Who is the narrator, can she or he read minds, and, more importantly, can we trust her or him?
First Person (Central Narrator)
It's clear who's telling us the story by the fact that Turtle is right in the middle of things, feeding us information, thoughts, conversation, and more. It's like we're hanging out with Turtle on a sunny afternoon and she's recounting her story while we loll in the grass. Check out this passage, from the beginning of the book:
I stare out the window as Mr. Edgit's Ford Model A rumbles along the road, kicking up clouds of dust. It's so hot that the backs of my legs feel like melted gum, only stickier. We've been driving for days now; it feels like eternity. (1.2)
Did you notice how Turtle uses I? This is how we know she is talking directly to us, narrating her own story. We're right in the thick of it with her. Plus, Turtle not only tells us what's happening, but how it makes her feel. Those words feels like eternity tell us that she's really bored. Or how about the fact that her legs feel like melted gum? We get a picture of what Turtle is going through and how she feels about it, all at once.