Cara is a fifth-grade student dealing with the emotional fallout of her parents' recent separation. She transferred to Denton Elementary mid-year after using her newspaper to publish hurtful, overly personal facts at her previous school. Currently, she feels overlooked by her peers and uses her writing as an outlet to establish control over her environment. She struggles to balance her instinct for hard truths with the need for compassion.

Mr. Larson is a veteran fifth-grade teacher at Denton Elementary who has completely lost his passion for education. Once an award-winning educator, he now suffers from severe professional exhaustion after years of struggling to provide for his wife and daughters. He allows his classroom to operate without structure or assignments until a student's editorial forces him to reflect on his apathy.

Dr. Barnes is the principal at Denton Elementary who firmly enforces rigid control over the school environment. He actively dislikes Mr. Larson's unstructured teaching style and views him as fundamentally unprofessional. He searches for administrative or rule-based justifications to terminate the teacher's employment.

Joey is a fifth-grade student in Mr. Larson's class at Denton Elementary. He notices Cara's initial newspaper and is drawn to the idea of spreading information throughout the school. Having strong computer skills, he sees the potential to expand her handwritten project into a wider, digital publication.

Cara's mother is adjusting to life as a single parent following her recent separation from her husband. She reads her daughter's biting articles and understands the deep pain driving them. She gently pushes Cara to consider the impact of her words on other people.

Cara's father left the family home the previous year, an event that deeply affected his daughter's emotional well-being and triggered her harsh writing phase. He spent the recent summer explaining to his daughter that his departure was not related to his feelings for her.

Mrs. Larson is the wife of the veteran fifth-grade teacher at Denton Elementary. She understands the financial and emotional toll her husband's career has taken on their family. When her husband feels attacked by a student's writing, she provides an insightful, alternative perspective on the situation.

The school librarian at Denton Elementary takes an early interest in the fifth-grade class's sudden engagement with reading and writing. She notes the logistical challenges of producing a newspaper, specifically regarding paper and supply costs.