Elaine — Ruth Vitrano Merkel

Elaines family has just moved back to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Living in a new house on a different street promises to be lots of fun! Elaine and her sister, Marcia, hope that there will be nice kids in their new neighborhood, and there areexcept for Monica. Even though they try to like her, they just cant. But shy, quiet Joanie from down the street does something that changes everything.Camp meeting is the highlight of every summer, and this year is no different. Meeting up with old friends, weathering a fierce thunderstorm, and waging war on unsuspecting camp guards add to the fun. The excitement doesnt stop once the family returns home: a tornado shakes the house, Elaine takes a trip to the hospital, and someone must save Marcia from drowning.Winter brings heaps of snow, and the girls build a snow fort down the street. A snowball fight breaks outgirls against boys! At a family reunion, Uncle Steve recalls a long-forgotten tale of a mysterious stranger and tire tracks in the snow.