Character Analysis
Philip Leroy is at the top of every member of the PTS's list of cute boys. But you don't have to take our word for it:
We put our Boy Books on the floor and Nancy picked them up, one at a time. She read each one and passed it around for the rest of us to see. Janie's was first. She had seven names listed. Number one was Philip Leroy. Gretchen had four names. Number one was Philip Leroy. Nancy listed eighteen boys. I didn't even know eighteen boys! And number one was Philip Leroy. (7.32)
And, of course, Philip Leroy is number one in Margaret's book too because, as she says, "I studied the boys in my class. […] he was the best-looking one" (7.4). In other words, as far as Margaret and her friends are concerned, Philip Leroy is the cutest guy in town.
But looks aren't everything, and not only does Philip have two left feet and crush Margaret's toes during the sixth grade square dance, but he's also a twerp at Norman Fishbein's party, spraying mustard on the ceiling with a straw and sticking out his tongue at the girls while Mrs. Fishbein isn't looking. He may be easy on the eyes, but that's about all Philip seems to be good for.