Mrs. Olinski and Margaret Draper met during Mrs. Olinski’s first teaching job. Margaret had been the “superb” school principal, and after she retired, she kept in touch with Mrs. Olinski. The following summer, Mrs. Olinski was in the car crash that killed her husband, bringing the two women even closer (Margaret had also lost her husband). When Ethan Potter, Margaret’s grandson, is assigned to Mrs. Olinski’s homeroom, she watches him closely and decides that Ethan might be a good addition to her Academic Bowl team.

During the Academic Bowl, Ethan hits his buzzer to answer the third question. The question is about places in New York State that are associated with “women famous in American history” (60). He answers correctly.

The second portion of Chapter 3 is titled “Ethan Explains the B and B Inn” and describes Ethan’s experience at Epiphany Middle School and how he becomes a member of The Souls (61).

Ethan lives further from the school than all the other students, so he boards the school bus first and gets off last. On the first day of school, Ethan chooses a double seat at the back of the bus and puts his backpack beside him—blocking the other seat.