Spring nears as Amanda's family faces extreme loss and sadness. When Amanda returns to school, she tries to be cheerful, but this pretending exhausts her. On her way home, a near accident gives Amanda another jolt. Her friends and teachers help her to be her real self and make a plan to get through the awful sadness. At Berean Bible church, they are greeted warmly and celebrate Easter. In late spring the sixth grade puts on another fundraiser, the play Our Town. Though she determines to only work behind the scenes, Amanda gets the hilarious part of Mrs. Soames who whispers loudly during the play's wedding scene. The night of the performance, a surprising gift brings her much joy. The three-part story of Amanda's sixth-grade year ends on a bright, happy day in June when she realizes she has a crush on an unlikely friend.