What is the main conflict in 26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie dePaola?

26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie dePaola centers on the author's memory of his childhood in Meriden, Connecticut during the late 1930s. When the story begins, the town of Meriden is about to experience its first hurricane ever and the air is which with anticipation and uncertainty. At the same time, the dePaola family has just begun construction of a brand new house across town. Young Tomie is just four years old in 1938 and he lives in an apartment with his parents and older brother, Buddy. The dePaolas live in a close-knit neighborhood where everyone knows everyone else. Tomie comes from a very large extended Irish-Italian family and during the course of the story Tomie introduces the reader to his colorful, interesting relatives.