Cleary avoids a stereotypical happy ending to her story. Why do you think she ends as she does? What do readers learn with such an ending that would not be learned if she had ended "happily ever after"? How has Leigh grown and developed intellectually and

Cleary avoids a stereotypical happy ending to her story. Why do you think she ends as she does? What do readers learn with such an ending that would not be learned if she had ended "happily ever after"? How has Leigh grown and developed intellectually and emotionally by the end of the novel? You must provide specific details and examples.