Shirley Holmes, the great great grandniece of Sherlock, solves two mysteries, one revolving around a racehorse guaranteed to win against all odds and one involving a scheme to swindle the principal of her school.
Eighth-grader Julie and ninth-grader Rusty try to reconcile their public image with their private selves and also work out their relationship with each other.
Six parentless kids ranging in age from 5 to 18 run away from the orphanage and, as a family, successfully establish a household miles away until local do-gooders begin investigating.
Shirley plans to run a catering business as a summer money-making enterprise, but her determination to keep it a secret from her mother causes some complicated situations.
At the turn of the century, ten-year-old Rose immigrates from Russia to America and eventually finds that her emergence into adolescence brings employment, marriage, motherhood, and self-determination.