Sixth grader Elyse Donaldson is looking forward to summer vacation, she plans to read a lot, write her first novel, and even attempt to get along with her older sister, Jordyn. Elyse`s summer plans change, however, when her grandmother, who is suffering from Alzheimer`s, moves in and her mother announces that she expects Elyse and Jordyn to help care for her. As Elyse attempts to cope with her grandmother`s illness, she also has to come to terms with many changes in her own life, including the fact that her widowed mother has begun dating.