As a seven-year-old, Sam adores her absent father and all she wants to do is climb trees. As Sam matures, she struggles to fit in and be noticed while shying away from attention. Wanting to forge her own path, she is caught between her mother's plans, her father's disappointment, and her climbing coach's attention.

Goodman's coming-of-age novel describes the struggles of always feeling like an outsider. Sam's voice provides a powerful narration of the pain balancing her desires with the weight of others' expectations. Full of well-developed characters, Sam does an excellent job painting Sam's troubled home life through subtext, adding convincing realism to the story.