Playing by the books doesn't always work.
It's exam time at Juliana's new school, but with entirely new material to learn and not much time to study it, she worries she won't b able to get the marks she's used to. To make matters worse, Opa's odd behaviour is frightening her: What's his normal and what's his Alzheimer's? Juliana knows she should tell her parents, but they're both consumed by their new jobs and seem to have no time for her. Juliana escapes to Elisabeth's century-old drawings to find solace.
Elisabeth wishes she could ask her father for advice: all three siblings are home this week and crotchety Omama has invited herself over to stay. When Elisabeth's brother won't obey her, Omama insists that hitting him is the only way to enforce obedience. But Elisabeth believes there has to be another way, if only she can figure it out.
In Between Worlds 3: The First Step, Juliana and Elisabeth learn to stand up for themselves and show the adults in their lives that they matter, too.
