4.5 Stars 
 There's this Doctor Who quote that I really like from one of the Christmas specials. Kazran Sardick, the Scrooge character, identifies someone as "nobody important" and the Doctor replies, "Nobody important? Blimey, that's amazing. You know that in nine hundred years of time and space and I've never met anybody who wasn't important before." 
 That's kind of the point of this book. We may look past someone and think that they're nobody important, but they could have profound thoughts and sincere desires just like the rest of us. Renee, the concierge, and Paloma, the schoolgirl form a not-so-unlikely friendship thanks to the help of an older gentleman from Japan. There's a lot to think about and a lot that I learned from reading it. I don't think it meant to be adorable, but it kind of was, even if the ending was a bit wonky. The Elegance of the Hedgehog is going to stay with me for a good long while.