she has painted herself. Her mother, Dinnie's Grandma Fiorelli, originally comes from Campobasso, Italy, and disapproves of Jack's lifestyle. Dinnie's brother Crick, due to being constantly on the move, frequently falls into delinquent behavior until, shortly before Dinnie is sent to Switzerland with Sandy and Max, is forcibly enlisted into the army in order to clean up his act. In contrast, Dinnie's sixteen-year-old sister Stella secretly marries a marine named George and has a baby, Michael, before Dinnie leaves for Switzerland. Throughout the novel, Dinnie receives news about her family from her paternal aunts, Tillie and Grace, who reside in By banks and often argue with one another. The sisters, however, express great love for their niece in their letters to Dinnie and offer encouraging news. References 1998 American novels American children's novels American young adult novels Novels by Sharon Creech Novels set in Switzerland Lugano Novels set in boarding schools 1998 children's books