Aaah how did I forget that this was the third book, not the second? It does explain why some things didn't make sense. .. 
 I really like this series--the themes of sisterhood and family and friendship; of caring for each other even when you're crappy to each other; of living through the Civil Rights movement as a black kid, especially in the south, in a town where the sheriff is a known klansman. 
 The pacing in this book is uneven (the story drags a while, and then suddenly gets very fast), but it's the sisters who really pull the story, moreso than the plot. 
 Recommended for middle school collections.