Charlie is an avid reader, and this reading influences both how he thinks about the world and how others think about him. Jasper first comes to Charlie because he knows the boy has unique insights about other people thanks to his heavy reading habits. This is important to Jasper because the people of Corrigan mistreat him because of his Aboriginal heritage. People automatically believe the negative things they are told about Jasper. He believes that since Charlie reads, he will understand more of the world and other people. This is, indeed, part of why Charlie reads. After Charlie is confronted with the reality of Laura’s death and makes the decision to help Jasper hide her body, he goes to the library to read about killers because he wants to understand why people commit evil acts. Given that he does not hold religious beliefs, he cannot use religion as a means to understand evil, nor can he talk to other people about the incident of Laura’s death. Therefore, he goes to the next best source of understanding: books.

Reading also becomes a way for him to escape his confinement when he is grounded. He cannot go anywhere or talk to people, but he can read books.