Reviewed by Mrs. Foley
The river jeopardizes the levee and most of the town leaves; but Miss Lydia, an elderly neighbor, and Billie form a friendship that withstands tragedy and time. - From library catalog record

This book is one of the Gateway Award nominees for 2009-2010. Not many students have read it (I think because neither the title nor the cover are appealing). This is unfortunate as it really is a great book set in Missouri...and the author is from Missouri! The relationship between Billie (a young girl) and Mrs. Lydia (her elderly neighbor) is very sweet. As usual in YA Lit, the parents leave quite a lot to be desired...but Billie learns to see them as people and not just parents. There also is rape, murder, and a love story in this well-written story. It definitely won't win the GW because I don't think enough students will have read it, but I certainly hope it places in the top three.

Review from Booklist:
Proving that the heavily mined "child and elderly neighbor change each other's lives" premise isn't completely dry, Crocker's sturdy debut explores the deep and subtle reaches of a friendship that blooms between 11-year-old Billie and her across-the-road neighbor Miss Lydia. Set in a small town several generations ago, this is anchored by three pivotal acts-one driven by hate, one by love, and one a complex combination of the two.The story covers five years of Billie's struggles to get out from under the thumb of her spiteful, abusive mother, and Lydia's efforts to erase the guilt of two terrible secrets as, with agonizing slowness, her aging body fails. Crocker skillfully lays out the heart-deep regard that develops between these two perceptive, spirited females (Lydia is occasionally given to hilariously salty language) as life throws them severe challenges that they weather with each other's help. In Billie, the author creates a narrator whose credible mix of naïveté, resilience, and uncertain but budding sense of self-respect that will speak to young readers. This easily transcends its familiar themes and locale. ( )

Reviewed by Dena Landon for TeensReadToo.com

This novel set in Missouri in the 1960's transports the reader to another time and place, where the problems faced by Billie Standish are just as real as those faced by teens today.

Billie's parents wanted a boy, hence the first name of William, and spend the majority of their time ignoring her. When the river starts to rise and threatens to flood, Billie's family is one of the few to stay. She forms an unlikely friendship with an elderly woman, Miss Lydia, who begins to show her that there is more to life than her parent's disappointment and that she is capable of far more than she thought.

When a horrible tragedy befalls Billie, Miss Lydia is the only one who can help.

Crocker tells the gentle story of Billie Standish with grace and sensitivity, contrasting the innocence of a time when space travel was astonishing with the dark actions humans are always capable of. The novel follows Billie's life as she grows from the age of eleven to graduating from high school, and as her friendship with Miss Lydia and the secret they share shapes and transforms her life.

**Disclaimer: This novel contains sensitive subject matter that is geared towards older, mature teens. ( )

This is the story of an unlikely friendship between an eleven year old girl, Billie, and an elderly woman, Lydia, who lives across the street. This is more than a coming of age story, it is the tale of the worst of an angry world being thrust upon an innocent girl-- and the fallout that remains. It is a story of redemption, love, life, and ultimately, hope. The fact that the story takes place in rural western Missouri, not far from where my own high school library is, makes the book that much more relevant. Set in the turbulent late 1960s and early 1970s, Billie has her eyes opened to a world beyond her father's limited visions for her. Billie is the only child of two struggling farmers who have at best neglected their child by never being around. Billie forms a friendship with Lydia, an elderly neighbor, and as the years pass we see not only the significant events of a tumultuous time but the significance of those on ordinary people. This is nominated for the Missouri Gateway Readers Award in 2010. There are 15 books nominated; this is the 14th I've read. This is clearly the best of a very good group of nominees. I highly recommend this wonderful book! ( )

This is the story of William Marie Standish, the only daughter to farmers living in Missouri. Billie thinks she'll be spending the summer of 1968 like she has spent every other summer she can remember, alone. Her parents work very hard from sun up til sun down while Billie stays home. However, this summer has something different in store for Billie. When her town is evacuated for a possible flood her family decides to stick it out. Her family and one neighbor are the only people left. Billie and Miss Lydia, the elderly neighbor strike up a very unlikey friendship; spending every afternoon together. It's turning into the best summer Billie has every had until something awful happens. She and Miss Lydia now share a terrible secret and have only eachother to lean on. ( )

Very good! Novel was about growing up and dealing with family problems. ( )