Gracefully Grayson

Grayson, the narrator and protagonist, is a sixth-grade student at a school called Porter in Chicago. The novel opens with Grayson doodling princesses in her notebook during her humanities class with Mr. Finnegan, or Finn. She lets her mind wander while she draws, making sure to keep her princess sketches abstract so no one will know what they are.

As Finn starts a lesson on the Holocaust, he mentions people who helped Jewish individuals escape the Nazis and asks the class: “How would it feel to hide an enormous, important, life-threatening secret from your friends, your neighbors, and maybe even members of your own family?” (10). Grayson becomes anxious when Finn calls on her and replies that she would probably isolate to avoid calling attention to herself.

Just before the class ends, Amelia, who is new at the school, says that she would try to blend in and make friends instead.

Grayson and Amelia ride the same bus home. Amelia seems eager to make friends with Grayson, so Grayson makes polite conversation. When Grayson gets home, she spends time watching herself in the mirror and imagining that she is wearing a beautiful dress. She lives with her