Major characters •
Mandy White: Mandy is 10 years old. She is extremely shy and timid to the point that she does not even like telling her mother about her problems, and has very low self-esteem. She lives with her mother and father, both of whom are a lot older than the parents of Mandy's classmates. They often cuddle her, and treat her as if she were six rather than ten. Mandy is often teased for this, as she must wear babyish dresses, knitted cardigans, thick glasses, and has to style her hair in two plaits. Mandy is bullied by Kim, a pretty, popular classmate, and Kim's two friends Sarah and Melanie. •
Tanya: Tanya is a 14-year-old girl who lives across the street from Mandy. She is living with a foster mother, Mrs. Williams, temporarily. Despite the large age gap, she takes a shine to Mandy, who is impressed by her bright orange, cropped hair, stilettos and crop tops. She is tough and streetwise (once standing up against Kim for Mandy), but kind too. She can be moody, as Mandy finds out, and hates schoolwork as she is dyslexic. Tanya is shown to like
Nirvana; the first time Tanya visits Mandy she is shown to be wearing a
Kurt Cobain T-shirt and the cause of his death - suicide - is something Tanya can relate to as her mother killed herself when she was very young. Mandy is shocked to discover, one day at the local shopping centre, that Tanya is a frequent shoplifter. However, she gets caught and is sent away from Mrs. Williams' house. • '''Mandy's Mother''': Mandy's mother is 55. She constantly babies Mandy and insists she wear her hair in two plaits, and frocks. She is a sensitive but firm woman. She is a large woman who squeezes herself into dresses that are too small for her. • '''Mandy's Father''': Mandy's father is 62 and works as a businessman, sporting a beard. Mandy's father is gentler than his wife and often keeps a level head in an escalated situation. He wears sharp suits for work, but loose smocks at home. He has been known to stick up for Tanya against his wife and also defend Mandy about her dress sense. •
Kim Matthews: Kim is a girl in Mandy's class. She is popular and confident; Mandy mentions that she would definitely make it as a model, with her shiny, black hair and her pearly white teeth. It is mentioned Kim said she was going to be a fashion model when she left school. Kim mercilessly bullies Mandy about her parents, her looks, her intelligence and her clothes. She is the leader in the bullying trio. •
Sarah Newman: Sarah is the second bully in the group. A show-off with thick blonde curls, she looks up to Kim and mostly picks on Mandy just to impress her. Sarah and Melanie often struggle to outdo each other when it comes to pleasing Kim. •
Melanie Holder: Melanie is just like Sarah, a minion of Kim's. However, Melanie used to be Mandy's best friend before Sarah and Kim befriended her. She uses a lot of Mandy's secrets and private imaginary games against Mandy to humiliate her, and to entertain the others. She and Sarah are constantly battling each other to satisfy Kim. It was thought that Melanie being unsettled by her parents' divorce instigated her to become involved in bullying. •
Arthur King: A boy in Mandy's class, just as shy and timid as she is. The pair become good friends toward the end of the novel. He enjoys chess and reading about
King Arthur and his knights. He often feels guilty for not standing up for Mandy against the bullies.
Minor characters •
Pat Williams: The foster mother that Tanya lives with. She mostly fosters babies and toddlers. •
Ricky: The youngest of Pat's foster children, a baby in a pram. •
Charlie: A toddler in Pat's foster care. •
Simon: A toddler in Pat's foster care. •
Mrs. Edwards: The headmistress of the school. •
Mrs. Stanley: Mrs. Stanley is Mandy, Kim, Melanie, Sarah and Arthur's Year 5 class teacher. •
Miss Moseley: Miss Moseley is the characters' Year 6 class teacher. •
Mr. and Mrs. Patel: The
Indian owners of a corner shop that Tanya and Mandy visit en route back from the park the day Mandy returns to school. Here, Tanya buys a newspaper and steals Mrs. Patel's bottle-green velvet scrunchie. == Reception ==