Chasing Normal

Mieka Baker just wants to be normal. Its tough enough that her mom left a few years ago and that her artist dad decorates the house solely with "treasures" from the "vintage" store, but its just too much when Mieka and her dad have to leave Boston to go to spend the summer with her sick grandmother in Texas - someone Mieka has never met. Grandma Baker isnt just brutally honest, shes brutal. She tells Mieka shes fat, frumpy, and basically unwanted. Its all too much to handle, especially when she has to stay with her Aunt Kates family. The most normal family ever. Aunt Kate stays at home with the kids (where IS Miekas mom anyway?), Uncle Dave wears a suit to work, cousin Mark is a genius and Greta - well, shes Miekas age but thats where the similarity ends. Shes blond, beautiful, fit, friendly, popular and practically perfect.

But as the summer progresses and Mieka learns a thing or two about herself (hey, she can actually learn to enjoy herself at camp, even if it is Bible camp and she happens to be a bit chubbier than every other camper there) and her family members she realizes that theres no such thing as normal. That even though she and her dad arent a conventional family and arent rich and dont go to church they are incredibly lucky to have each other and to have love. And even the perfect kids seem to be chasing normal too.