Delsie McHill

Delsie is a girl who lives at Cape Cod with her grandmother, Bridget. Delsie struggles over the course of one summer with new friendships and changes in her old friendships. Delsie is young and somewhat immature, but she is loyal to her friends and is surprised when that loyalty is not unconditionally returned. Delsie tends to go barefoot everywhere, which is one symbol of her immaturity. When she and friends go to the ice cream store, Delsie is not allowed inside because she is not wearing shoes. It is not the first time she has been refused admittance, but she still refuses to conform to the rules.

Delsie is living with her grandmother, Bridget, because Delsie's mother, Mellie, abandoned Delsie. When one of her friends lands the lead in the musical Annie and asks Delsie what it is like to be an orphan, Delsie begins to question...