Dinny's life is filled with halcyon days. Her father is a college professor; her mother is a "stay at home" who bakes bread and cookies. Their home is old and stately. Dinny has long-time friends: Blythe, Melinda and Sue.

Dinny has long-range goals: She wants to travel to see Troy, Rome, Athens and the Acropolis. To achieve these goals, she decides to save part of her weekly allowance and to embark on a child care career (neighborhood babysitting).

While her friends spend their Christmas vacation shopping and going to parties, Dinny is babysitting and researching her elaborate archaeology project. Although Dinny is not interested in dating, she befriends the odd, intellectual Clyde Craybil, a new senior student at Rosemont High.

An interesting minor plot is Dinny's grade conflict with Latin teacher Miss Grimm (love that name). I enjoyed this 1950's teen novel even though I read it as an adult. I liked the individualism of the main character and the way she stood out from her friends. ( )