There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

Carla Davis is the new counselor at Red Hill School. To the Concerned Parents Organization, Carla describes her job, “Mostly, I just talk with [the kids]. I listen to their problems, but I never tell them what to do. I try to help them to learn to think for themselves” (147). Her role makes her character something of a mentor. She guides the younger characters; together, they unpack their difficulties. When Colleen is worried about inviting Bradley to her birthday party, she sees Carla (albeit without her parents’ permission). Jeff, too, talks to Carla about his issues with Bradley.

Bradley visits Carla often. She listens to his issues and doesn’t tell him what to do or how to act. If he wants to break something, he can. By not imposing herself on him, she reaches him and helps him think differently. Through their discussions, he realizes he doesn’t have to maintain his monstrous identity. Carla tells him, “The magic is in you” (143). She’s arguably the second main character. Her wisdom sparks Bradley’s change. Without her, no one propels Bradley’s transformation.

Carla is attractive. She has “light brown hair, almost blond, and clear blue eyes” (26). She has a quirky style that reflects her eccentric personality. She’s younger than the other teachers and sees herself as one of the kids. She tells Jeff, “We’re the two new kids at school” (32). She lets the children call her Carla and gains their trust by not divulging what they tell her.

Innocently, Bradley develops a crush on Carla. More accurately, he falls in love with her. Bradley tells Ronnie, “So, I love her? What’s wrong with that?” Ronnie replies, “Nothing. They just don’t understand about love” (124). The love turns Carla into a romantic interest, but the love isn’t sexual. It’s a result of their deep bond. Bradley has intense feelings for Carla’s character. Through her, he realized he could be a different person, and that’s a powerful discovery.

Jeff Fishkin is the new kid in Mrs. Ebbel’s class. He’s from Washington, DC, and, like Bradley, he lies. Mrs. Ebbel asks if he’s visited the White House, and Jeff says no—a lie, though not as ridiculous as Bradley’s falsehoods. Like Bradley, Jeff’s character changes. As Jeff’s character evolves, regresses, and evolves again, Jeff’s role changes.

Initially, Jeff plays the role of sidekick. However begrudgingly, he’s Bradley’s friend. They eat lunch together—although Bradley makes it look like an accident— and Jeff invites him over to do homework. About Bradley, Jeff tells Carla, “I felt sorry for him” (33). Jeff tries to be a positive influence on him. He thinks of reasons to avoid going to the girls’ bathroom and tries to avoid a fight with Colleen, Melinda, and Lori.

After Melinda hits Bradley, and Bradley says Jeff hit him, the other fifth-grade boys embrace Jeff, and Jeff’s role alters. He goes from Bradley’s friend to antagonist. Jeff ignores Bradley, and when Jeff tells his friends Bradley gave him a black eye, they threaten to beat up Bradley. Jeff is proud of his eight friends. Looking back on the time before his big group of friends, Jeff thinks, “I used to be such a jerk” (73). The statement is ironic. The reader might say the opposite—Jeff’s new friends made him a jerk. When he was friends with Bradley, he was caring and compassionate. Now that he’s friends with Doug, Curtis, and so on, he’s mean.

Bradley’s and Jeff’s character arcs have much in common. Both get beat up by Melinda and blame their respective black eyes on the other person. While Bradley struggles to go from a “monster” to a good person, Jeff arguably goes from a good person (sidekick and friend) to not such a good person (an antagonist) and then back to a good person again. In Chapter 32, Jeff stops his friends from bullying Bradley by saying hi to him. The hello makes Bradley a part of Jeff’s group of friends and brings Bradley and Jeff back together. They go to Colleen’s birthday party together, and Jeff re-embraces his role as a helpful sidekick and friend by helping him at Colleen’s birthday party.

For Colleen, Jeff is a romantic interest. She has a crush on him. She follows him into the boys’ bathroom and wants his leg tied to hers during the three-legged race at her birthday party. Arguably, Jeff likes Colleen. He tells her, “You can say hello to me whenever you want” (134).

Though they have separate identities, Sachar often presents Colleen Verigold, Melinda Birch, and Lori Westin together. They are a confident and willful group. They confront Jeff and Bradley and don’t let the two boys bully them. Instead, they bully the boys. Melinda punches Bradley in the face and later beats up Jeff. Through the three girls, Sachar upends gender norms. Girls are as tough as boys, if not stronger. Conversely, girls and boys don’t have to be in conflict. As Colleen’s birthday party reveals, girls and boys can share the same space, get along, and work together.

Of the three girls, Colleen is the leader. Melinda and Lori don’t worry about being each other’s best friends—they want to be Colleen’s best friend. When Colleen tells Melinda she’s her best friend, Lori cries, “I thought I was your best friend” (136). Colleen’s character is central in other ways. She screams the book’s title when Jeff accidentally enters the girls’ bathroom. Her birthday party gives the story an ongoing issue and provides additional tension and drama. Colleen’s parents also bring turmoil, as they refuse to sign the permission form and speak out against Carla.

Since Melinda beats up Bradley and Jeff, she’s the enforcer of the trio. Lori becomes the sidekick of Melinda and Colleen. When Jeff orders Colleen not to say hi to him anymore, Lori bombards him with so many hellos that they stick together “Hellohellohellohellohellohello” (93). After Melinda vanquishes Jeff, Lori holds up her hand and declares, “The winner, and still champion of the world…Marvelous Melinda” (94). Like Colleen and Melinda, Lori is energetic and assertive. All three girls have plucky characters.

Bradley’s mom, Janet, plays the role of homemaker and nurturer. When the reader first meets Janet, she’s preparing dinner: fish. She also takes care of Bradley. She runs him a bath after he gets beat up and bakes him cookies to make him feel better. She tries to protect Bradley from his stern dad. He asks her, “Did you want me to tell your father the truth? Do you want to be sent to military school?” (28). Concerning Bradley’s unruly behavior, Janet doesn’t know what to do. She asks Mrs. Ebbel, “What can I do?” (25). Bradley’s mom doesn’t have the answers, but she doesn’t pretend to know how to help her son change. Through Janet, Bradley sees Carla. As Colleen’s parents reveal, not all parents want their children to see a counselor. When Janet and her husband let Bradley see Carla, they come across as admirable adults.

Bradley’s dad, unnamed, plays the role of disciplinarian. When Bradley and Claudia complain about the fish, his dad says, “That’s enough. You’ll both eat what’s on your plates” (21). His job as a police officer reinforces his authoritative role. His backstory—a robber shot him in the leg—gives him layers. He’s experienced struggles. Due to the wound in his leg, he uses a cane to walk and does deskwork at the police station. Bradley’s dad is not a flat, one-dimensional character. He’s more than the stern, grumpy dad—he helps his son with his homework, teaches him how to dribble, and receives Bradley’s big hug at the end of Chapter 41.

Claudia is Bradley’s big sister and often plays the antagonist role. She makes fun of Bradley’s relationship with his toy animals and teases him about his relationship with Carla. Yet Claudia can be supportive. After she steps on Ronnie, she gives Bradley Bartholomew. She also helps him with homework and speaks out against the Concerned Parents Organization. She says, “They want to turn kids into robots” (124). Claudia is insightful, rather provocative, and compassionate.