"Sordino," Melinda's last name, means "muted."
New Eastmoor Academy theater students are shown the film every year. The drama teacher (who is an extra in the movie) welcomes the students to try to find the closet in which Melinda hides. However, the school has so many locked doors and corridors it has not been found since the movie's release.
A downpour during the filming of some outdoor party scenes required the on-the-spot alteration of a few key sequences, including the replacement of some underage extras by miscellaneous crew members. Also, the indoor scene in which Andy Evans (Eric Lively) towels Melinda's (Kristen Stewart's) hair dry was a last minute improvisation due to the unexpected rain.
Kristen Stewart's first lead role for a movie.
Laurie Halse Anderson: the novel's author appears as the cafeteria worker spooning out mashed potatoes on the first day of school.