Comment on language and meaning

Language is a large part of the novel’s appeal to middle-grade readers, who will be drawn in by the quick-moving pace and observational humor in nearly every scene. Although the novel switches through multiple narrators, almost all of them are witty and pay particular attention to the way their words combine to create humor. Old phrases are brought to life in fun and exciting ways, as we see Brendan do here: “My dad always uses this expression: ‘If it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.’ Well, that isn’t always true. It looks like Ambrose, and it talks like Ambrose. But no way that’s Ambrose” (87). Here, the classic idiom is given a fresh take with Brendan’s contemporary language.