Eliza Naumann

When the narrative opens, Eliza Naumann is a fifth-grader at McKinley Elementary School. Eliza is a mediocre student who is unconvinced of her seeming mediocrity. Eliza does not have any close friends, but does not suffer as a result of this fact. Eliza spends a good deal of time watching re-runs on television and fantasizes that her life is, in fact, some sort of movie. Eliza's fantasies take the place of known realities and it is not until she wins the district spelling bee and sees a photograph of her family in a local newspaper that she realizes her family does not fit her internal picture.

Eliza is the daughter of Saul Naumann (a cantor) and Miriam Naumann (an attorney). She has an older brother, Aaron, whom she idolizes for a time. Eliza does not enjoy an especially close relationship with either of her parents, who are...