In 1952 Pittsburgh, Franny Katzenback is recovering from polio. She reads and falls in love with a brand-new book, "Charlotte's Web." Bored and lonely and yearning for a Charlotte of her own, Franny starts up a correspondence with an eloquent flea named Fleabrain who lives on her dog's tail.

Joanne Rocklin is the author of many books for children, including The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook, which won the Golden Kite Award, and Love, Penelope, which was an NCIBA Golden Poppy Book Award winner.