Writing for The New York Times, author Richard Peck said the novel "is crowded with more incident and empowerment than any eighth-grade year or novel can quite contain" but praised its emotional weight. Schmidt stated "I have always made fun of authors who say they had to write a sequel because there were characters they couldn’t get out of their heads, but now I have to take back all those truly horrible things I said." The novel was initially drafted from a third-person perspective, and Schmidt struggled with telling the story, but after switching to a first-person narration, Schmidt wrote on "my third start on this stupid novel, it was Doug telling the story and it was right." Like Doug, Schmidt was underestimated by his teachers until one taught him to read.
Over time, Doug gains the support and trust of people in Marysville, which allow him to face problems with confidence and hope. Doug improves his relationship with his gym coach by helping him in class and introducing him to Lucas, who suffers similarly with memories of the war. Around Christmastime, Doug's oldest brother Lucas returns home from Vietnam with permanent injuries, and Doug helps him adjust. Also at school, Doug and his gym coach, a struggling veteran, get off to a contentious start.
His physical science teacher assures Doug that he sees him as his own person. Doug also deals with the assumption that he is a petty criminal, because his brother Christopher is also assumed to be one. His English teacher is able to help him learn with an abridged version of Jane Eyre. Upon starting eighth grade, Doug reveals himself to be unable to read. Lil's father owns a deli, and hires Doug as a delivery boy, which lets him get to know other residents of Marysville. Doug also meets a girl named Lillian "Lil" Spicer, on whom he eventually has a crush. Doug starts to learn how to draw, starting with a copy of Audubon's Arctic Tern under the tutelage of Mr. In Marysville, Doug is fascinated by The Birds of America, a book illustrated by John James Audubon, on display under glass at the local library. It was the most terrifying picture I'd ever seen. This bird was falling, and there wasn't a single thing in the world that cared at all. The sky around him was dark, like the air was too heavy to fly in. And his beak was opened a little bit, probably because he was trying to suck in some air before he crashed into the water. His eyes were round and bright and afraid. His wings were back, his tail feathers were back, and his neck was pulled around as if he was trying to turn but couldn't. He was all alone, and he looked like he was falling out of the sky and into this cold, green sea. And on the whole page there was only one picture. Its pages were longer than a good-sized baseball bat.
Underneath the glass was this book, a huge book, a huge, huge book.
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