Katie's life is being made a misery by bully Ivy and her gang. This is serious physical bullying, and since Katie has told teachers it is happening, Ivy has changed her tactics to menacing Katie after school. Katie has taken to returning home through the town dump, believing herself to be safe there. But when Ivy and her gang appear, Katie is saved by a strange girl who pops out of a cardboard box. Homelessness and bullying become twin themes in this story full of mystery and adventure, and Katie and Zan learn lots about each other and their very different life styles. The ending is a happy, though rather unlikely, one, but along the way there is a great deal of information about what being bullied and being homeless feel like. The plot is complex and simplistic simultaneously - not, perhaps, the best of this author's efforts - but a cracking good read anyway.