Seven-year-old Billy Miller starts second grade with a bump on his head and a lot of worries, but by the end of the year he has developed good relationships with his teacher, his little sister, and his parents and learned many important lessons.

Mitch is spending the summer at Bird Lake after his parents separate, and Spencer and his family have returned to the lake where Spencer's brother drowned, and as the boys spend time together, each of them begins to heal.

Penny comes home from school eager to share her very own song, but must wait until the time is right to teach it to her parents and the babies.

"On his eighth birthday, Billy Miller wishes for something exciting to happen. None of his wishes are answered the way he expects, but he does have lots of surprises--and the final one is possibly the best one ever"--