Part 6 Summary and Analysis

In San Francisco, Walker befriends an older girl, Colleen. She meets Colleen through a neighborhood boy, Michael, who she develops romantic feelings for. Because she feels that being herself is not enough for Michael, she lies about her age. She admires Michael's freedom with his bicycle and asks for her own. Though her mother refuses, her grandmother sends the money from Brooklyn.

Walker fails to have even the confidence to pick out her own bike from Sears, but does so with much trepidation. Soon, two neighborhood girls attempt to steal the bike, to put Walker in her place. Michael stands up for her.

Often, Walker admires the way Colleen and Michael stand up for themselves. Though they admire Walker for her worldly knowledge of far away places like New York City, Walker fails to grasp the sense of self that the...