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The interest in old people and their memories is one of the things that felt false to me, given Doug's supposed age of 12. When I think back to my childhood, I was much more interested in my grandparents' stories of the past when I was significantly younger than that; by 12, and for the next few years, I wanted little to do with anyone who was ancient and old-fashioned--I wanted to be around people my age or a little older.
If it were a matter of one person, e.g., the colonel, who captured Doug's interest, fine, but there are far too many old people in a book that's ostensibly about Doug's summer. What does Doug do all summer besides hang out with old folks?
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