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Despite his bad eyesight, Paul claims there are many things only he can see. What are some of those things?

Paul is often frustrated by his mother's insistence that he is "legally blind." He claims there are actually many things he can see that other people can't. This proves to be true, but not necessarily because his eyesight is better than other people's, but rather because he pays attention to things other people miss.


One obvious example of this is the debate over the expensive koi fish that keep disappearing from their development's lake. All the adults in the neighborhood are outraged by the fishes' disappearance, and are convinced a very sneaky burglar sneaks in at night to take their fish. Paul lets this continue for a long time, but finally speaks up and points out the impossibility of this. He explains it must be the ospreys, large fish-eating birds of prey, that live in their area. First, he noticed their gigantic nests around town, and then actually saw them flying by with koi fish in their talons. The adults ask him why he never mentioned it before, and he calmly replies they never bothered to ask him.  


A more complicated example is what Paul sees in Erik that other people, specifically his parents, don't see. Paul's parents talk about Erik as though he can do no wrong—a football star with a great future ahead of him. Erik puts on an act when his parents or other adults are around, but Paul sees him for what he truly is: vicious, heartless, and arrogant. When the whole town is devastated by the tragic death of Mike Costello, a member of the high school football team, Paul overhears Erik and his friend Arthur making fun of him and the way he died. Erik even taunts Mike Costello's younger brother, Joey, about his brother's death. Of course, none of the adults see this happen. Throughout the book, Paul sees his brother Erik do many terrible things, including the brutal beatings of Tino, Paul's friend from Tangerine Middle, and Tino's older brother, Luis. His attack on Luis actually causes Luis's death.  


At the end of the book, Erik is finally caught by someone other than Paul. His mother finds out Erik has been stealing from people in the community, and the police find out he is responsible for Luis's death. Finally, the adults in his life see what Paul has always seen.  

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