Point of View

The majority of the novel is told from Clayton Byrd’s third person point of view. Since the novel is a young adult novel, writing from Clayton’s perspective gives the younger audience a similar perspective of the world as Clayton is a pre-teen. From Clayton’s point of view, Williams-Garcia mimics the way a young adult, or pre-teen, would see the world. Clayton for instance loves looking at the lizard in his classroom, or often expresses confusion at the way the world works since he only has partial knowledge of most situations. The envelopes handed between his mother and teacher, for example, demonstrate his limited understanding and acceptance of his own responsibility in these situations.

However, Williams-Garcia uses two key chapters to include Clayton’s mother’s perspective and point of view. The two chapters "Lost at Sea" and "Six Rings" allow the reader...