How can I make a claim about an example of the use of perspective development, tone, mood, or irony in Riding Freedom?

In literature, perspective development references the growth and maturation of a character over the course of a book; it demonstrates the creation and evolution of a character's identity and how their wants, needs, desires, and abilities shift over time. 

Thus, we might claim the following:

Although Riding Freedom is told from a third person point of view, meaning that Charlotte does not dictate her story as she would with the "I" POV, we are still able to get a strong sense of her perspective and character development through the use of descriptive language and dialogue in the book. 

The book opens with the a description of Charlotte's uniqueness:

After ten years at the orphanage, Charlotte wasn't like most girls her age. And who knew if it was growing up like a follow-along puppy in a pack of ruffian boys, or if it was just her own spit and fire. But she never had a doll or a tea party. She couldn't sew a stitch and she didn't know a petticoat from a pea pod. Wild hairs sprang out of her brown braids, and her ribbons dangled to her waist, untied. Her frock was too big and hung like a sack on her small frame. Smudges of dirt always covered her, and instead of girl-like lace, for as long as anyone could remember, she wore a strip of leather rein tied around her wrist.

This passage gives us a very clear portrait of Charlotte's appearance and spirit. She is a wild girl who eschews traditional femininity and refuses to behave in a way that is "lady-like."

Despite her outward and inward traits, Charlotte still faces a great deal of trouble due to her gender. For example, William, a young bully, tries to prevent her from participating in the pasture races by insisting that there are "No girls allowed." She is also never considered for adoption, with only a line of boys forming to be evaluated by Mr. Millshark, the head of the orphanage, and the prospective parents because "People wanted boys to help with their farms, or a son to carry on the family name, or they wanted someone young and cute."

With all these restrictions and limitations in front of her, Charlotte makes the bold choice to run away and pose as a boy, "Charley." This act is the first mark of her development, as it allows her to gain the freedom she so desperately dreams of and the confidence that she requires to make it on her own. We see that perspective mature as Charlotte grows older and faces both problems (like an accident that claims her left eye) and adventures (such as becoming a stagecoach driver and the first woman to vote in the United States). While she may pose as a man to have access to these opportunities, her perspective as a woman is still alive and flourishing.