Sixth grade is not starting off great for 11-year-old Liz McCormick. Her best friend, Veronica, ditched her to hang out with the popular kids, she humiliates herself at the big homecoming parade and to top it all off, she has to come home every day to her pain of a big sister, Sara Jane. How is it that two sisters can be so different? Not only does Liz have school to worry about, but she also is preparing her unpredictable goat, Ginny for the 4-H Festival, and she discovers her parents are having financial difficulties. As her twelfth birthday draws nearer, Liz wonders how she is going to make it through the ever-changing world of middle school. Sixth grade continues, and Liz faces more challenges that come with growing up. She begins to realize that maybe boys aren't so gross, that true friends are hard to fi nd and that you can always count on family. As her tastes and priorities change along with everything else in her life, Liz discovers that becoming a teenager isn't as bad as she thought, and maybe she and Sara Jane are more alike than they think.