Point of View

Kevin Henkes tells his novel “The Year of Billy Miller” from the third-person limited-omniscient point of view, with the central focus being main character and principal protagonist, Billy. The third-person narrator recounts the adventures and events of Billy’s second grade year, from the end of the summer before school begins to the end of spring, right before school lets out. The narration mostly follows Billy, including his inmost thoughts and considerations – such as being worried about beginning second grade. The third-person narrative also allows the writer to include important information for the reader that does not directly concern Billy, but figures into the plot overall, such as the Drop Sisters. The limited-omniscient narrative also allows a sense of unknowing, which factors into Billy’s life, and allows readers to learn things only as Billy learns them. For example, early on in the novel, Billy...