Ben is an intelligent thirteen-year-old boy who creates stop-motion films and hopes to become a police detective. He suffers from low self-esteem due to his father's constant criticism regarding his weight and lack of stereotypical toughness. When his parents suddenly force the family to flee into the Australian bush, his investigative instincts kick in as he searches for the truth behind their panicked behavior.

Olive is seven years old, bright, and highly rebellious. She constantly carries her stuffed rabbit, Bonzo. Unlike her older brother, she is loudly defiant and frequently clashes with her father. She accompanies her family on their frightening trip, looking to Ben for guidance as their situation grows increasingly dangerous.

April is Ben and Olive's mother. She works with her husband at the family's car-wrecking company. She demonstrates affection for her children but remains entirely passive when her husband bullies Ben. She acts as a willing accomplice in the sudden family escape, cutting the children's hair in a motel room to alter their appearances.

Ray is a skinny, serious man with a sleeve of tattoos who owns a car-wrecking business. He wears black wraparound sunglasses and a dirty gas company cap. He demands complete control over his household and frequently mocks Ben for showing emotion. He initiates the story's central crisis by frantically driving his family away from their home to hide out in an isolated cabin in the woods.

Uncle Chris is Ray's brother. He provides early assistance to the Silver family when they briefly stop at his property while fleeing from the police.

He is Ben's deceased grandfather. His abandoned, isolated cabin in the woods serves as the family's hideout. He left behind an old notebook containing a story about a good wolf and a bad wolf battling inside every person, which deeply impacts Ben's understanding of his own identity.

She is Ben and Olive's grandmother, who lives in Sydney. She serves as a distant family connection outside of the immediate crisis occurring in the bush.