The novel’s hero and protagonist, Holling Hoodhood, is an average seventh-grade boy. He loves baseball, lunch recess, and adventure stories, and he has a crush on Meryl Lee. Holling narrates the story from a limited, first-person perspective, so the reader only sees his interpretation of characters and events as he navigates the perils of seventh grade: a teacher who hates him, classmates who regularly issue death threats, and bullying from “penitentiary-bound” eighth graders (182). Schmidt’s use of casual diction, including slang and direct address to the reader, adds to Holling’s voice as the narrator, creating humor and making it feel like he’s talking to a friend.

When the novel begins, Holling is content to remain in his comfort zone and stay on his father’s good side. He smiles and nods when his father talks about Holling taking over the family architecture business someday, and he stays out of arguments between Heather and his father. However, Holling matures over the course of the school year. He tries new things, such as playing Ariel the fairy in the local theater production of The Tempest and taking up cross-country running.