Treating Others with Respect

A major lesson the author wishes to impart to her young audience is that other people who may be different deserve respect. In this case, of course, the "different" person is Bluish, who is bald, pale-skinned, and confined to a wheelchair because of a potentially fatal cancer of the blood cells. By dealing directly with the uncomfortable feelings of Dreenie and the rest of the class with respect to Bluish's odd appearance and special needs, the author is showing young readers that it is perfectly normal to have such feelings. At the same time, we must acknowledge and then conquer such feelings for the sake of the different person's humanity and dignity. This idea is articulated most obviously by Dreenie's mother and father in chapter three.

One aspect of this lesson of respect is the author's subtle injection into the narrative of strategies young people...