African American fourth grader Ryan lives with her mom, dad, and older brother, Ray, in Portland, Oregon. Money has been tight since her dad was laid off from his postal service position and the new job he's found doesn't pay as much. Their landlord's decided to sell the house they've been living in, and their new house, while closer to school, is much smaller. Meanwhile, one of Ryan's two best friends, Amanda, has moved to a big house in the suburbs and Ryan wonders about her place in Amanda's expanding social circle. Ryan is also worrying about an upcoming event at church in which she has to speak in public, what she will do for the fourth grade talent show, and whether she can follow the clues provided by four distinctive hairpins she found in her new old house to figure out who lived there long ago. Ryan has a realistic awareness of race and a realistically adversarial but loving relationship with her older brother Ray in a breezy yet substantial chapter book that unfolds in episodic chapters. (Ages 8-10)