Charlotte (or Charlie) just loves playing tricks with her glass eye. She lost her real eye at playschool in a contretemps with a bow and arrow, but the glass one has not slowed her down. She is an ace footballer and the terror of her home and school. But when new boy, Jason Jones, appears on the scene, he takes over the school football team and taunts her about being handicapped. She doesn't know what the word means, but dimly comes to understand that somehow she must prove herself. When she makes an own goal during the big match, and Jason calls her 'useless', she runs away grief- stricken. She then proves herself in a most unexpected way by saving the life of Old Meg, the town drunk, from a fire. Jason admits her ability in the end - even that he should not have called her useless. Charlie is a funny, loveable, exasperating heroine, and a very normal little girl.