Eleven-year-old Roz (Rosalind) Anthony and her family have just moved to Mills River, Illinois, to escape an abusive situation. Only days after settling into their new home, they are surprised to find the previous owner, Tillie Monroe, on their front porch reading the newspaper. Though her sons have sold the house and sent her to a facility for the aged, she is determined to die in the place she lived her life, and somehow manages to find her way "home" day after day. Feeling sympathy for the elderly woman, Roz's mother allows Tillie to move back in. Mara Nightingale becomes Roz's first friend in Mills River. In spite of their many differences, the girls discover they have something in common that binds them together--both are hiding secrets. So they make a promise--"cross my heart and hope to die"--never to tell anyone else.When danger stalks the Anthonys, Tillie exhibits unimaginable courage and selfless love in her determination to protect the family she has adopted as her own. *Starred Review* Award-winning inspirational-fiction author Tatlock continues to excel in her latest contemporary novel, a coming-of-age tale about 11-year-old Roz Anthony. After leaving behind an alcoholic, abusive father, the Anthonys are just getting settled in their new home in small-town Illinois in the 1960s when the eccentric, stubborn Tillie Monroe shows up. The former owner of the house, Tillie has made a commitment to herself to die there and will not leave any other way. Filling a noticeable need in a single mother�s life, Tillie quickly becomes a member of the family, and her sweet faith in God soon refreshes the entire house. Tatlock skillfully addresses the issues raised by the era�s civil rights movement with the introduction of Roz�s best friend, Mara Nightingale, as both girls keep secrets that will bind them together in ways that were largely unheard of at the time. Even as it moves along at a comfortable pace, the novel is peppered with suspense. Young Roz�s story bears a resemblance to that of CeeCee in Beth Hoffman�s Saving CeeCee Honeycutt (2010). Recommended for fans of inspirational coming-of-age stories and tales of brave young women. --Elizabeth Ponder A mother fleeing unspeakable danger to keep her children safe... Two young girls guarding secrets in a "cross my heart and hope to die" pledge... A father desperate to be reunited with his family... Award-winning author Ann Tatlock skillfully blends her well-drawn characters into an inspiring tale of unimaginable courage and selfless love. "It is a joy to savor her stories." --Publishers Weekly Ann Tatlock is the author of the Christy Award-winning novel All the Way Home. She has also won the Midwest Independent Publishers Association "Book of the Year" in fiction for both All the Way Home and I'll Watch the Moon . Her novel Things We Once Held Dear received a starred review from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly calls her "one of Christian fiction's better wordsmiths, and her lovely prose reminds readers why it is a joy to savor her stories." Ann lives with her husband and daughter in Raleigh, North Carolina. Visit www.anntatlock.com