The story takes place in the late 1970s in small, historic Sussex, Massachusetts. The main characters, Maudie Schmidt and Kate Harris, volunteer to participate in an experimental school reading program in which Revere Middle School students help first graders learn to appreciate reading. The two sixthgraders experience censorship firsthand when students question Kate's choice of reading material and outraged parents declare the book "smut." Maudie and Kate develop a true friendship as a result of the conflict they encounter.