Point of View

The novel is narrated in third-person limited perspective in present tense from the point-of-view of William “Scoob” Lamar, an 11-year-old boy who is driving across the South with his grandmother, who he refers to as “G'ma.” Third-person limited means that the reader is only given access to Scoob's thoughts and feelings as the events of the plot unfold. At age 11, he is transitioning from childhood to adolescence and the author depicts that transition with nuance and and realistic details. Scoob agrees to embark on the road trip with G'ma in part because he is frustrated with his father's strict parenting style, particularly after he has been punished for getting into trouble at school. Rebelling against a parent's authority is one of the hallmark events of adolescence. Through Scoob's memories of the incidents at school, the reader learns that he is a sensitive and loyal boy...