Travis is the novel’s eighth-grade protagonist. The book’s main chapters are narrated in the third person but filtered through Travis’s perspective. Travis is quiet, reserved, and seems mysterious to other kids at his new school. He never learned to read properly, was frequently bullied at his old school, and has violent impulses, so he’s full of self-doubt. However, Travis is really a highly intelligent, creative, and tender person, but he hasn’t been given proper opportunities to showcase his positive qualities until things start to change for him at his new school. Travis’s journey towards literacy develops The Challenges and Transformative Power of Literacy. At his old school, he was bullied for being “stupid,” and the reading specialist constantly told him to “just try,” which Travis resented because he actually was trying. At his new school, a dedicated teacher with creative methods named McQueen gives Travis new confidence and inspiration, showing him the joys and opportunities that reading can provide. This prompts Travis to embark on a journey to literacy because he craves the ability to “crack” the “code” of written language and access the secret stories, knowledge, and wisdom that are only available through texts.