Dicey Tillerman Timeline and Summary

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• Dicey is only thirteen years old when her mother puts her in charge of her three younger siblings and wanders away during a car trip to Bridgeport.
• Dicey can't risk going to the police, so she decides that the children should walk to Bridgeport.
• The journey is filled with all kinds of hardships and Dicey has a hard time trusting anyone and controlling her siblings. People also mistake Dicey for a boy, which she doesn't mind since she figures it's safer that way.
• In New Haven, Dicey accepts help from Windy and Stewart who agree to feed the kids and drive them to Bridgeport.
• Aunt Cilla's house isn't what Dicey imagined, though her Cousin Eunice agrees to let the kids stay while the police look for their mother. Dicey cooks and cleans and tries to earn some extra money and keep her siblings together.
• When Dicey hears that she has a grandmother in Crisfield, she hatches a plan—she's going to find out about this grandma if it's the last thing she does.
• On the way to Crisfield, Dicey meets Jerry, who gives the kids a ride in his sailboat and remarks that she would be good girlfriend material. Aw.
• She also tries to earn some extra money by hiring her siblings out as tomato pickers. This goes pretty badly when their employer tries to kidnap them, though.
• Luckily, Dicey and her siblings are rescued by Will and Claire, who drive the kids the rest of the way to Crisfield.
• In Crisfield, Dicey is pretty underwhelmed with their grandmother, but also feels at home there, so she hatches a plan to win Abigail over.
• Eventually, Abigail enrolls the kids in school and decides that they can stay there after all. Yay.