Janie moves to a new school only to find she still doesn't fit in. When her mother's job suddenly goes sour, it is Janie who helps the family recover their losses by risking other childrens scorn. Her ploy of wearing shirts with her supposed 500 middle names ends up helping the family and giving her new respect for those less fortunate.

This is a cute story about a girl whose parents decide to move her from Clyde Elementary to the subarbs, so that she may be in a better environment and have a better chance at succeeding. Once she sees all of the big houses and stylish clothes that the kids wear at her new school, she realizes that her family does not have as much money as many of the other kids at her new school. However, she soon finds out that there are plenty of other things that are more important in life and surprises everyone in the mean time. A strength of this book is that it teaches a good moral to the story. The message is about acceptance, the importance of confidence, and to stand up for yourself. This could be a good book to read in the classroom with a new child in class.

A story about a young girl that has been attending Clyde Elementary which is an urban school. Finally being fed up with the poor environment and resources available at this school, Janie's mother and father decide to make a change to help their daughter succeed. They move to the suburbs and place her in a school that is much better off. Janie sees how she is different from the other children at the new school but when fitting in becomes impossible to do she resorts to using what she does have. By being who she is, she discovers she does belong. A absolute lovely story that addresses the issues of urban/suburban school differences and the cost it places on children as well as on the stereotypes that are placed on them. This book addresses the topic simply and in a way for children to understand.