Yusuf is an 11-year-old Pakistani American Muslim boy living in Frey, Texas. His primary passion is coding and building machines for the Texas Robotics Competition. He is generally optimistic and avoids conflict, but he faces escalating anti-Muslim prejudice as the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches. He struggles with wanting to just be a normal middle schooler rather than acting as a spokesperson for his faith.

Danial is Yusuf's best friend and a fellow Muslim student who shares his passion for robotics. He comes from a wealthy family, as his parents are computer engineers for Exxon. He is highly pessimistic about middle school and deeply protective of his friendships, often judging those who act differently than he expects.

Formerly known as Kamran, Cameron is a childhood friend of Yusuf and Danial who recently changed his name and personal style. He wears an earring and baggy clothes, initially appearing to have abandoned his old friends for a more popular crowd. He maintains a hidden talent for building intricate LEGO structures in minutes.

Yusuf's favorite uncle and Amma's younger brother. He works as a research scientist at a university hospital in Houston and travels frequently. Because he was exactly Yusuf's age during the 2001 attacks, he shares his middle school journal to help Yusuf understand the historical roots of the prejudice they face.

Yusuf's father, an immigrant from Pakistan who owns and operates the A to Z Dollar Store. The town considers him a local hero for subduing a robber years ago, a title he proudly embraces. He deeply desires to fit into the Frey community and often responds to hostility with overwhelming generosity, hoping to win people over.

Yusuf's mother, a freelance writer, editor, and excellent cook who teaches Sunday school. Unlike her husband, she openly questions the prejudice their community faces and refuses to constantly prove her worth to bigots. She advocates for a kinder, less punitive approach to teaching religion to the local children.

A white student in Yusuf's science class who becomes an unexpected friend. His mother serves overseas in the military, which gives him severe anxiety and nightmares that he attempts to soothe through painting. He tries to understand his Muslim classmates despite his extended family's vocal prejudices.

A star player for the Frey Coyotes middle school football team who recently moved to town from West Virginia after his parents' divorce. He aggressively targets Muslim students at the school, frequently using racial slurs and physical intimidation to assert dominance over those he perceives as different.

Ethan's father and the leader of the Patriot Sons, a local xenophobic group. He organizes the town's 20th-anniversary 9/11 parade and uses his public platform to aggressively protest the construction of the new Islamic Center, attempting to rally the town against its Muslim residents.

A student who grew up preferring building blocks over dolls and excitedly joins the robotics team to program their robot. She initially struggles with cultural ignorance regarding Yusuf's religion but is willing to learn, apologize for her mistakes, and focus on their shared technological goals.

A seventh-grade Muslim girl who attends Sunday school with Yusuf and wears a red hijab. She becomes a primary target of severe bullying when she is harassed in the school hallway, bringing the town's tensions directly into the student body.

Yusuf's little sister who loves Barbies, unicorns, and pumpkin patches. She suffers from asthma and relies on her family's close care, providing Yusuf with a reason to be protective and imaginative at home.

The seven-time Teacher of the Year at Frey Middle School. He leads the science classes and sponsors the after-school robotics club, showing deep support for his students' extracurricular goals and personal well-being.

Yusuf's social studies teacher who assigns a report on the 9/11 attacks. She means well but occasionally places unfair burdens on her minority students, expecting them to act as cultural spokespeople for their entire religion.

A strict, traditional Sunday school teacher whom the children consider frightening. She enforces rigid interpretations of religious endurance, though she possesses her own traumatic history with anti-Muslim prejudice from her youth.

Jared's grandmother and Trevor's mother. She supplies roses for the town's parades and remembers exactly where she was on 9/11, providing a historical anchor for the town's older generation while housing her grandson.

The enthusiastic principal of Frey Middle School. He attempts to manage the escalating tensions in his school with administrative policies but initially struggles to grasp the true severity of the harassment targeting his Muslim students.

A local police officer who previously responded to the robbery at the dollar store. He has a complicated dynamic with the Muslim community, occasionally offering support against vandals but also strictly enforcing harsh security measures during school incidents.

Uncle Rahman's childhood best friend from 2001. A popular football player who loves to read, his relationship with Rahman frays drastically after his uncle goes missing in the Twin Towers during the 9/11 attacks, turning his grief into misdirected anger.

The new pastor of the New Horizons Church, situated across from the mosque construction site. He preaches tolerance and actively works to build bridges between his congregation and the local Muslim community, standing up against local xenophobia.

Yusuf's aunt and the sister of Rahman and Farrah. She appears primarily in the 2001 journal entries, experiencing anti-Muslim prejudice alongside her brother in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.