Despite the derision of their neighbors, a young French boy and his family befriend the lonely painter who comes to their town and begin to admire his unusual paintings.

Fourteen-year-old Nikki Maxwell writes and sketches in her diary about her struggle to be popular at her exclusive new private school, and about giving up on being part of the elite group, before figuring out a way to simply be herself.

Painting in her grandmother's studio and riding her favorite horse, Georgia, helps fourth-grader Saige cope with missing Mimi and sparks an idea for funding the school art program, but more creativity will be needed to keep Georgia from being sold.

"Claudia has always been the most creative kid in her class... until Ashley Wyeth comes along. Ashley's really different: she wears hippie clothes, has multiple earrings, and she's the most fantastic artist Claudia has ever met. Ashley says Claudia is a great artist, too, but thinks she's wasting her artistic talent with The Baby-sitters Club. When Claudia starts spending more time with Ashley and missing BSC meetings, it becomes clear that Claudia...

Nikki Maxwell is determined to help out her crush Brandon save an animal shelter. So Nikki and her friends Chloe and Zoey enter an ice skating competition to help raise money for the shelter, but (big surprise) Mackenzie has to stick her nose in and cause trouble.