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Introduction:

Sheila doesn't like swimming, dogs, ghosts, and thunderstorms. However, she is determined to show everyone she can conquer her fears. With the help of her new friend, Mouse Ellis, a yo-yo champion from Tarrytown, she is taking steps to overcome her fears and prove herself as Sheila the Great.

Sheila Tubman, 10, lives in NYC with her parents and older sister Libby. She also lives with many fears, beginning with the usual ones: dogs, spiders, the dark, and swimming. This makes for a difficult summer for Sheila when her father announces that the family will be house-sitting at the home of a colleague in Tarrytown, NY, for the summer. Sheila is pretty excited about getting her room, even if it is filled with models put together by one of the owner's sons, along with a note telling her not to touch anything or anything else. On top of that, the first night there, Sheila sees a spider on her ceiling. But worse than the spider is the little dog named Jennifer that the Tubmans will be taking care of for the summer.

So far, Sheila's Tarrytown vacation is not getting off to a good start. However, she then meets Merle Ellis, called Mouse, a girl her age who is pretty good at doing tricks with a Duncan yo-yo. Sheila likes to think she is perfect and has learned to cover her fears with a combination of false bravado and little white lies, but Mouse sees right through her and even confronts her about her fears. Perhaps capitalising on Sheila's fears, Mouse tells her about nearby Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane, and the legend of the Headless Horseman. Yes, it creates a new worry for Sheila.

Meanwhile, at the pool, Sheila's swimming lessons are very slow-going, but her swimming teacher, a college student named Marty, needs the money for college, so he can afford to be patient. However, if Sheila isn't swimming by the end of the summer, Marty will lose the money her mother is willing to pay. But one day, Sheila swam 40 feet across the swimming pool. Marty was very impressed and happy. Her entire family was proud. She was also proud of herself. This incident marked the start of her passion for swimming.