Bess Cunningham has never been popular, and she plans to do something about it. She's got a fresh style with plenty of unique clothes, and she's the new stage manager for the musical at her middle school. She couldn't care less about the volunteer work her parents do at a soup kitchen until she meets Grace Jarvis Battle. The kind, elderly woman reminds Bess of her grandmothers except for one significant difference--Grace lives on the street and finds food in dumpsters. Because of Grace, Bess begins to think about her priorities and realizes there are more important things in life than trying to win friends with a few wild outfits. Ellen Wittlinger won a Michael L. Printz Honor for her writing and is praised for her ability to tackle important topics from original perspectives. Narrator Stina Nielsen perfectly captures the confusion so many middle-schoolers face as they desperately try to find their place in the world.