Seventh grader Alice decides that the only way to stave off personal and social disasters is to be part of the crowd, especially the "in" crowd, no matter how boring and, potentially, difficult.

Find a Penny pick it up and all day long you'll have good luck...except, of course, if that Penny is charming and pretty and funny, and the person picking her up just happens to be your boyfriend. Alice McKinley's freshman year is not as "lucky" as she was hoping it would be. But she's is trying to look on the bright side. There are worse things than being single for a semester... for a school year...for the whole summer.... At least Alice can count...