Sharon Creech fans will recognize Mary Lou Finney and her infamous summer journal from their appearance in "Walk Two Moons."

Mary Lou's journal opens with a plea, " Here it is: my summer journal . . But please PLEEEASSSE DON'T READ IT!"

What begins grudgingly as a dreaded assignment for school becomes a hilarious chronicle of the circle of people and events that make her summer. There is Carl Ray, the mysterious and troublesome cousin that comes to visit; Beth Ann Bartels, the best friend who's recently gone boy crazy; Alex Cheevy, the boy that makes Mary Lou's brains " mushy" and, of course, the Finney clan, her " normally strange family." What follows is a story of a summer filled with lessons and observations on love, death, friendship and family.