Leeva At Last by Sara Pennypacker

 

What are people for? That's the burning question on the mind of Leeva Spayce Thornblossom. Fame! sasys Leeva's mom, the mayor of Nutsmore. Money! says her dad, the town treasurer. 

With the help of an orphaned badger, a risk-adverse boy in a hazmat suit, and the town's librarians, Leeva sets off to discover her own answer - setting off a chain of events that will change Nutsmore forever.