“Kids who get called the worst names oftentimes find each other. That’s how it was with us. Skeezie Tookis and Addie Carle and Joe Bunch and me. We call ourselves the Gang of Five, but there are only four of us. We do it to keep people on their toes. Make ‘em wonder. Or maybe we do it because we figure there’s one more kid out there who’s going to need a gang to be a part of. A misfit, like us.”

Here, Bobby introduces the reader to his group of friends. The Gang of Five are unpopular, but they are able to maintain a sense of humor, support each other, and remain true to themselves. Bobby’s friends are extremely important to him. Moreover, the name “The Gang of Five” reflects the protagonists’ idiosyncratic sense of humor, one of the book’s defining qualities.

“Maybe it’s the whole rest of the seventh grade at Paintbrush Falls Middle school who’s misfits. Maybe when they grow up and go out into the big, wide world, they will see that Paintbrush Falls was the only place they could ever feel at home, because the rest of the world is made up more like me and the rest of the Gang of Five […] In other words: people who are misfits because they’re just who they are instead of ‘fits,’ who are like everybody else.” 

Even though Bobby and his friends don’t fit in at their middle school, they try to be themselves instead of trying to fit in. This quote touches on bigger themes of coming of age and growing up; here, Bobby is hopeful that once he becomes an adult, he will be more accepted for who he is. This is a common theme in coming-of-age literature: the idea of adolescents wishing they were older because they expect to function more easily outside the rigid hierarchies of high school.

“My dad says it’s better just to get along, not make waves. He says bringing attention can be a dangerous thing.” 

This quote, spoken by Bobby at the Forum, speaks to his character at the beginning of the novel. Bobby starts out as a character who tries not to draw attention to himself. However, by the end of the novel, he will learn that he can make change by speaking up and defying expectations.