The Worst Class Trip Ever

“Matt is my best friend. But he can be an idiot. But when we were in kindergarten, pretty much all the boys were idiots, so he didn’t stand out so much, and we became best friends. So now, even though we’re in eighth grade, and he’s sometimes unbelievably annoying, I’m kind of stuck with him.”

Illustrating The Dynamics of Friendship, Barry establishes Matt and Wyatt’s relationship at the beginning of the story to underline their shared history. Wyatt’s humorous tone also hints at his implicit trust in Matt, which later leads him to go along with his best friend’s wild conspiracy theories, and this trend fuels the plot as the boys engage in half-baked adventures throughout the story.

“My name is Wyatt Palmer. I’m an eighth grader at Culver Middle School in Miami. I know a lot of people think Miami is a weird place, but it’s my home, so I’m used to the kind of things that happen there that don’t happen in normal places.”

In this quote, the protagonist and narrator introduces himself with a straightforward and matter-of-fact tone that will persist throughout the narrative. He mentions a few basic facts about himself, but most significantly, he explains why he is used to strange events. This admission hints at his upcoming adventures and establishes his characteristically comical and overly dramatic tone.

“But my point (I bet you forgot I had a point) is that stuff like that—an alligator on the lawn—happens all the time in Miami.”

Throughout the novel, Wyatt occasionally breaks the fourth wall and addresses the reader directly. This approach enables Barry to engage younger readers with a confidential tone even as the narrative builds a humorous portrayal of Wyatt’s life in Miami.

“When we came out there were a bunch of guys flying kites near the monument. Gene told us they were practicing for a huge kite festival that was going to happen in a few days. Some of the kites had really cool designs, like a fish, or a centipede, or a giant spider, or just a lot of weird shapes. Sometimes you couldn’t even imagine how they could fly, but they did. Some of the kites were huge. One of them actually lifted the guy holding it off the ground for a few seconds before he could get control of it.”

This passage foreshadows a major plot point in the novel. Indeed, Wyatt and his friends eventually realize that Woltar and Lemi are using the kite festival as a cover for their operation. Wyatt even mentions that some of the kites are big enough to lift people off the ground, and this detail eventually becomes a major plot point. Thus, Barry strategically inserts key moments of foreshadowing that lay the groundwork for the increasingly fantastical events to come.

“‘Seriously,’ I said, ‘maybe we should just give that thing back to them.’ Matt shook his head. ‘No. Those are not good guys. Whatever they want it for, it’s probably bad.’”

As the first few chapters establish, Wyatt implicitly trusts Matt, which leads him to unquestioningly believe his friend’s assertion that the suspicious men are dangerous. The two boys therefore create a conspiracy theory based on little evidence, which emphasizes the theme of The Humorous Effects of Misdirection and Misunderstandings.

“I looked at my phone. It was time to meet in the lobby for the evening activities. I took one last look out at the street in front of the hotel. It was getting dark. I didn’t see the weird guys.

But they were out there somewhere.”

In addition to creating suspense, Wyatt’s ominous phrasing in this quote is reminiscent of the language used in thrillers and crime novels. The narrative thus draws on crime fiction tropes to reinforce the sense of danger and anticipation while simultaneously crafting a parody of these narrative conventions.

“Matt and I stopped just inside in the hotel doorway and took a careful look around the lobby. But the only people there were in a sad little line to check in—a tired-looking couple with a crying baby waiting behind a couple of businessmen, who were waiting behind a tall man in a hat and overcoat and a short dumpy blond lady in a red dress and purple shoes talking to the guy at the front desk. Other than that, the lobby was empty.”

Once again, the narrative foreshadows upcoming events by mentioning a couple of oddly dressed people. The man’s overcoat is reminiscent of another crime fiction trope (that of villains disguised in long trench coats), while the woman’s purple shoes are the same ones that Wyatt noticed Lemi wearing earlier. The scene therefore contributes to The Humorous Effects of Misdirection and Misunderstandings.

“This particular giant stone building was the National Archives, which is where they have the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and a bunch of other historic important things. I’m sure it’s great as far as archives go, but I don’t really remember anything about it, because the whole time I was thinking about Matt. I kept wondering whether he was okay, and what I should be doing, and what I’d want people to be doing for me if the weird guys took me instead of him.”

This passage depicts Wyatt’s concern for his friend and illustrates his selflessness. It also adds to the story’s geographical context as well as The Adventurous Setting of School Trips in Middle Grade Fiction. By referencing famous Washington, DC, landmarks, Barry provides key educational moments while maintaining Wyatt’s typically light-hearted, offhand narrative voice.

“‘Well,’ I said, trying to think of something, ‘we need to figure out where Matt is.’

‘Right,’ she said.

‘I bet it’s the basement,’ said Cameron.

‘Why?’ said Suzana.

‘Because that’s always where they keep prisoners.’

‘You mean in movies.’

‘Right.’

‘This isn’t a movie.’

‘That’s true,’ said Cameron.”

This dialogue between Wyatt, Suzana, and Cameron shows the three of them simultaneously relying on and making fun of crime fiction tropes in their efforts to rescue Matt. Their awareness that movie villains typically lock prisoners in a basement creates a humorous tone and arguably grounds the narrative in a similar genre even as Barry crafts dialogue that critiques and pokes fun at that genre.

“For a few seconds we just stood on the sidewalk, looking at the house. You know how, in like every horror movie, there’s a scene where the people who are about to get hacked apart by a chain saw maniac or turned into human lobsters in the secret basement laboratory come to a creepy house, and everybody watching the movie is thinking DON’T GO INTO THAT HOUSE YOU IDIOTS but they always do anyway? That’s what it felt like to me—a don’t-go-into-that-house moment.”

Once again, Wyatt’s hyperawareness of fiction tropes parodies the crime and horror genres to humorous effect. The passage also reinforces suspense and further contributes to The Humorous Effects of Misdirection and Misunderstandings by creating a dark, ominous atmosphere.

 “‘I still think we should call the police,’ said Matt.

‘You just heard me promise I wouldn’t,’ I said. ‘We made the same deal when they had you, and we got you out, didn’t we?’

‘Yeah,’ said Matt. But he didn’t sound convinced.

The truth was, I wasn’t convinced either. But I’d made a promise.”

This passage characterizes Wyatt’s loyalty and honesty, which is twofold. On one hand, this exchange characterizes him as the hero of the story and plays into The Dynamics of Friendship. On the other hand, his promise not to call the police only reinforces the children’s misunderstanding of the situation and leads them into more and more improbable adventures.

“The picture I sent him. He showed it to some people where he works, military intelligence people. They blew it up and enhanced it and they could read the serial number. There aren’t many of those things. And they knew exactly which one this one was. It was stolen off a helicopter in Afghanistan, and they’ve been trying to track it down because they really, really don’t want this technology to get out. So according to their informants it was sold to a guy who sold it to another guy who sold it to another guy in Miami. And that’s where they lost the trail.”

In contrast to the young protagonists’ conspiracy theories, Victor’s father is the first character who provides tangible information about Woltar and Lemi’s intentions. This scene therefore adds a modicum of credibility to the children’s hypotheses and reinforces the narrative tension while foreshadowing the climactic events of the story.

“‘But what? Are you scared?’

I looked down. ‘I guess I am,’ I said.

‘I am, too,’ said Matt. ‘If it makes you feel any better.’

It didn’t, but I appreciated the gesture.”

Wyatt and Matt’s exchange provides a glimpse into The Dynamics of Friendship and reveals their emotional state as they embark on increasingly dangerous adventures. Wyatt’s confession of his fear characterizes him as honest and heroic, since he acts despite his fears, but his vulnerability also makes him more realistic.

“We were off the class trip now. Outlaws.

We left the visitors center and headed for a major-looking street in the distance, figuring we could get a taxi there. We passed a couple of Capitol police officers, but they didn’t pay any attention to us outlaws. To them we were just four kids on a class trip. They’d seen a million like us.”

The language used in this passage is arguably reminiscent of crime fiction and Western movie tropes, with faux-tough phrasing such as “they didn’t pay attention to us outlaws [because] they’d seen a million like us.” Once again, the narrative relies on those implicit codes to enhance suspense and anticipation while simultaneously indulging in a humorously melodramatic tone.

“If I got sent home my parents would kill me. Especially my mom. She would kill me, then she would rush me to the hospital so the doctors could miraculously bring me back to life, and then she would kill me again.

Not to mention the problem of the two weird guys who were holding Cameron prisoner and planning to blow up the White House.”

This passage exemplifies Wyatt’s characteristically comical and overly dramatic narrative voice. Significantly, the young boy equates his mother’s punishment with the “two weird guys [...] planning to blow up the White House,” which not only creates humor but also highlights his youth and immaturity.

“Suzana, who like I said is a very fast runner, caught up with the big guy and launched herself into the air, planning to execute The Raptor. She looked pretty good right up until the moment when she hit the big guy. She bounced off him like a Ping-Pong ball colliding with a cement truck. The big guy kept right on running with the rope. I’m not sure he even noticed that Suzana Raptored him. It was shocking to see. Suzana actually failed at something.

Which meant now it was up to me.”

Up until this point in the story, Suzana has been depicted as a vision of perfection: intelligent, capable, and skilled in every respect. This approach highlights Wyatt’s feelings of adoration toward her, but the narrative takes a turn when he realizes that she is not all-powerful and is forced to confront his fears and act heroically. This decision eventually leads him to gain new confidence and places him on a more equal footing with Suzana.

“I still don’t totally believe what I did next. Later on I saw a video of it, taken on a phone by a guy at the kite festival, and if I do say so myself it was pretty impressive.”

Throughout the novel, Wyatt occasionally delivers his narrative with the implicit understanding that his audience is already familiar with the main events of the story. A prime example occurs when he suggests that readers must have seen some news stories about his act of heroism. This narrative quirk gives the story a sense of verisimilitude by describing fictional events as if they really happened, and thus framing the novel as Wyatt’s true firsthand account.

“I know I was excited. I felt like, for the first time in this whole insane class trip, I did something right. Suzana didn’t stop the Gadakistan guys. I did. I was feeling good. I was thinking maybe everything was going to be okay after all; maybe I was even going to be kind of a hero. The Kid Who Saved The White House. Maybe I would even get a medal!”

This passage shows Wyatt demonstrating self-confidence and optimism for the first time in the story. His effusive speculation also foreshadows his heroism while implying that the story is about to become even more dramatic as the narrative climax approaches. His enthusiastic tone also emphasizes his status as a teenager who is still learning about the world.

“‘Don’t call the police!’

‘Why not?’ she said.

‘Because we had it totally wrong,’ he said, puffing to a stop. ‘I tried to tell you on the phone but the battery died. I ran all the way here to tell you. We’re totally wrong!’

‘What are you talking about?’ I said. I pointed at the two Gadakistanis. ‘Aren’t these guys—’

‘These are the good guys, Wyatt! The bad guys are at the White House right now, and they’re about to kill the president!’”

This conversation between Wyatt and Cameron announces the novel’s main plot twist, and the narrative builds up to the upcoming revelation that Woltar and Lemi actually intend to save the president. This narrative shift is achieved by playing on The Humorous Effects of Misdirection and Misunderstandings.

“There’s a pretty famous picture of this, which you’ve probably seen. I’m frozen in midair, looking completely terrified, which I am; below me are four Secret Service guys, also frozen, looking up at me with these frowny, kind of puzzled expressions, like they’re thinking, They trained us for a lot of weird stuff in Secret Service school, but they did not prepare us for a kid to be vomited out of a flying dragon.”

Once again, this quote exemplifies the novel’s emphasis on verisimilitude. Wyatt refers to a “pretty famous picture” of his escapade, and this reference is intended to gives the narrative the appearance of a real news story. Wyatt’s humorous tone also downplays the dramatic moment and potential danger of the situation.

“I didn’t see any of that happen in real time. By the time that fork hit the snake I had two Secret Service agents who could probably be NFL linebackers landing on top of me and—I don’t blame them a bit; they were trained to do this, and it was the absolute correct thing to do, considering what the situation looked like—knocking me unconscious with some kind of martial-arts blow to my head. And that’s the last thing I remember.”

In this passage, Wyatt describes a potentially violent act, namely a Secret Service agent knocking a child unconscious. However, Wyatt openly condones and praises the man’s action even before he describes it in full, and this approach enables the author to deemphasize the severity of the action and frame it instead as a logical reaction, casting it as a humorous moment in the narrative.

“So that was all pretty exciting. But sometimes it was also kind of awkward for me, because I was the one who flew the dragon, so I got more attention than anybody else. I got called ‘hero’ a lot, which really bothered me, because I knew it wasn’t true. Heroes are brave people who do dangerous things on purpose. Everything I did was a result of being either completely terrified or unbelievably lucky.”

Throughout the narrative, Wyatt’s initial lack of self-confidence transforms into a more measured sense of humility, and by the end of the story, he is more self-assured even though he remains modest enough to reject the label of a hero. He does not shy away from admitting that he was “completely terrified” and “unbelievably lucky,” but his heroic actions also emphasize his selfless nature, which makes him a more rounded, relatable character.

“Anyway, after a couple of weeks of complete craziness we started settling back into the normal routine at Culver Middle. That’s where I am now, getting near the end of eighth grade.”

The novel concludes with the characters returning to their initial situation after having gained new skills and confidence through their adventures. This conclusion is reminiscent of the narrative structure of the hero’s journey, in which a hero often embarks on a quest to vanquish evil before returning home. In this case, Wyatt returns to a more normal, relatable reality after venturing into a wider world of heroic deeds.