santat is called up to practice his speech for an upcoming speech tournament in front of everyone. As Santat recites a poem by A.A, Milne, kids start heckling him and laughing at him. Mr.Fitzgerald takes...