Where the Lilies Bloom is about selfreliance in the face of terrible odds. In this book, four orphaned children struggle to stay together and avoid being put in an orphanage. There are many obstacles: poverty, the harsh winter weather, the threat of their father's death being discovered, and the possibility of losing their house. The family must also deal with internal conflict brought on by normal sibling rivalry, aggravated in this case by the fact that one sibling, fourteen-year-old Mary Call, is the designated leader and the others are supposed to do as she says.

Readers come away from this book, which shows a group of children overcoming enormous obstacles, with a feeling of empowerment. The novel seeks to educate readers about poverty and in so doing encourages them to feel more compassion for the poor. Most readers will come away with a renewed sense of family pride and an appreciation of the importance of closeness within a family.