Madeline Smith

This sweetly sentimental tale about selfishness and selflessness in a small Illinois town in olden times was worth the read.

What a delightful book. I am from southern Illinois and could so identify with the small town flavor of this book. It brought back expressions I had not heard in a long time and reminded me of life during my childhood. What a wonderful book.

Eleven-year-old Helene, the daughter of the town doctor, and best friends with Gracie, the town pastor’s daughter, innocently relates the happenings in their small town of Tory, Illinois to her parents. Helene’s mother is famous for her lemon jelly cake, and in the family, is known for her theory that she is stuck in the Tory layer. This is a charming little story of small town life.

Delightful story of life in early 1900's midwest. It is refreshing and humourous and touching.
The way American life used to be.The simple joys of life. I found this book at a used books sale and treasure it!