Birdie Lee

Birdie Lee is the main character of the novel. The story is told from her point of view, from the time she is about four years old until about fifteen. Birdie is a child who thinks deeply about what is happening around her and does her best to fit in, but never quite feels that she belongs anywhere. She often has the sense of being invisible or feeling as if she’d like to disappear. Birdie is a mixed-race child: her mother is white and her father is black. Her skin is relatively light, so people are often surprised when they see her with her much darker father.

Cole Lee

Cole is Birdie’s older sister. Cole is darker than Birdie; in fact, the two do not look much alike, but they are very close. Cole devises a secret language, called Elemeno, that the girls speak to...