"Changes and Ceremonies" Summary

Every March, Del's school stages an operetta. Miss Farris, the third grade teacher, and Mr. Boyce, the organist at the United Church, are in charge of putting on the show, a fact that doesn't especially please the children.

One day, Mr. Boyce comes into Del's classroom and asks the children to sing, while he and Miss Farris quietly walk from desk to desk, listening. One by one, the teachers ask those students whose voices didn't pass muster to sit down. Del and Naomi are both asked to sit, a fact that gives Del a sense of relief. She would hate to have been separated from her friend on the basis of vocal talent.

Soon, casting for the operetta begins, and the school is buzzing with talk about the show. Frank Wales, the boy who sits behind Del...