"The year the gypsies came" summary

"The year the gypsies came" is a story about the 12-year-old Emily Iris who lives with her family near Jonhannesburg,South Africa.

Emily's parents don't spend much time caring about their children. While her father's always working, her mother is suspecious often meeting her "good friend" Dennis.
The old african servant that works at their house is the only comfort and friend for Emily and he always tells old african stories to her.
It seems like Emily and her sister Sarah's parents just get along together when they have visitors at their house, so Emily is quite happy when her father brings an Australian gypsies couple and their two sons with him one day to stay with their caravan in their garden for a couple weeks.

The two girls hope that the visitors will bring peace to their parents so they can finally be like a real family.

Emily makes friends with Streak, one of the gypsies' sons, and Otis, his brother, wants always to spend time with Sarah.
But Otis, who is really tall and does not know how strong he is, often loses control over himself and one night he assaulted Sarah what traumatisises her so hard that she is never going to be the same again.

After that accident the gypsies left but Sarah backs out more and more and Emily gets very worried about her sister.
The spring the gypsies came changes Emily's life forever and more and more terrible things happen after they left.