Uprooted following the death of their father, nine-year-old Vinnie and her five-year-old brother, Mason, cope in different ways--one in silence--but both with the help of Lupe, the flip-flop girl.
Ten-year-old Bobbie Jo and mean Clara Jean are disappointed when they discover that the fabulous F. Bam Morrison, a supposed advance man for the circus, is really a crook who has pulled a scam on the entire town, but the girls save the day when they work together to plan their own celebration.
While recovering from chicken pox, Robin and his friends are drawn into his mother's story about the adventures she and her friends had years ago with an unusual girl who mysteriously appeared on the nearby beach.
When Rex accompanies Pinky and his relatives on their traditional trip to pick and carve pumpkins, she feels left out because of the jealous behavior of Pinky's cousin Abby.
When she discovers that Nellie and her sisters have been sent to an orphanage, Samantha, now living with her aunt and uncle in New York City, tries to help her friends as much as she can.
Sammy Jacobs is very interested in ghosts and science fiction much to the dismay of his parents who are research scientists, but when he somehow acquires an invisible friend, he realizes that the supernatural is not all that much fun.
Addy and Harriet feud over everything, including fund-raising plans to help the families of freed slaves, but tragedy finally forces them to stop fighting and work together.
