André mercier

Dicey’s Song
Summary
INTRODUCTION & CHAPTER 1
In the one-page introduction to the book, Dicey reflects on the long summer she and her siblings have weathered and finds herself relieved that their travels are over and that they are, at last, home. She feels that she can call Gram's house a home with confidence because Gram will give them the leeway and space they need to be themselves. Afew days later, after school has started, Dicey, having just finished painting the barn, finds herself alone. She mentally checks on the whereabouts of each of her siblings: Sammy, her six-year-old brother, is working in the garden, James, her ten-year-old brother, is shopping with Gram, and Maybeth, her nine-year-old sister, is upstairs doing schoolwork. She takes a moment to wonder at thesurprises in store for all the Tillermans as they grow to know each other in the coming year.
Dicey remembers back to the afternoon when she and her family eagerly took the old sailboat in the barn—now Dicey's prize possession—and put it into the Bay water. The decrepit boat, which had belonged to one of Dicey's uncles, sank immediately, its boards too dry to hold water out anymore. Instead of expressingany emotion, Dicey immediately began to instruct her siblings in how to take it out. Gram, surprised at Dicey's poise, recommended that Dicey leave the boat in the water so the wood would swell up, and commented on Dicey's determination. Next Dicey turns her thoughts to school, which she considers a waste of time. She has used her time in school to plan how she can get a job. After their summerduring which all four Tillerman children survived on very little money and without an adult, Dicey feels compelled to find a job. She finds herself, even though they are much more secure than they were during the summer, worrying about all of her siblings and what might happen to them this year.
Gram and James return in the motorboat from town, lugging groceries. Gram looks at Dicey, who is notwearing a shirt, and tells her she can no longer go around naked. Dicey tries to ignore the comment, but admits glumly to herself that she has begun to notice her breasts growing bigger. After lunch, Dicey goes downtown to try to convince Millie, Gram's old schoolmate and the town's butcher, to give Dicey a job cleaning the store. She reasons with Millie that the cleaner store will attract morecustomers, and finally, Millie, who seems as interested in companionship as in profits, agrees to hire Dicey. Dicey thinks about the allowance she can now give to her siblings, as well as the money she can give to Gram. She rides toward Gram's house, but finds herself still thinking of their house in Provincetown when she says home.
At dinner, Dicey announces her accomplishment, and though her familymembers all express approval, Gram and James both tell Dicey she should talk such decisions over with her family first in the future. Gram takes this opportunity to tell the children that she will talk to a lawyer about adopting them. At first, Sammy is reluctant, wondering what will happen if their Momma, who is in a mental hospital in Boston, gets better. When Gram tells Sammy that Momma willsimply move in with them if she gets better, everyone agrees to the adoption. After dinner, Dicey tries to teach Maybeth, who struggles in school, about fractions, but the timid girl does not grasp Dicey's lesson. Maybeth then begins playing the piano, which she does skillfully, while Sammy and Gram play checkers and James reads the Bible. Dicey gravitates towards James and together they look atthe inner cover of the Bible, which has their grandparents', uncles' and Momma's names and birthdates, in one person's handwriting, and dates of death for their grandfather and Uncle Bullet in another person's handwriting. Gram walks over to them and writes the children's names and birthdates in the Bible, much to everyone's satisfaction. Dicey wanders outside and finds herself thinking of Momma,...