As her family gathers for the wedding of her sister Anna, fourth-grader Cassie Whiting sees the many changes brought about by everyday life and finds comfort in the love of those around her, especially her grandfather.

While in North Dakota helping her Aunt Frankie prepare for a possible flood, Lucy finds her voice as a poet with the help of her two-year-old brother Teddy, the rest of their family, and a few cows.

When Papa goes away for a little while, his family tries to cope with the separation by adopting four dogs and a cat.

Arriving on the American prairie in the hope of making a new home, Nora, a little girl from Russia, struggles with loneliness until Papa brings her a dozen chicks and two geese who follow Nora everywhere she goes.

Eleven-year-old aspiring writer Louisa considers traveling the world with her globetrotting parents, but friendship with George helps her to see her grandparents' farm on Deer Island in a new light.

"Lucy's father is a minor league baseball player, a professional pitcher hoping to get called up to the majors, and Lucy inherited his passion for the game. But she's never played pitcher. She worries her skills would be compared to her dad's and she'd never measure up. And his pitching may mean big things for his career and their family, but it's also what keeps him away from home so much of the year. Sometimes, Lucy isn't sure what would be worse:...