The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Lackey, Lindsay. All the Impossible Things. Roaring Brook Press, 2019.

As the novel opens, Red is being taken out of the foster home of The Mom. This has been a bad foster experience for her as The Mom’s three sons terrorize Red. They have contests to see who can make the biggest welts on Red’s arms as they pinch her. At one point, one of the boys takes a letter Red received from her mother and withholds it from her, taunting her. Red creates wind to get it back, and The Mom sees. Despite the harm that Red receives at the hands of the boys, The Mom ultimately decides that Red is dangerous to her boys and sends her away.

Ms. Anders, Red’s social worker, comes to pick her up. She tells her that she has a new family to take Red to. Red is brought to the home of Celine and Jackson Groove. They have a petting zoo on their property. As Red gets herself acquainted with her new room, she sees a boy at her second-story window. It is Marvin, a local boy, who frequently climbs that tree near Red's window. Red gets annoyed, but eventually makes up with Marvin when he brings a Hawaiin dish, poi, to school and people shy away from it. Red eats it, and the two become close friends.

At the petting zoo, Red befriends a tortoise named Tuck. Jackson is a retired veterinarian who took care of Tuck when Tuck was found with a screwdriver sticking out of his shell. It is believed he was taken out of his original home because tortoises do not live in Colorado where the Grooves live. Red relates to Tuck.

Red’s gamma died of cancer years ago, and Red was responsible for taking care of her because Wanda, Red’s mom, was not around much. Wanda and Gamma frequently fought because Gamma did not believe Wanda was taking proper care of Red. Wanda did not make it to Gamma’s death bed before Gamma died. While still alive, Gamma gave Red a green notebook, and they wrote down seemingly impossible things that ended up not being impossible. This was to prove to Red that most things are not impossible; they are just very hard.

Red stopped believing in impossible things, but her relationship with Celine and Jackson slowly starts to help her believe again. They put her needs first, and they do not push her into a relationship with them. One day, Red gets many letters she had written to her mom sent back, unread. Red’s emotions become so strong that they create a massive storm. Much is damaged at the petting zoo, and Tuck is lost. Despite numerous searches, the family and community are unable to locate Tuck.

Red learns that her mother was released from prison three months prior and did not tell her. She is upset. One night she goes out into a winter storm to find Tuck. She finds him, but she does not know how to get him back. Celine makes the stars sing, and as such, she is able to find Red. On Christmas Eve, Celine collapses. She later discovers that she has cancer. Red does not want to be around someone else who has cancer, and she does not believe she can handle watching Celine get sick from chemotherapy.

Red has numerous visits with her mother, but her mother is frequently late and frequently distracted. Red’s mother has to keep a job, keep a home, and stay sober in order to get custody of Red. Red, however, discovers that her mother is doing drugs again. During a tense scene at Wanda’s house, Red gets rid of the pills and calls Ms. Anders to pick her up. Wanda and Red have a confrontation in a storm they created. Red gets so angry with her mom, who blames Red for everything, that Red creates a massive tornado. She realizes, however, that the tornado is heading to the hospital that Celine and Jackson are at.

Ms. Anders arrives, and she has realized already that Red can create storms. The two head closer to the tornado so that Red can try to stop it. The tornado taunts Red, telling her that they are linked. Red fights it and tries to tell it that she does not want it, but Red starts to despair. Finally Red hears the Pleiades, and its warmth and light break through the clouds. Red realizes that Gamma wanted Red to learn that nothing is impossible. Red starts to dance as Gamma did in order to fix broken things. The storm is over. At the court hearing, Wanda relinquishes her parental rights, and Red decides she wants to be adopted by Celine and Jackson.