Dicey's mom left them, and Dicey had spent Book #1 of the series shepherding her three younger siblings from their home on the bay to an aunt a few states away. When the aunt turned out to be a bad fit for them - not a bad person, just not ready to take care of four little kids - she gathers them up and leaves, heading down the road, traveling a few more states, and hoping their last living relative - their grandma - will be willing to take care of them.
She took them in, and suddenly Dicey isn't in charge of figuring out...