Julie is an eighth grader in the present action of the story. Much of her narrative covers her memories of notable backstory events in previous school years, such as her fifth-grade egg incubation project and her attempt to save the sycamore tree in seventh grade. All of Juli’s recollections combine with her eighth-grade narrative to build a complete look at this three-dimensional, dynamic protagonist. Juli lives in a Mayfield neighborhood with her parents and two older brothers, Matt and Mike. Little is mentioned about her physical appearance, though from Bryce’s indirect details, readers can infer that Juli has long hair that can be swept back by the wind and that it can be “brushed out” (147) when she chooses. From Juli’s narrative, the reader can infer that she is not overly concerned with appearance, as she flippantly refers to Shelly Stalls’ too-perfect hair on auction day: “She’d probably been up since five, making her hair into some impossibly pouffy do” (195). Furthermore, when Juli gets the idea to tag along on her father’s visit to Uncle David, she thinks nothing of hopping in the truck as she is: “I wasn’t even really dressed—I’d just pulled on some sweat and sneakers, no socks—but in my mind there was no doubt.