Charlemagne "Charlie" Reese is an 11-year-old girl forced to move from Raleigh to the rural town of Colby, North Carolina, after her parents are unable to care for her. Harboring a quick temper and feeling abandoned by her family, she struggles with low self-esteem and a deep longing for a true home. She relies on an obsessive daily practice of making wishes on stars, pennies, and other folklore to cope with the uncertainty of her living situation.

Howard is a perceptive boy in Charlie's class who walks with a limp and wears black glasses. Coming from a large, boisterous, and welcoming family, he offers Charlie steadfast friendship even when she initially rejects him. He endures teasing from his classmates with remarkable stoicism and helps Charlie devise a plan to catch a stray dog.

Bertha is Charlie's maternal aunt and foster guardian in Colby. A bold, personable Southern woman with an endless supply of humorous stories, she covers every wall of Charlie's room with canning jars from her massive garden. She compensates for her lack of formal parenting experience with boundless warmth, down-home cooking, and extreme patience.

Jackie is Charlie's teenage sister who is nearing high school graduation and living with a friend in Raleigh. Working at a Waffle House and visiting their father in prison, she balances heavy family responsibilities with a typical teenager's desire for independence. She easily charms the residents of Colby when she visits.

Wishbone is a skittish, scrawny stray dog roaming the woods of Colby. Reluctant to trust humans at first, he is eventually lured into a trap baited with Bertha's meatloaf. He becomes a constant companion to Charlie and a physical symbol of her hope for a stable home.

Gus is Charlie's uncle by marriage. While much quieter than his chatty wife, his steady work ethic and quiet affections make him a cornerstone of safety in Charlie's new environment. He spends a great deal of his time tending to his prodigious vegetable garden and doing odd jobs.

Scrappy is Charlie and Jackie's father, currently serving time in a correctional facility for getting into fights. He maintains minimal contact with his daughters through brief letters, leaving a complicated legacy of anger for Charlie to unpack.

Carla is Charlie and Jackie's mother, whose severe depression and inability to care for her children necessitate their separation. She has a history of making impulsive decisions and maintains a deeply fractured relationship with her sister, Bertha.

Audrey is a tidy, well-mannered student in Charlie's class and Sunday school group. She frequently clashes with Charlie, inadvertently highlighting Charlie's deep-seated insecurities about her clothes, manners, and family situation.

Mrs. Odom is Howard's mother, presiding over a cluttered but incredibly warm and hospitable household. She treats Charlie with immense kindness, serving homemade pies and providing her with a model of unconditional maternal acceptance.

Mr. Odom is Howard's father, a hardworking man with a trucking job who assists the neighborhood children in their projects. He provides Charlie with small but meaningful connections to her mother's past in Colby.

T.J. is a local boy who attends Vacation Bible School and bullies Howard about his physical disability, prompting a fierce physical response from Charlie.

The social worker is a professional tasked with evaluating Charlie's foster placement and making critical decisions regarding her potential reunification with her mother.

Burl is one of Howard's older brothers who helps out around the property and drives a truck. He becomes notably smitten with Charlie's older sister, Jackie, when she visits Colby.

Cotton is one of Howard's brothers who shares his family's lively dynamic. He frequently participates in family gatherings and competes with his siblings over simple treasures like chicken wishbones.