Lily’s Crossing

Written By Patricia Reilly Giff

1. Bibliography

Giff, P. R. 1997. Lily’s Crossing. New York, NY: Yearling. ISBN 0440414539

2. Plot Summary

Lily’s Crossing is a story about a ten year old girl named Lily Mollahan who is vacationing at her family’s summer house in 1944 in Rockaway, located in Long Island, New York.  Lily lost her mother when she was a baby and lives with her father, Poppy, and grandmother, Gram.  Lily is excited and happy to spend her summer in Rockaway until she learns that her father is going off to war and her best friend, Margaret, who lives in Rockaway, will be moving to a wartime factory town.  Lily deals with feelings of guilt at not saying goodbye to her father and suffers from loneliness until she meets a boy named Albert.  Albert is a Hungarian refugee that is staying with the Orban’s, a family that lives in Rockaway, for the summer.  Albert is shy and suffers from guilt and loneliness, just like Lily, because he had to leave his little sister behind in France and never got to say goodbye.  Lily and Albert quickly become friends, but Lily has a problem with telling lies.  She tells a lie to Albert that may put him in danger.  Lily’s Crossing shows an accurate depiction of what it’s like living on the Atlantic Coast in America during World War II, and the sacrifices that people have to make during the war. 

3. Critical Analysis

Patricia Reilly Giff paints a realistic portrait of life in Rockaway in 1944 during World War II.  Lily’s Crossing is based on historical events that Giff remembers growing up during the war and experiences she had when she visited Rockaway as a child.  Lily’s Crossing tells the story of Lily Mollahan, an outgoing little girl, who loves to write, and has a problem with lying.  Lilly often tells lies to make her-self seem more interesting or out of hurt feelings.  She tells her new friend Albert, a Hungarian refugee that had to leave his sister behind in France, a lie that Albert believes and may cost him his life.  Albert lost half his family in Hungary and would do anything to get back to his sister, Ruth.  Giff shows us in Lily’s Crossing, how friendship and family help the main characters make it through tough times.

Giff also realistically depicts what it’s like to live on the Atlantic coast of Long Island where the United States destroyer ships sail back and forth to Europe and search lights scan the coast for wartime enemies.  She tells of the lack of eggs and other items, and how the town morns the loss of her best friend Margaret’s brother, who is missing in action.  Giff uses short chapters and fast passed dialogue that will appeal to young readers.  This book is appropriate for readers ages 10 and up and has a reading level of fifth grade. 

Lily’s Crossing shows another side of America during World War II through the eyes of a child.  Lily and Albert’s bond born through loss and loneliness and their need for friendship and Lily’s ability to overcome her mistakes, really appealed to me as a reader.  I recommend this book to student’s fifth grade and up because of its difficult themes. 

4. Review Excerpts

1998 Newbery Honor Book

ALA Notable Book

Boston Globe--Horn Book Honor Book.

Publisher’s Weekly Review-"Exceptional characterizations and a robust story line...this has all the ingredients that best reward readers."

School Library Journal Review- "Giff's well-drawn, believable characters and vivid prose style make this an excellent choice."

Booklist 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."

The Horn Book Magazine Starred Review-"Details...are woven with great effect into a realistic story."

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

The Bulletin-"[A] fine piece of historical fiction. . .fully satisfying.”

5. Connections

Research and learn more about America during World War II.  What kinds of sacrifices did Americans have to make for the war effort?  Put the students into groups to research and learn more about America during World War II.  Then have them make a list of items Americans had to go without or things Americans did to support the war effort.  Have the students write the list on poster board or construction paper and share their findings with the class.

Books about the American Home Front:

American Homefront in World War II: Almanac by Allison McNeil ISBN: 978-0787676513

Children of the World War II Home Front by Sylvia Whitman ISBN: 978-1575054841

Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II by Penny Colman ISBN: 978-0517885673

World War II for Kids: A History with 21 Activities by Richard Panchyk ISBN: 978-1556524554

Websites about the American Home Front during WWII:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwii/ahf/life/index.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/15511/

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/homefront/

http://www.ameshistoricalsociety.org/exhibits/events/rationing.htm

http://americanhistory.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/wwiioverview_4.htm

Lily and Albert have many things in common in the book Lily’s Crossing but are also different in some ways.  One example of differences is how Lily can be dishonest at times and Albert is a very honest character.  Discuss how Lily and Albert’s characters are similar and how they are different.  Make a Venn diagram and put the similarities in the middle and the differences on the outside circles.

Read other books about children during the WWII.  Discuss how the problems the characters face are similar or different to the characters in Lily’s Crossing. 

Other Historical Fiction books about children during WWII:

The Cookcamp by Gary Paulsen ISBN: 978-0439523578

Don’t you know there’s A War On? By AVI ISBN: 978-0380815449

Escaping Into the Night by D. Dina Freidman ISBN: 978-1416986485

Homefront by Doris Gwaltney ISBN: 0689868421

Journey to America by Sonia Levitin ISBN: 978-0689711305

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry ISBN: 978-0547577098

Secrets by Dorothy Hoobler ISBN: 978-0761316046

Silver Days by Sonia Levitin ISBN: 978-0689715709

Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn ISBN: 978-0547076607

Willow Run by Patricia Reilly Giff ISBN: 978-0440238010