What benefits does writing this as a journal give a novel? What limitations does the first person POV give this novel?

The book is divided into sections that resemble entries in a diary or journal. This gives the narrative a more intimate feel. At one point, Paul says that he refers back to his entries in order to refresh his memory of what happened. At another point, he says that he took time to finish writing a section before going to bed. Entries vary greatly in length. Some are less than a page but others are several pages. For example, the entry dated Friday, November 10, is thirteen pages while Tuesday, September 12, is only slightly more than a page in length. There are several dates that are entered twice. In these, Paul refers to the first as the date and adds the word, "later" to the second entry of the same date. The book is further divided into three "parts." Part one begins with the arrival of Paul and his mother at their new home in Tangerine County, Florida and ends on page 94. The first entry of the section is dated Friday, August 18, and the final entry of the section is dated Friday, September 15. This final entry is the day Paul realizes he can transfer to Tangerine Middle School and be eligible to play soccer. Part two beings with a diary entry dated Monday, September 18, with Paul arriving for his first day of school at Tangerine Middle School. The final entry of the section is dated Friday, November 10. This is the day the Tangerine Middle School soccer team faces the team from the Lake Windsor Middle School. Part three begins on page 201 with the diary entry dated Monday, November 20. The section opens with Paul's friends visiting to discuss their science project and includes the description of Erik hitting Tino in the face. This section concludes with page 303 and the entry dated Wednesday, December 6, which is the end of the book.