Barbara Compton's twelfth summer is supposed to be the best ever-and then her world humpty-dumpties when her parents die. Not only must she deal with her older sister (aka Old Grim and Gruesome) as her guardian, but she's threatened with the additional losses of her home, old friends, and her dog. Barbara resists all attempts that would force her to take giant steps into her future. How can she hang on to what's left of the only world she's ever known? Set in the 50s, life might seem simpler then, but death is never easy. Even so,humor still finds its way into the sisters' lives.