LITERARY ELEMENTS

SETTING

The story takes place in Coconut Cove, Florida, in the present day.

LIST OF CHARACTERS

Major Characters

Roy Eberhardt
Around 12 years old, he is the main character of the novel. He has just moved from Bozeman, Montana to Coconut Cove, Florida, where he is the proverbial “new kid.” The novel is a bildungsroman in a small subtle way as it shows Roy’s growing into a young man with integrity and compassion.

Mullet Fingers
Approximately the same age as Roy, Mullet Fingers is a nickname for Napoleon Bridger, a young man who has been rejected by his own mother, has no friends other than his step-sister, Beatrice Leep, and who is the first one to stand up to protect the Burrow Owls.

Beatrice Leep
The step-sister of Mullet Fingers, she, too, is a Trace Middle School student. She is tall and strong and plays soccer. She gives her step-brother his nickname and protects him from anyone who tries to hurt him.

Officer David Delinko
A young police officer who is determined to become a detective someday. He seems to grow up at the same time Roy does and in doing so, discovers what’s really worth pursuing in life.

Dana Matherson
A school bully, he targets Roy, because he is the new kid. He is the first “enemy” Roy must learn to face and conquer.

Minor Characters

Roy’s Parents
Two very astute people, they strive to teach Roy the right way to behave and how to be a young man who exhibits integrity. They understand that they must eventually allow him to decide the right thing to do even if the consequences might be too difficult.

Curly Branitt
The construction foreman at the Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake House site, he is at first cranky and judgmental. However, he, too, will come to understand the corruption behind the building of the Pancake House.

Chuck Muckle
A Vice-President for Mother Paula’s, he is determined to build the Pancake House in Coconut Cove in spite of the presence of an endangered species on the site. His corruption eventually catches up to him, and he’s caught in a bribe.

Kimberly Lou Dixon
The small time actress who plays the role of Mother Paula, she first comes across as crude and rough. It’s only when it’s discovered that the owls are at risk do we see her true nature - a member of the Audubon Society - come out.

Garrett
One of the few kids who will speak to Roy when he first comes to Trace Middle School, he is the son of the school guidance counselor. He feeds Roy information and helps him when he needs to find out Dana Matherson’s address. He is a friend when none of the other kids will even acknowledge Roy.

Lonna and Leon Leep
The parents/steparents of Beatrice and Mullet Fingers, Leon is a former professional basketball player who seems unable to take of himself, and Lonna is his second wife who actually rejects her son at the same time she steals from Beatrice’s mother.

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