Emma is the protagonist of the novel. She narrates her journey in the first-person point of view, describing her first few days of starting public school as a fifth grader. Emma has striking red hair, and is very close to her parents and brother, Owen. She was also close to her late grandparents from Quebec, especially her grandfather, and memories of him bring Emma strength and comfort. Emma’s kindness, optimism, and resilience are shown by her empathy toward animals and people who are “different,” her enthusiasm for making friends, and for sticking with public school, even when she is not happy.

However, Emma led an idyllic, somewhat sheltered homeschooled life, with the freedom to read while “floating in a kayak” (3), or to do schoolwork in the morning, leaving her afternoons free to go and explore, which she did with Owen. After Owen leaves for school, homeschooling loses its appeal and Emma experiences loneliness for the first time. Because of the “hole” left by Owen’s absence, Emma becomes strongly attached to Lapi, transferring her affection to the rescued rabbit.

At the beginning of the novel, Emma is immature; lacks experience in large, mixed social settings; and her expectations of public school are unrealistic, which are shown by her preoccupation with finding an idealized “best friend.