Rosie is a stubborn and highly emotional 12-year-old girl who lives next door to her best friend, Bailey. As an only child, she places immense pressure on her friendships and often feels a strong, somewhat overbearing need to protect or fix Bailey. Her feelings frequently present themselves as wild animals inside her, such as an angry tiger or a sly fox, which she calms by cooking traditional Italian food with her grandmother.

Bailey is a 12-year-old boy who has partial blindness and attends a specialized school where he learns skills like Braille. He has lived next door to Rosie his entire life and relies on his exceptional hearing to understand his surroundings. Though he loves Rosie, he takes great pride in his unique abilities and resents her attempts to coddle him or erase their differences.

Granny Torrelli is an Italian immigrant who moved to the United States when she was sixteen years old. She is a calm and patient woman who preserves her cultural heritage by making traditional dishes like soup, pasta, and meatballs from scratch. Instead of giving direct advice, she uses stories from her own youth in Italy to gently guide her granddaughter through emotional conflicts.

Janine is a highly outgoing girl who recently moved into Rosie and Bailey's neighborhood. She approaches social interactions with aggressive friendliness, which immediately puts the more guarded Rosie on the defensive. She takes a quick interest in Bailey and asks him to teach her how to read Braille, disrupting the established neighborhood dynamics.

Pardo is a boy from Granny Torrelli's past who grew up alongside her in their Italian hometown. His childhood dynamic with Granny Torrelli closely mirrors the modern-day relationship between Bailey and Rosie, complete with fierce loyalty, stubborn arguments, and bouts of jealousy.

Violetta is a girl from Granny Torrelli's childhood in Italy who moves into their neighborhood. She uses her beauty and flirtatious behavior to capture Pardo's attention, causing immense frustration for young Granny Torrelli. She serves as a historical counterpart to the modern-day arrival of Janine.

Marco is a boy from Granny Torrelli's youth in Italy. He finds the young Granny Torrelli enchanting and pays her significant attention, which shifts the neighborhood power dynamics and forces Pardo to realize what he stands to lose.

Carmelita is Bailey's mother and a long-time neighbor of Rosie's family. She is deeply invested in her son's well-being and works hard to ensure he receives the specialized education required for his partial blindness. She shares a close, comfortable relationship with Rosie's family.

Nero is Pardo's large and unruly pet dog from Granny Torrelli's childhood in Italy. He becomes an unwitting pawn in young Granny Torrelli's scheme to win back Pardo's attention, ultimately dragging her through the woods and returning home on his own.