CASSIE'S VILLAGE

This is a pleasantly nostalgic, convincing recreation of life in a small town in New York in the 1890's. Like the other residents of Katonah, Cassie Bates equates the village with stability. It is a shock to discover that the building of the Croton Dam will raise the water level and leave the whole territory submerged. The more daily concerns of 12 year old Cassie involve looking after her widowed father and her school activities. Of particular importance to her is one of her best friends who has started to take an interest in boys, especially one ""fast"" boy known to have encouraged some of the younger ones in stealing cigarettes. There are no special insights in this book, but the setting and characters are well conceived and the transplanting of the village is well handled.