Content Warning: The source text includes anti-fat bias as well as outdated and insensitive terminology to refer to Indigenous Americans, people without permanent homes, and people with disabilities. The text also features the theft of Indigenous artifacts by non-Indigenous people.

Last Bus to Wisdom is a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story. The novel is an unusual example of this genre in two respects. First, rather than following the main character, Donal, over a period of months or years, the author focuses on a single, pivotal summer in which the protagonist faces a series of challenges that transform his self-image and core beliefs. Early in the trip, Donal confesses that—twice in one day—he realizes he is not up to facing the world on his own. By the end of his two lengthy journeys, however, he has earned a place for himself, and he works toward protecting and providing for the very people who have cared for him. Second, while the main character is a tween boy, the book contains a number of adult references. Donal, who is raised around ranch hands and dropped into a camp of migrant workers, finds himself exposed to callous speech and innuendos.