Thirteen-year-old Eli likes baggy clothes, baseball caps, and one girl in particular. Her seventeen-year-old sister Anna is more traditionally feminine; she loves boys and staying out late. They are sisters, and they are also the only family each can count on. Their dad has long been out of the picture, and their mom lives at the mercy of her next drink. When their mom lands herself in enforced rehab, Anna and Eli are left to fend for themselves. With no legal guardian to keep them out of foster care, they take matters into their own hands: Anna masquerades as Aunt Lisa, and together she and Eli hoard whatever money they can find. But their plans begin to unravel as quickly as they were made, and they are always way too close to getting caught. Eli and Anna have each gotten used to telling lies as a means of survival, but as they navigate a world without their mother, they must learn how to accept help, and let other people in.

The riveting reconstruction of an eighteenth-century slave's life and imprisonment

Over the years, Middletown has grown from a simple village of 50 people to a city of over 50,000. Located along the Great Miami River, Middletown developed from a farming community into an industrial city located on I-75, a major national highway. The Miami-Erie Canal helped speed Middletown's progress and provided a link between northern and southern Ohio. The canal allowed for further industrial growth with such businesses as grist and saw mills, porkpacking plants, and paper and tobacco plants. Today, Middletown is a steel-producing community with many other important industries. The construction of railroads and new roads and highways also played an important role in Middletown's growth. This work recalls many of the people that brought this success and development to Middletown. The everimproving cameras and the rise of the art of photography allowed much of this town's history to be captured on film. Many of these images, taken by both professionals and amateurs, are recorded in Middletown, Ohio. Join Mr. Miller and Mr. Crout in celebrating a community rich in history and heritage.