Paulsen's plots frequently tell coming-of-age stories. The Monument, The Foxman, and Nightjohn are novels about an adolescent whose encounter with an unusual adult is a turning point in his or her life. The adults who shape the adolescents are outcasts or iconoclasts.
These extraordinary people teach the lesson that every adolescent must grow individually rather than according to the expectations of social acceptability.
Another common feature in Paulsen's fiction is the midwestern setting of small town or rural life. The Island, The Winter Room, and The Monument share this setting with Dancing Carl......
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