The protagonist of the story, Peter Hatcher, is approaching adolescence along with his peers, Sheila Tubman and Jimmy Fargo. They have just finished sixth grade and are all on the verge of major changes in their lives, and each has their own reaction to these changes.

The narrative depicts the process of maturation among the friends as being bumpy and uneven. Jimmy Fargo seems most at ease with the idea of growing up, although he doesn’t consider matters too deeply. Still, he has no issue being around Sheila once he sees how ordinary she is, and it takes Peter much longer to warm up to the idea despite being there first. Sheila, in contrast to Peter and Jimmy, seems to want to show the extent of her maturity. She offers to take care of Fudge, which she succeeds at, but she also frequently berates Peter for acting immature and props herself up as the most grown-up of the group. At times, she mirrors her older sister Libby and even Peter’s mother when she acts disapprovingly.

Peter’s reaction to adolescence is the most complex, as he exhibits irritation, nervousness, jealousy, awkwardness, and anger.