In Gangsta Granny, 11-year-old Ben lives a quiet life with his parents outside London, England. As the protagonist of the story, Ben has the most significant character arc in the book. At the beginning of the story, Ben is close-minded and bitter about Granny and “old people” in general. However, by the end, Ben realizes that he was too judgmental and that Granny was a fun, caring, and adventurous person like himself.

Ben is usually obedient and polite. For instance, he stays over at Granny’s every Friday night despite not enjoying it. While there, he politely thanks Granny for her cabbage soup and pie, even though he hates it and usually dumps it in a plant pot or throws it out the window. The author depicts Ben as a friendly and sensitive kid who does not like to upset people. While Ben has disagreements with his parents, he still tries to please them and make them proud. When they insist he dance in a competition, he genuinely tries and feels terrible when he receives a score of zero. Ben also does not want to hurt Granny’s feelings. When Ben complains about Granny on the phone, he feels guilty at the thought that she heard him talking about her.