Point of View

The book is from the point of view of an all-knowing observer, while favoring the thoughts and observations of the young boy, Jared. The book is an interesting study in contrasts of points of view of the characters and the observer. The dialogue is largely between the Grace children, Jared, Simon and Mallory, with Mom there as a mediator and adult. The children, thirteen and nine years of age, are about the age of the children who would read the book.

The fact is that the book is still from a third-person standpoint and thus allows the author to give in-depth descriptions of the house and surroundings. This would not be possible if the book was written directly from the viewpoint of Jared. Various jokes about the age of the house and its personality can be brought in through a third-person observer viewpoint as well. An...