Francie Weaver

Francie is a girl who loves to learn, and whose intelligence seems above-average. An avid reader, she is the favorite of her teacher, Miss Lafayette, who brings books to her and treats her with respect. Although she loves Nancy Drew, by the end of the story Francie is ready to tackle War and Peace. She loves her short stint as a teacher with Jesse Pruitt.

Francie knows that white people think all blacks are stupid. She occasionally uses this fact to excuse herself from some of her behaviors, such as revealing to an entire group of wealthy white girls that the family of their hostess is in financial trouble. She plans this carefully as revenge toward the girl who slapped and humiliated her when Francie was accused of stealing her own book in a local store. She wants this girl's humiliation to sting, just as her own...