Twelve-year-old Peter struggles to maintain his friendship with his tomboy classmate, Veronica, despite the opposition of their parents and the disapproval of his other friends.

Olivia spends her fourteenth year trying to adjust to her parents' divorce, watching the changes her widowed grandmother is going through, and discovering boys.

The wisdom of peace and the absurdity of fighting are demonstrated in seventeen stories and poems by outstanding authors of today such as Jean Fritz, Milton Meltzer, and Nancy Willard, illustrated by famous illustrators such as Paul Zelinsky, the Dillons, and Maurice Sendak.