Lily's Crossing

Bibliography

Giff, Patricia Reilly. 1997. Lily’s Crossing. New York: Delacorte Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0385321426.

Brief plot summary

Lily Mollahan spends the summer of 1944 at her family’s summer beach house in Rockaway, as she has for as long as she can remember; but World War II has changed everything. Her father goes overseas to war and her best friend, Margaret, has moved to a wartime factory town. Left without her best friend, Lily feels alone until she meets Albert, a refugee from Hungary. Over the summer they develop a friendship, sharing adventures and secrets.

Critical analysis

Lily’s Crossing is a moving story set during World II that will give young readers an idea of what it was like to grow up during that time and an understanding of how the war affected people on the home front. As the plot and characters develop the reader will be challenged to think about the meaning of family, dealing with guilt, separation and loss, the consequences of dishonesty, and the rewards of honesty–themes readers will easily identify with through the characters of Lily and Albert.

Giff tells a compelling friendship story that includes believable main characters, well drawn and clearly presented. Poppy is the exception—he seems to lack dimensionality. The narrative gives insight into Lily’s private thoughts that ultimately result in her decisions and actions. We are able to experience Lily’s growth as she moves beyond her self-centered childhood and navigates her way into adolescence. The historical details are accurate and non-intrusive, providing the setting for an appealing, realistic and relevant story.

Review excerpts

"Details...are woven with great effect into a realistic story." – Horn Book, Starred Review
"With wry comedy and intense feeling...Giff gets across a strong sense of what it was like on the home front during World War II...The friendship story is beautifully drawn." – Booklist

“…Nonfiction writing at its best. Essential for WWII collections as well as teaching units on conformity, peer pressure and resistance.” – Kirkus Reviews
“The developing friendship between Lily and Albert, and Albert's plan to swim to Europe to find Ruth, will grab readers' attention and sustain it to book's end. Despite convenient plot twists to reach a happy ending, Giff's well-drawn, believable characters and vivid prose style make this an excellent choice.” – School Library Journal
"Exceptional characterizations and a robust story line...this has all the ingredients that best reward readers." – Publishers Weekly

"Brilliantly told." – The New York Times Book Review

Awards / Best Books

Newberry Medal Honor Book, 1998

Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book, 1997

ALSC Notable Children’s Books, 1998

Teachers’ Choices, 1998; International Reading Association

Classroom Connections

Explore the ThinkQuest student project, HomeFront (http://library.thinkquest.org/15511/), about life in the US during World War II. Students can create timelines showing what might have been happening in Lily's life, in the US, and in other parts of the world during each year of the war.

Albert comes from Hungary. Students can research Hungary and how it was involved in World War II.

Students research how and why World War II ended and create a news story about the end of the war.

After finishing the novel listen to an episode of Portia Faces Life (http://www.otrcat.com/portia-faces-life-p-49242.html). Assign groups of students portions of Lily’s Crossing and have them develop an episode of a radio soap opera based on the novel. Each group records their episode adding sound effects and music. They also develop a commercial as part of the episode.

Other related books:

• DK Eyewitness Books: World War II by Simon Adams – ISBN: 978-0756630089
• The Good Fight: How World War II Was Won by Stephen E. Ambrose – ISBN: 978-0689843617
• Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn – ISBN 978-0547076607
• Willow Run by Patricia Reilly Giff – ISBN: 978-0440238010