The overall framework, the story that holds the stories of Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian together, is Mrs. Olinski's story. Mrs. Olinski has returned to teaching after a ten-year absence. She is a paraplegic and is teaching her sixth grade class from a wheelchair. She endures discrimination and harassment from people who are ignorant about what it means to be physically handicapped.
Mrs. Olinski appoints Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian to be on her Academic Bowl team. When she appoints them, she is unaware that they are The Souls. The team makes it all the way to the state finals and becomes champion. At the conclusion of her journey, Mrs. Olin-ski discovers kindness once again both within herself and within others. Konigsburg concludes the novel with an ambiguous question: Did The Souls choose to be on the Academic Bowl team, or did Mrs. Olin-ski choose them?
