This book is suitable for ages 9-12. Twelve-year-old Ellen reluctantly agrees to spend a summer as a companion to 77-year-old Lilith Adams because she wants to earn a ten-speed bicycle. A powerful friendship grows, and both gain a deeper understanding of old age, loneliness, insecurity, and death. "Publishers Weekly" comments, "Written with grace and wit, the story entertains while it teaches a lesson about the human condition."