Nobody's family is going to change

Willie is seven and wants to be a dancer. His sister, Emma, is eleven and she wants to be a lawyer. But the parents of Emma and Willie don't like the children's dreams and they are doing everything they can to force the children to do what the parents want them to do.

How can the children proceed?

Emma tries to research children's rights and soon learns they have none. Then she joins a group that advocates for children but that turns out to be a dead end, too.

Finally Emma comes to a realization that if her family isn't going to change then she must be the one who changes.

A thoughtful book, originally published in 1974, in which children grapple with difficult problems and come to figure out a good way to address them.