This book started out well enough but soon veered off into sheer silliness. It was difficult to suspend my disbelief and accept the fact that Emily, the book's heroine, was only 12 years old. Her thought processes and behaviors were those of a young adult. The section where Emily is decked out in velvet and emeralds in order to hostess a large social gathering was simply ludicrous--as was her trauma at witnessing her adult friend making love in the great outdoors.Ms. Siddons seems to pine for the "good old days" of slavery--waxing rhapsodic about slave-made foundation bricks and portraying each and every menial as a faithful black family retainer.I have not read this author since the execrable "King's Oak". I'm very sorry I wasted my money on the purchase of this book.