The story revolves around Ellen Katz, a Jewish and autistic child from the United States who goes on a class trip to Barcelona, Spain.
[2] The main character, Ellen, is autistic, and to cope with unfamiliar social situations she stims, and uses noise-cancelling headphones to avoid sensory overload in noisy and crowded places.
[3] Booklist also noted the way that Strass had created a "world that celebrates autism for the joy it brings Ellen.
The Horn Book Magazine claimed that "presence of multiple queer characters allows for a variety of feelings" to be expressed,[6] and, alongside the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, listed that the existence of non-binary characters as one of the elements that helped Ellen come to terms with the nuances of personal identity.
[7] The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books criticized the subplots and Ellen's parents, feeling that their addition detracted from the main story, but praised the work overall.