Frances Green is a precocious twelve-year-old with a critical eye and a tender heart. She's cool and confident (well, mostly) at her new middle school after her family moves to a small beach town in California.

Frances grapples with fitting in or being alone, helping others with good intentions but getting in trouble for it, all while feeling like an adult trapped inside of a teenager. Ultimately, she finds new friends in unexpected places and strikes a balance between trying too hard and staying present.

As she navigates her unusual family, a new school, and the challenges of leaving her old life and her father behind, she deals with life by writing. Frances's memoir is where her emotions surface, woven throughout a funny, poignant, coming-of-age story.