They were children who had seen too much Youll be dead before youre five, those were the first words Joyce Ann could remember her grandmother saying to her and the fact that she was almost nine did not make living any easier Joyce Ann, Josephine, Kenny, and Janie-all the children had seen too much, been through too much, dealt with too many grown-up things to be considered children in more than age. Josephine spent her days fighting to protect herself and her siblings from bigger kids who saw the undersized children of a woman barely more than four feet tall as fair game Janies days were spent cooking and caring for nine younger siblings and sleepless nights were spent wondering when rather than if one of her mothers numerous male visitors would decide to do the unimaginable Kennys secrets were kept from even his closest friends. How could a child explain life with a mother who managed every detail of every day of his life from what he would wear to lessons that were not always about music It was only the promise of friendship that brought these four young people together in a story about the power of love and acceptance among friends.