Melinda is entering high school without friends because at the end-of-summer party she called the cops. There is more to the story than this, but what happened is unfaceable. As the year progresses, Melinda grows more and more secluded because of what happened. The only thing that might help is her art class. Laurie Halse Anderson does a brilliant job conveying Melinda’s voice in a believable and relatable way.