Effie Shrugg is a minor character in the series. She is very large for her age, and ahead academically. In "Effie Shrugged", she transfers from fifth grade at Hazelnut Elementary School to seventh at Hazelnut Middle School, despite only being 8 years old. She soon becomes friends with Pepper Ann, Nicky and Milo and introduces them to intellectual things like Darwin and Dickens. However, Pepper Ann fails to notice that Effie is also a bit of a bully. She rarely appears after "Effie Shrugged", though she did make an appearance as a spirit in "A Valentine's Day Tune".