Trisha McFarland
Trisha McFarland is a 9-year-old girl and the protagonist of the story. She has lived through her parents’ divorce and it affected her in a large way, because she loved each of her parents in different way. She is clever, strong, she has an enormous willpower and sagacity. After her parents’ divorce, she and her brother, Pete, stay with their mother and spend only their weekends with their father. Her mother and Pete are always quarreling, and the girl always tries to reconcile them. However, they usually don’t notice her. When Trisha gets lost, she shows her strength and willpower to survive. Not every little girl could spend several days alone in a forest, struggle with so strong hallucinations, to overcome a long distance, and even to resist a bear. Trisha has a deep love for baseball, especially for the Red Sox and the player Tom Gordon.
Pete McFarland
Pete McFarland is Trisha’s elder brother. He is always reminding his mother that he would like to live with his father than with her and that he loves his father more than her. These words are usually the reason of their everyday quarreling. Actually, this is not quite true. Pete just doesn’t have friends in the place where he lives currently. Pete has just got used to that school, the local activities, and people where his father lives. And taking into account his age, 13 years, his intemperance, his constant desire to do everything in defiance, he behaves in such as way.
Quilla Andersen
Quilla Andersen is Trisha’s and Pete’s mother. After she has divorced with her husband and took their children to live with her, she makes all her efforts to make her children happy, to entertain them, and to bring them up in a right way. So, she always takes her children to different trips and to visit different places. During every their trip she is constantly arguing with Pete. Because she is always fighting with her son, she barely gives attention to Trisha. Quilla's daughter disappearing changes everything. She agrees to make peace with her ex-husband, Larry McFarland, understands the worth of her daughter, and agrees to stop the arguing with her son.
Larry McFarland
Larry McFarland is Trisha and Pete’s father. He drinks a lot and is not very responsible, but he is kind to his children and he truly loves them. He loves Tom Gordon, and instills a love for Tom Gordon and the Red Sox in Trisha. He gives his son everything he wants. When Trisha gets lost, Larry comes to his ex-wife and they remember the "old times" of when they were a couple. At the end of the story, he shows true understanding of his daughter, when he understands her tiny sign about her cap.
Tom Gordon
Tom Gordon doesn’t actually act in the story, but he occupies a huge place in Trisha’s hallucinations. He is a player on the baseball team “Red Sox” and Trisha loves him. He plays a role of some kind of support and backing of Trisha during her awful trip. He is a good player, and his victories are Trisha’s victories as well. Tom Gordon exists not only in the novel, but also is a real person as well.
