What is the point of view, and why it is important?

The story is narrated by the author, Jerry Spinelli, looking through the eyes of Donald Zinkoff. All of the book is written in the third-person "he," except the very beginning, when the author addresses the reader in the second-person "you." Looking only into Zinkoff's mind gives the author distance from the thoughts of all the other characters, which means he can concentrate on a deeper exploration of Zinkoff's emotional and mental experiences. It also creates space for the author to interject opinions and ideas as the narrator, which he mainly does through commentary on what it is like to be a kid in elementary school, particularly one who does not fit into the mainstream. Such a point of view has the potential to become rather preachy if the author comments too much, rather than following the thoughts of his character, but for the most part Spinelli avoids falling into that trap.