Lawn Boy

The unnamed narrator is a 12-year-old boy from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Despite having incredible level-headedness for his age, likely derived from his parents, he speaks at his age level—”except perhaps for not being quite gross enough,” notes Charles McGrath in his review. (“Review of Lawn Boy, by Gary Paulsen.” The New York Times Book Review, 12 Aug. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/books/review/McGrath-t.html.)

The boy’s slips in logic aligns with his still developing maturity. For instance, he interprets social mores as hard rules rather than nuanced moral codes, which shapes one of the novel’s central conflicts: The boy hides the business from his parents because he has internalized the idea that bragging is disrespectful. While his reasoning isn’t wrong, per say, it is incorrectly prioritized—in this case, filling his parents in on the results of amazing good fortune and solid work ethic would not really be boastful. Though there aren’t consequences for the secrecy, the narrative itself proves this particular maxim is less important than a more basic truth: His parents will support him regardless of any situation. Though the boy’s decisions are sometimes misguided, he has sincere intentions, and the story never punishes him for doing his best.

The boy’s sincerity and earnestness direct the narrative, affecting, for instance, how well the reader can understand Arnold’s economy lessons.