Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice.
Exposition
Jesus Has Risen
Everything starts out on a perfectly regular school day… regular that is, until a new boy appears in the classroom. The arrival of Jesus Boy (so-called because of his long hair) is a shock to everyone at Frannie's school because he happens to be white, and all the kids on this side of the highway are black. His appearance sets the scene for some interesting racial tension that will continue throughout the book.
Rising Action
Baby of the Family
Things start to get tense, both at school and at home. At school, things are weird because Jesus Boy being around makes everyone nervous… especially the resident mean boy, Trevor. At home, Frannie has plenty to worry about. Her mama has just announced that she's pregnant again, which freaks Frannie out because (1) that means she won't be the baby of the family anymore, and (2) her mama has had miscarriages and lost babies in the past. This is serious stuff, and Frannie's world is seriously rocked.
Climax
Schoolyard Fight
You know that something's going down when all the kids at school are gathered around two boys who hate each other—when Trevor tries to fight with Jesus Boy, it's a turning point for everyone. It's the first time that Jesus Boy talks back, and it's also the first time that Trevor falls over and realizes how weak he is. For her part, Frannie comes to the realization in this moment that she wants to be a good person, so she walks over to Trevor and helps him up, even though she doesn't like him very much. She just wants to do the right thing.
Falling Action
Let's Just Get Along
After Trevor falls, both Frannie and Jesus Boy go to help him up. They're the only ones that support him in that moment, and it really changes things. Afterward, Frannie agrees to hang out with Jesus Boy over the weekend because she recognizes that they can all be friends despite their differences in skin color—they are all people, after all; they're all just kids. She also realizes that she's been kind of a brat about her mama's pregnancy, and that maybe she overreacted when she said that she didn't want to share a room with her new sibling.
Resolution
Precious Moments
At the end, Frannie has really figured out some things about life and reached a state of contentment. She knows that she should treasure the happy moments in her life, and revel in the love that she feels for her friends and family. In the last scene of the book, Frannie is just cuddled up next to her mama and watching the light come in—it's a simple moment, but it's an important one because Frannie is totally in the moment and enjoying life. Yay.