Look at Liddie Longlegs!

Middle Grade Fiction

Going into seventh grade in 1956, Lydia Longley (Liddie) has read every "saint book" in her classroom library at St. Anthony Catholic School. She is especially inspired by saints who are like herself - very young, or very poor, and strives for sainthood by following St. Therese's Little Way, offering as sacrifice, all the hardships she endures in her daily living. Liddie believes she's on her way to achieving her goals when a tragic house fire destroys the family's home and turns their lives upside down. With no insurance money to build a proper house, "sacrifice" takes on new meaning for Liddie when her family takes up residence in a hastily built "cracker box" with none of the usual amenities, such as water, electricity, or indoor plumbing. A year later, when Liddie turns twelve,  she receives a diary for her birthday, which quickly becomes her salvation as she documents her struggles and tries to make sense of the vast changes that are taking place in her life.

With her sister's sixty-two year old diary as inspiration, the author presents Liddie's story in the quirky and frequently humorous style of a young girl's diary. Much of the material is based on actual events in the lives of Frye's family during the tumultuous years of 1956 through 1960.  

Look at Liddie Longlegs!  is available for purchase in both print and ebook formats.