Take a 10-year old girl, who lost her mother at age 3, a father who is present but spiritually absent, raised by fostered by her grandmother who has just recently died, and you have the story of Flora. Little Helen's father takes a job in another town and hires his late wife's cousin, Flora, from Alabama to come spend the summer with his daughter. Flora is a simple hearted girl and it is sometimes difficult to see who is the adult and responsible person, the grown cousin or the 10-year old child. Either way, it is a summer of complications, misunderstandings and a learning experience for both. There was not a lot of depth to this story and at times it felt like it read a bit too elementary, but all in all, the story was enchanting, heartbreaking and interesting. A good discussion book on how the events of our lives shadow and shape our future.