Where the Lilies Bloom is about a family of five who are just getting by, moneywise. The main character and narrator of this story is Mary Call. Even though she is fourteen years old and the second child, (the oldest, Devola, is eighteen)she is the head of the household. The four children's father, Roy Luther, has been sick for some time, and the author never reveals what happened to the children's mother. In the first one hundred pages, Roy Luther dies. Just pages prior to his death, Mary Call had gone to their land-owner (Kiser)'s home to negotiate, for she knew Roy Luther was near the end even then. Walking into Kiser's house, finding him sprawled on the floor in a catatonic state, Mary Call finds this to be a strategy in her favor. She agrees to nurse Kiser back to health if he signs a document, giving the Luthers ownership of their land. A week later, Kiser shows up to ask for the eldest daughter, Devola's, hand in marriage. This is a matter Kiser has been pursuing for s  ome time. Just prior to her father's death, Mary Call had to promise Roy Luther that she would not let Kiser marry Devola, no matter what. With Roy Luther dead, the four children are forced to "lay low" form social services and become wildcroppers to earn a living. I read this book for school and it is one of my favorite books I've read this year. I think any kid would enjoy it just for the struggle this family goes through.

~CC from Union Twp. Branch