Jukes, Mavis

Seven-year-old Emma tries to convince her disbelieving older brother that she is teaching their farm animals to read and speak English.

Nine-year-old Austin visits his grandmother the summer after his grandfather dies and together they try to come to terms with their loss.

Twelve-year-old River and her sixth-grade classmates handle the information from their sex education class in different ways, and it leads River to the conclusion that her older sister's unusual behavior is due to pregnancy.

Seven-year-old Emma tries to convince her disbelieving older brother that she is teaching their farm animals to read and speak English.

When almost-nine-year-old Carson Blum and his father move to Northern California, he is worried about adjusting to his new, large, public school and finding friends.

As twelve-year-old River and some of her friends work on a handbook for sixth-grade parents, they have to deal with information from the candid Ms. Furley's sex education lessons as well as the efforts of the class flirt to break up several couples.

Finding herself the victim of an obnoxious classmate, ten-year-old Maggie receives conflicting advice from her crazy friend Iris and both of her parents, who are still at war two years after their divorce.

As twelve-year-old River and some of her friends work on a handbook for sixth-grade parents, they have to deal with information from the candid Ms. Furley's sex education lessons as well as the efforts of the class flirt to break up several couples.

Nine-year-old Austin visits his grandmother the summer after his grandfather dies and together they try to come to terms with their loss.

Alex feels that he does not have much in common with his stepfather Jake until a fuzzy spider brings them together.