Twins

Francine or “Fran” Carter is Maureen’s identical twin, who is also in sixth grade and attends the same school. Although Francine is a major character, she is not the protagonist, and her internal thoughts aren’t shown. Francine is the older twin by two minutes. She is smart and academically successful, but she trails behind Maureen in their shared classes, and this pattern causes Francine to envy Maureen and feel competitive. Francine is also more outgoing; she is a natural public speaker and leader, which in turn causes Maureen to envy Francine. In the early moments of the story, Francine is tired of being confused with and compared to her twin, so she adopts the new nickname “Fran,” develops a new retro fashion style, and secretly requests to be put into separate classes, thereby initiating The Search for Personal Identity.

At first, Maureen is hurt by Fran’s desire to “pull away” from her, but ultimately, both twins find healthy ways to pursue their own interests while avoiding dishonesty, deceit, betrayal, or harm towards each other, which ultimately leads to The Evolution of Sibling Relationships. When Maureen fights Fran’s dishonesty with her own dishonesty by secretly running against Fran for class president, this angers Fran at first, but over time, Fran has a change of heart and takes the opportunity to help Maureen improve her public-speaking skills and self-confidence. Although Fran wins the election, she implements the “buddy system” idea from Maureen’s campaign platform, and this resolution suggests that although Fran is “the speaker” and Maureen is “the thinker,” both have an important place in the world and can accomplish more when they work together. Instead of fighting against each other during the election, they ultimately decide to work together so that one of them can get elected and implement the good ideas from both platforms. Both girls therefore learn the importance of teamwork even as they harness their individual strengths and cultivate two separate identities.

Maureen and Francine’s parents are loving, responsible, and serious, and they always have the girls’ best interests at heart, acting as mentors by teaching the girls to be good people and productive members of society. They also implement rules to help their daughters accomplish this. They do make parenting mistakes, but only because they are trying to do the right thing for their children. Just like Maureen and Francine, Mom and Dad are navigating new territory in this novel as they raise two twin daughters who are entering adolescence and facing new challenges that contrast with the challenges that their son, Curtis, faced when he was in middle school.

Mom and Dad therefore demonstrate The Challenges of Adolescence and Middle School from a parental perspective. Trying to negotiate their daughters’ differing needs, Mom and Dad sometimes keep secrets from one or both children, inadvertently stoking the conflict between the two. For example, they keep Francine’s tutoring a secret, along with her request to be switched into different classes, and they also hide their decision to place Maureen in Cadet Corps in hopes of improving her self-confidence. Initially, Mom and Dad believe that keeping these things a secret is the best course of action. However, they ultimately discover that dishonesty breeds mistrust and anger, for when their daughters do inevitably find out about these secrets, their anger at each other and their parents only increases. Dad ultimately realizes that they shouldn’t have kept secrets from their daughters, but just like the twins, they are also navigating new territory and are bound to make mistakes. Mom and Dad’s efforts to correct their mistakes and create more effective strategies demonstrate their love for and commitment to their children, and this process mirrors the twins’ own efforts to correct their behavior and find a healthier balance.

Curtis is Maureen and Francine’s older half-brother; he is their dad’s biological son. Curtis no longer lives with the family; he has already finished college and is now working his first year as a first-grade teacher. He lives nearby in his own apartment, but he often comes over for dinner, takes the girls to the mall, and picks them up from school when their parents are busy. Curtis is kind, loving, and responsible. Although he is a sibling to Francine and Maureen, his age and experience allow him to act as a mentor character, and he gives them considerable guidance, advice, and support.

Curtis helps develop The Evolution of Sibling Relationships through his interactions with both Francine and Maureen, and through his encouragement of the relationship between the two girls. Curtis spends time alone with each twin when they need it in order to encourage individual growth and distinction, but he also reminds the girls to maintain their sisterly connection regardless of the hardships they encounter. Over time, the girls respond to his advice and start treating each other more kindly, offering each other support, advice, and encouragement rather than competition and scorn. This shift illustrates the depth of Curtis’s influence, for the girls apply what they learn from their older brother to repair their relationship as twin sisters.

Monique, Nikki, and Tasha are Maureen and Francine’s long-time friends, all of whom are also in sixth grade. All three girls are equally close to both Francine and Maureen, unlike some of the new friends that the twins make in middle school. Monique, Nikki, and Tasha are thoughtful, kind, fun-loving, and social; they enjoy going to the mall and having get-togethers. The closeness amongst Maureen, Francine, Monique, Nikki, and Tasha used to be reflected through their group fashion choices in elementary school. Although Monique, Nikki, and Tasha are not part of Maureen and Francine’s twin sisterhood, the twins’ identities are also deeply tied to this trio of friends, at least initially.

Monique, Nikki, and Tasha illustrate The Challenges of Adolescence and Middle School as their various choices highlight the difficulties of navigating shifting social dynamics and friendships. Although the group remains friends, everything changes, with each girl making new friends in her different classes and having less time for the old friend group. The tension that the election causes between Maureen and Francine also affects the entire group because no one wants to take sides in the twins’ dispute, so they create distance instead. Maureen feels abandoned because Monique joins Francine’s campaign committee, and for a while, the five girls seem to think that their friend group is defunct. However, they eventually realize that they can still be friends even if their social lives have evolved to include new, separate friendships. The ending scene in which the five girls attend the dance together with new friends illustrates the fact that shifting social dynamics do not have to bring about the end of old friendships.

Amber and Richard are Maureen’s new friends; she meets them in Cadet Corps class. Amber is diligent, organized, and skilled at Cadet Corps, but she struggles in Social Studies. Richard is creative, kind, and artistic, but he struggles to pay attention, and Master Sergeant Fields often punishes him by ordering him to do push-ups. The three new friends illustrate The Challenges of Adolescence and Middle School because although each one struggles with different tasks, they help each other to overcome these difficulties so that everyone can pass their classes.

Amber and Richard also help illustrate Maureen’s attempts to engage with The Search for Personal Identity. Unlike Monique, Nikki, and Tasha, Amber and Richard are friends that Maureen makes on her own, separately from Francine. With Richard and Amber’s help, Maureen improves her self-confidence. Rather than hiding alone in the library for lunch each day, she starts eating with her new friends in the cafeteria, sharing her ideas and laughing like the other kids. Amber and Richard also believe in Maureen’s good ideas for improving the school and join her campaign committee. Even though Maureen ultimately loses the election, this development is important because it helps Maureen to believe in her own intellectual talents and potential for success.