The book takes place in a small town in Arizona in 1976 - already I’m sold because I love reading anything set in the 1960s or ‘70s. The story is centered around Melanie Chaffee, the 13-year-old main character. Melanie decides that she wants a new pair of platform sandals, but her “uptight” mother won’t let her have them. Melanie comes up with a plan: she’ll buy the shoes herself with her own money. But how is a middle-school girl supposed to get a job?