Julian is the protagonist and first-person narrator of the novel. We never learn his exact age, but we can assume he is around 9 years old, as this is how old the author was when he made the same journey to America; Julian’s story is based on his own. Julian is a clever boy who enjoys inventing, drawing, and sailing. In the beginning of the novel, we see Julian trying to get out of the shadow of his older brothers who tease him and treat him like a child. Even Bebo tells him to get out of their shadows and find his own path. Julian appreciates Bebo because he speaks to him like an adult when his brothers do not. At the camp in Miami, Julian must depend on his brothers for protection from Caballo. They insist on making all the decisions.

Later, when his brothers get sent to an orphanage in Denver, Julian is left to make the decisions for his own survival. He comes into his own independence and values the opportunity to have a choice; although he is afraid, he is self-aware enough to know that having a choice matters. He starts to doubt himself less: “I don’t know why but I feel strangely confident.