As Holling navigates the difficulties of seventh grade, he finds a close-knit community outside of his family. Schmidt ironically highlights the shortcomings of the Hoodhood family. Although they live in “the Perfect House” (5) with “the Perfect Living Room” (6), story events show that Holling’s family is far from perfect. Hollings father spends more time maintaining his reputation and business success than deepening his relationship with his wife and children. Although he put a roof over his family’s head and boosted their position in the community, he neglected the most important aspects of being a father: loving and supporting his children.

Some young readers today can likely relate to the distant relationships Holling deals with at home. Just like Holling, readers can begin to form ideas of what types of parents they want to be one day. They can take Holling’s father as an example of what to avoid, and see that money, reputation, and success do not bring happiness or fulfilling relationships. Even for readers who come from healthy, close-knit families, Holling’s family serves as an example of the folly of chasing material success over meaningful connection.

Despite distant relationships at home, Holling forms connections with a somewhat unlikely mixture of people throughout the school year.