Kester Jaynes

Kester Jaynes is the narrator and hero of the novel. He is on the verge of his 13th birthday and has bright orange hair. He is very thin, which makes it easy for him to escape through tunnels and to be carried by pigeons. When he was six years old, his mother died suddenly. Without even having the chance to say goodbye to his father, Kester was shipped off to Spectrum Hall where he was bullied for having lost the ability to speak after the shock of the tragedy. He spends most of his time alone, feeding cockroaches and trying not to provoke violence from his peers.

Kester’s isolation is broken when a group of cockroaches arrive and tell him he must come with them to save the world. Kester follows and is carried to the far north by a group of pigeons. When he arrives...