Roy is a practical middle school student who recently moved from Montana to Florida. Accustomed to being the new kid due to his father's government job, he relies on a quiet resilience to handle shifting social dynamics. He misses the mountains of his old home but finds himself drawn into a local mystery involving a running boy and a heavily guarded construction site.

Mullet Fingers is a deeply tanned runaway who survives on his own in the woods of Coconut Cove. He possesses exceptional outdoor skills, including the ability to catch live fish with his bare hands. Driven by a fierce dedication to protecting local wildlife, he operates outside the law to sabotage a commercial real estate project.

Beatrice is a tall athletic middle schooler with curly blond hair and red-framed eyeglasses. Known around Trace Middle School for her formidable strength and quick temper, she easily frightens other students. Behind her tough exterior, she harbors a strong sense of loyalty and goes to great lengths to feed her family members.

Dana is a large, hostile student who regularly targets younger and smaller kids at Trace Middle School. He smells of cigarettes and relies on physical intimidation to assert dominance over his peers. His aggressive behavior masks a severe lack of intelligence and stems from a dysfunctional home environment.

Chuck Muckle is the Vice President for Corporate Affairs at Mother Paula's. He cares only about profit margins, corporate image, and maintaining tight schedules. He verbally abuses his subordinates and completely dismisses any environmental concerns that might stall his real estate projects.

Officer David Delinko is an ambitious but clumsy Coconut Cove police officer. Stuck on traffic duty, he views the vandalism at the construction site as an opportunity to secure a promotion to detective. He means well but often bumbles his assignments, such as falling asleep during a surveillance shift in his patrol car.

Leroy "Curly" Branitt is the bald, stressed construction supervisor for the upcoming Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House. He struggles to keep the site secure from mysterious saboteurs while facing intense pressure from corporate executives. He stubbornly denies the existence of any protected wildlife on his property to keep the project moving forward.

The burrowing owls are tiny, long-legged birds with dark brown spots and piercing amber eyes. Standing less than a foot tall, they live in underground holes left by tortoises and armadillos on the vacant lot slated for commercial development. They represent the fragile Florida wilderness threatened by human expansion.

Kimberly Lou Dixon is an actress and former beauty queen runner-up who plays the character "Mother Paula" in television commercials. Beyond her corporate mascot persona, she works in B-movies and maintains a busy acting schedule.

Mrs. Eberhardt is Roy's practical and caring mother. She provides a stable, tidy home environment as the family frequently relocates for her husband's government job. Having previously lost a baby to a miscarriage, she is particularly protective of Roy and worries about his safety when dealing with school conflicts.

Mr. Eberhardt works for the U.S. Department of Justice, a career that requires his family to move often. He is a smart, observant law enforcement professional who quickly catches on to his son's evasive behavior. He trusts Roy's moral compass and offers quiet guidance rather than strict punishment.

Vice Principal Hennepin is an administrator at Trace Middle School who struggles to manage the school's social dynamics. She relies on strict rules and takes situations at face value, refusing to believe Roy's claims of self-defense because other students are too afraid to corroborate his story.

Garrett is a popular goof-off at Trace Middle School known for his elaborate fake bodily noises. As the son of the school counselor, he has access to student gossip and records, making him a valuable source of information for Roy as he adapts to his new school.

Lonna is Beatrice's stepmother and Mullet Fingers's biological mother. Formerly a cocktail waitress, she married Leon and immediately introduced conflict into the household. She harbors intense hostility toward her own son, frequently sending him away to specialized schools.

Leon is Beatrice's father, an extraordinarily tall former NBA basketball player. Once an elite athlete, he has settled into a sedentary lifestyle, spending his days eating junk food and watching television. He avoids conflict and remains largely passive during his new wife's outbursts.

Kalo is a beefy professional dog trainer with a thick German accent. He hires out his highly trained rottweilers to secure commercial properties. He is highly protective of his valuable animals and refuses to subject them to dangerous working conditions.

Mr. Ryan is a history and current events teacher at Trace Middle School. He pays attention to his students' interests and subtly encourages their engagement with real-world civic issues.

Kelly Colfax is a determined newspaper reporter investigating the controversy surrounding the Mother Paula's construction site. She aggressively pursues the truth behind corporate press releases.