The novel’s primary theme centers on personal transformation and growth. Bradley starts the story as a defiant mean boy. The children don’t want to be around Bradley, and Bradley is proud of his repellant persona. He boasts, “Nobody likes sitting next to me!” (11). He brags about failing a test, and the narrator describes him as looking “like a good spitter” (13). He also lies constantly. He tells Mrs. Ebbel that someone stole the first note she gave him, and he tells his mom he’s the class president and gets all As.

Sachar attaches a slew of negative traits to Bradley. He creates a thoroughly unpleasant young person. The hyperbolic characterization adds humor to the story—it’s almost impossible to believe a young person could be so bad—but, more so, it sets the stage for the main theme: personal transformation and growth. By intensely spotlighting Bradley’s unruly conduct, Sachar enables readers to follow his growth. By the end of the novel, people like being with Bradley. He has friends: Jeff’s friends become his friends, and he gets along with the girls at Colleen’s birthday party. In his letter to Carla, he brags about receiving a perfect score on a test.