Maybeth Tillerman Timeline and Summary

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• Throughout her life, Maybeth struggles with school and refuses to talk to anyone outside her immediate family. She is held back a grade because of this.
• Maybeth is only nine years old when her mother abandons her and her three siblings on a car ride to Bridgeport.
• Her sister, Dicey, decides that the children should walk to Bridgeport.
• Maybeth often sings for her siblings during the long journey since she has the prettiest voice of all of them.
• In Rockland State Park, Maybeth enjoys hearing Edie play her autoharp; in New Haven, she sings along with Stewart as he plays his guitar for them.
• When the children finally get to Bridgeport, Cousin Eunice takes an instant liking to Maybeth, dressing the girl up and taking her to church with her every Sunday.
• But Maybeth also struggles in school. The teachers there believe she is "retarded" and that she will have a hard time finding a permanent home for herself.
• One day, Dicey shows up at school and tells Maybeth the Tillerman kids are headed to see their grandmother in Crisfield.
• Later, the Tillermans are almost kidnapped by a nasty character named Mr. Rudyard, who takes a creepy liking to Maybeth.
• In Crisfield, Maybeth doesn't say much when she manages to hurt her arm pulling down honeysuckle.
• Though their grandmother tells the kids they can't stay permanently, she decides to enroll them in school. Maybeth has to take a test to make sure that she can advance to the third grade, and she totally nails is.
• Finally, Abigail decides that her grandchildren can stay with her. Yay.