Young Adult Literature; Family Drama
Young adult literature often focuses on young protagonists, and our narrator, thirteen-year-old Bart Rangely, fits the bill perfectly. Plus he finds himself struggling through classic young adult problems—things like not fitting in, still wanting to just be a kid some days, and hard feelings about his parents.
Which brings us to our second genre: While big chunks of the book focus on Bart's time at school, his home life is central to the plot. Bart wouldn't have even gone to Baileywell had it not been for the death of his father, and much of Bart's loneliness results from his desire to protect his fragile and depressed mother. Plus, as it turns out, Bart's bully, Tyro, has a lot of family drama going on, too.