Liv Spark, an eleven-year-old closeted trans boy, has just started sixth grade at Bankridge, the only middle school in the district where girls are required to wear skirts. Liv embarks on the Pants Project, a campaign to change the school's dress code.
The Pants Project contains examples of:
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Liv's little brother Enzo's first reaction to seeing him in a skirt is to burst out laughing and shout, "You look ridiculous!" Liv thinks, "Little brothers can always be counted on to reach peak levels of annoying at exactly the wrong moment."
- Eating Lunch Alone: Marion Meltzer, the only other kid in school who's as unpopular as Liv, sits by herself at lunch. On her first day of school she looks up hopefully every time someone walks past her table, but after that she gives up. Weeks into the year, Liv feels guilty that he's been so wrapped up in his own problems that he hasn't thought about Marion, so he and his new friend Jacob Arbuckle sit at her table. She hates wearing a skirt too and is happy to help out with the Pants Project.
- Exact Words: The school website states that girls must wear a black pleated knee-length skirt, but it doesn't say what they can wear under it. Liv's first protest against the dress code is wearing a pair of black twill pants under his skirt. It doesn't work — Mrs. McCready threatens to send him to the principal's office if he doesn't go to the bathroom and change immediately.
- I Have No Son!: Mamma's parents wanted her to marry a man from their village in Italy. When Mamma moved to America and married a woman, her father told her he never wanted to see her again. She hasn't heard from anyone in her family in years when her brother Maurizio calls her to tell her that their father is dying. Mamma decides to stay in America rather than fly to Italy and attempt a deathbed reconciliation.
- In with the In Crowd: Liv and Maisie were best friends all throughout elementary school, but when Jade Evans and Chelsea Farrow start bullying Liv for acting like a boy and having two moms, Maisie abandons him so she won't become unpopular by association. She becomes part of the Girl Posse and dyes her hair blonde to fit in.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Liv hates being called by his full first name, Olivia, because it's too feminine.
- Pet's Homage Name: Liv's mamma was born in Italy, so the family dog is named Garibaldi.
- Playing Sick: On Liv's first day of school, he pretends to feel sick, but his mom sees right through it.
- Punch a Wall: While Liv rants to Maisie about the dress code, he kicks a wall, adding a sore toe to his list of problems.
- Rage Against the Reflection: When Liv first sees himself in a skirt, he throws a shoe at his bedroom mirror.
- Trans Tribulations: The story is about Liv, a trans boy, fighting to change the school's dress code so that he can wear pants without being judged.
