Ebony-Grace Norfleet Freeman

Ebony is a 12-year-old girl who has been living in Huntsville, Alabama with her mother and grandfather, but is sent to stay with her father Julius in Harlem, NY for a week. Ebony does not want to be in Harlem and is resistant to acclimating to city life or making new friends. Ebony is far more interested in her fantasies about space travel.

Ebony’s week-long stay is extended indefinitely while her mother tends to her grandfather’s health. Ebony is kept in the dark about her grandfather’s condition, but suspects something serious. At Julius’ insistence, Ebony spends times with Bianca, a girl Ebony’s age, and Diane, Ebony’s teenaged babysitter. Ebony rebels against what Bianca and Diane want. Ebony resists learning Double Dutch or playing the games that other girls want her to play.

Ebony is smart, willful, and eccentric. She would rather...