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Gr 3-6 When Lillie Applewood, still grieving for her dead mother, moves across town with her father and brother, she misses her friend Minerva and is insecure at school, particularly at the prospect of competing in the upcoming spelling bee. However, she is captivated by her new neighbor, labor and women's rights activist Frances Willard, who is determined to master the "safety," the popular new bicycle that is all the rage in the late 1800s. Reluctantl...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

For Lillie, the spring of 1893 is marked by change: after Mother's death, Father has moved the family to the other side of town and buried himself in work. Their new neighbor is fifty-year-old Frances Willard—the real-life educator, women's suffragist, labor rights advocate, and would-be bicyclist. Lillie is intrigued by Willard's radical ideas and charismatic enthusiasm, though local sentiment is agreed that her opinions are downright dangerous. Father forbids Lillie to enter "Miss Frances's" house, precipita...Log In or Sign Up to Read More