The Terrible Two

“Welcome to Yawnee Valley, an idyllic place with rolling green hills that slope down to creeks, and cows as far as the eye can see.”

The opening lines of the novel establish the setting by describing the rural landscape. The fictional town of Yawnee’s name is symbolic as Miles finds it to be boring compared to his previous home on the coast. The description also alludes to the prodigious amount of cows in the town, which will become a recurring motif in the narrative.

“Notice the scowl. Notice the gloom. Notice the way his face is pressed against the window and he looks like he’s trying to escape.”

The author introduces Miles while he is in the car traveling to his new home. The author invites the reader into the narrative by addressing them and asking them to notice Miles’s facial expressions. His scowl and distant stare out the window convey his sadness at having to leave his home and move to a new town. The accompanying illustration also depicts Miles’s sad face.

“Miles ate his eggs. They tasted like dread, although that might’ve just been the dread.”

Figurative language describes Miles’s feelings about starting a new school. He can almost taste his anxiety in his food. The author breaks from the figurative and moves to the literal in explaining that Miles’s anxiety might be affecting his appetite which is a common side effect of anxious thoughts and feelings.