Aaron is Tess’s foster brother. The 13-year-old is “[s]kinny as a spar” with “a pinched-sour mouth,” hair as “bright as October leaves” that “falls near to his shoulders,” and eyes that are “muddy green, like the sea deep in the coves” (13). The author uses Aaron’s physical appearance to show how he faces immediate judgment and stereotyping from the residents of Bethsaida. Mrs. Coombs says that he looks like a “juvenile delinquent,” and local superstitions that red hair is unlucky contribute to Tess’s negative first impression of him.

The Brooks are Aaron’s third foster family in three years, and these frequent moves make it difficult for him to trust in or rely on others: “Every time I thought I could count on people—the time came when I was in a car going to another house. I can’t keep doing this” (140). At the start of the novel, Aaron is emotionally guarded, an attempt to shield himself from further pain, and his anger toward his situation and his lack of control over his life make him “short-tempered” and “prickly” toward the Brooks. His gradual transformation and openness toward his new foster family speak to his resilience.

Another one of Aaron’s strengths is his creativity. The boy is a skilled musician who plays the trumpet and piano, and music serves as an essential escape, a form of self-expression, and a constant for him amid the many changes and challenges of his life. He also possesses a gentle and caring side that’s revealed through his interactions with nature. As Tess observes, he “worries about seals being hungry and whether lobsters are happy or not” (172). Despite the isolation and anger he contends with, Aaron emerges as an empathetic, creative, and resilient individual.

As the novel’s deuteragonist, Aaron shapes the story’s structure and meaning. His arrival on the island is the novel’s inciting incident, and the protagonist’s primary goal is to make him want to stay with her family. At first, this motivation stems from Tess’s desperation to remain in her familiar home, but she comes to appreciate her foster brother for his own sake. Aaron’s round, dynamic characterization contributes to the story’s realistic examination of the complexities of the foster-care system. He doesn’t allow himself to feel his anger toward his biological mother until late in the story, when he finally voices the difficult feelings he’s kept bottled up most of his life: “I tried to get you help, and look what happened! They punished me for it!” (171). Seeing her for the first time in eight years advances Aaron’s character development and the theme of The Need for Connection and Belonging. He goes from believing that returning to his mother’s custody is the only way for him to be “where [he] belong[s]” to deciding to make Bethsaida his home (175). Aaron’s decision to remain with the Brooks family gives the novel its happy ending and shows that belonging can be cultivated over time.

Mr. Brooks is Tess’s biological father and Aaron’s foster father. The hardworking, caring man demonstrates his strong sense of responsibility to look after his family through his dedication to his work as a lobsterman, which he describes as a “dangerous way to make a living” (55), and through his emotional availability. In an important scene for the development of his characterization and his bond with Aaron, Mr. Brooks consoles the boy about his grandmother’s death and says that he’s “been through more than any child should have to” (87). Near the end of the story, he demonstrates his loving, dependable personality by comforting Tess after her plans for the talent show go awry, even though she’s in trouble. The author portrays Mr. Brooks as a dedicated, caring parent who helps Aaron and his daughters feel safe and valued.

Mr. Brooks supports Tess and Aaron’s growth, advancing the novel’s explorations of belonging and superstition. He’s the first member of his new foster family with whom Aaron bonds, and Tess hypothesizes that this is because he “doesn’t have a dad” and craves a male role model (74). Mr. Brooks offers a steady source of emotional support to the guarded boy, gradually helping him open up and trust other people. He also helps Tess stop relying on Superstition as an Attempt to Cope With Life’s Uncertainties, telling her, “You […] have to let go of thinking ‘I can only be happy if…’ and find a way to carry your happiness inside you” (173). In addition to shaping other characters’ development, Mr. Brooks experiences his own dynamic growth when he changes his mind about Tess following in his footsteps and embraces her desire to become a fisherman at the end of the novel, a shift that contributes to the happy ending.

Eben is a classmate of Tess’s who bullies her and Aaron. One of the boy’s most prominent traits is his cruelty, as evidenced by his long history of tormenting Tess: “Ever since kindergarten, Eben’s been a thorn in my side: always picking on me and trying to outdo me at everything” (6). Throughout the novel, he makes hurtful remarks toward Aaron and Tess, such as the note that he leaves in Aaron’s music book: “Go home! Oops, you can’t. Right, orphan?” (111). Eben also possesses a vindictive streak. After Aaron punches him for his unkind words during his first full day on the island, the bully swears to get revenge and retaliates by sabotaging Aaron’s performance at the Fourth of July picnic.

Like many fictional bullies, Eben hurts others as an attempt to manage his own emotional pain. He repeatedly claims that Aaron has been abandoned by his biological parents because he feels ignored by his own: “[Eben] doesn’t get a lot of attention from his mom and dad” (19). Because he feels overlooked, the bully acts out for attention. Instead of seeking a positive solution to his loneliness, Eben unleashes his frustration on his peers.

Eben plays an antagonistic role in the novel because he makes Aaron feel unwelcome on Bethsaida, threatening the protagonist’s primary goal. The bully’s behavior contributes to the realism of the story’s setting and tone by preventing the island and its community from being overly idealized. In addition, Eben’s comments allow the author to address common misconceptions and damaging stereotypes about children in the foster-care system, such as his hurtful and inaccurate speculation that Aaron is an “orphan” and is in foster care because he did something wrong. The conflict between Eben and the two focal characters advances their development and enhances the story’s suspense. For example, he tells Aaron that the people of Bethsaida are “only using” him to “get those school numbers up” (41), which forces Tess to explain the island’s plan and creates tension between her foster brother and the Brooks family. Similarly, Eben’s cruelty at the picnic damages Aaron’s feeling of belonging on the island and contributes to his attempt to run away. Eben’s animosity toward Tess and Aaron raises the story’s stakes and highlights the need for connection by making it more difficult for Aaron to cultivate a sense of belonging.

Ms. Spinney is Aaron’s biological mother. Her letter expresses her loneliness and her continued love for her son, describing how she misses him “so much” and thinks of him often. However, Ms. Spinney demonstrates a self-centered approach in her relationship with Aaron. For example, she keeps his childhood toys to remind her of him instead of sending them to him when he’s placed in his grandmother’s custody, and she tells him that he “can’t imagine how hard it is” for her to be separated from him (169). Although she wants to be involved in her son’s life and expresses her deep pride and joy in him at the talent show, she struggles to truly connect with him. Part of this strain is due to the fact that she hasn’t seen Aaron since he was five years old and she still thinks of him as a small child, even though he is now a teenager. Another factor in her inner conflict is her alcohol addiction, which prevents her from regaining custody of her son even though she “love[s] [him] more than anything” (170). Ms. Spinney’s characterization adds to the novel’s realism by offering an example of the difficult family situations that children in the foster-care system experience.

Although Ms. Spinney appears in only a few chapters, she exerts influence on the novel’s structure and Aaron’s characterization. He was placed in foster care after calling emergency services when his mother became intoxicated to the point of unresponsiveness when he was five years old. As a result of her behavior, Aaron has been forced to grow up too quickly, and he spends most of the book taking the anger he feels toward her out on other people.

Ms. Spinney also escalates the novel’s stakes. Aaron’s belief that he can only find true belonging with his biological mother poses a threat to his happiness with the Brooks and, by extension, their ability to remain on Bethsaida. This prompts Tess to secretly invite Ms. Spinney to the talent show: “[M]aybe if Aaron could see his mom, he’d give up the perfect idea he had of her. And then maybe he’d be happier to be with us” (173). In part, music functions as a motif of connection because it helps Aaron feel close to his mother despite the distance between them. However, the author notes that the woman stopped playing the piano “a long time ago” and that Aaron has “never heard” her play (94), details that indicate how disconnected she is from others, especially her son.

In addition, Ms. Spinney’s relationship with her son contributes to the novel’s open-ended but hopeful resolution. As Mr. Brooks notes, the boy and his mother “might have a chance to really get to know each other now” that Aaron has expressed his long-held feelings of anger and abandonment toward her (176). By the end of the novel, Aaron realizes that his mother will likely never be prepared to be his caretaker and understands that she is a flawed human being, not the solution to his search for belonging. At the same time, Ms. Spinney and Aaron’s mutual desire to preserve their relationship speaks to the essential nature of connection and belonging.