Lily's Crossing

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Giff, Patricia Reilly. 1997. Lily’s crossing. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN: 0385321422

PLOT SUMMARY

Lily’s Crossing tells of a young girl’s summer experience that does not quite meet her expectations.  Rockaway Beach holds fond memories for Lily—a best friend, wild adventures on the sea, a chance to finally write. This summer is different: Lily’s best friend moves; a new boy arrives; her Poppy ships out; and there is not much going right. In all the unanticipated events, Lily learns about the importance of love, family, and friendship.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Lily Mollahan is like many adolescent girls in that she daydreams, hates school and the piano, and misses her friend when they are apart. Lily also has a risky side that readers may admire: making up lies about her aunt, the spy; sneaking into her best friend’s vacant house; telling lie after lie to cover up the ones before.

Lily faces several challenges such as loneliness, regrets, and fear that readers can relate to. Many of those challenges had unique properties of the setting: World War II, Summer 1944. Lily shoulders regret from not saying goodbye to her deployed father, her best friend’s brother going MIA. The new boy, Albert, also carries with him separation, fear, and regrets. Nothing about these characters make them exempt from life’s trials—much like the readers.

The realistic plot is not overwhelmed with facts about World War II. Giff simply embeds current events through what the characters hear, read, or experience. Examples of those inserted details include news broadcasts overheard, letters from friends and relatives, descriptions of how food rations affect meal choices, and searchlights shining at night.

As the setting of the story changes, Giff alerts the readers by giving the location and time at the start of a chapter.  Readers must infer for a while that the locale is in New York; fortunately, Giff does a fabulous job of dropping clues such as 200^th Street, buses, taking the train back to the city, the closeness of the beach, etc. 

Giff describes the setting so vividly that the reader can visualize being on the beach as the planes fly over. They feel the rush of the waves as Lilly struggles to save Albert. Readers will feel as if they have become a bystander in each scene.

The theme of the story is one readers will relate to: growing up, realizing the importance of friendships, and separation. As Lily grows older, she realizes she needs to grow out of some habits such as lying. While separated from her best friend, Margaret, Lily reluctantly befriends Albert from Hungary. Together, Lily and Albert bear the burden of separation. Lily daily faces the separation from her deceased mother and now the unexpected deployment of her Poppy. Albert struggles with the separation from his sister Ruth and his parents who were victims of Nazi hate.  

Through all the challenges, friendship and love are the key themes readers will take from this book. Lily learns to accept her friendship with Albert. She also learns to truly love and appreciate her Gram (and see Gram’s love in return). Both Lily and Albert experience how much stronger love grows through separation as they are reunited in the end.

Giff frequently writes about friendship; however Lily’s Crossing addresses friendship in a deeper, meaningful tone. As an added touch, Giff introduces readers to a few common Hungarian phrases through Albert’s dialogue. This move adds some genuineness to both the entire book and Albert’s character. The songs the characters sing or play reflect the time period in which the book is set: “Accentuate the Positive” and “Mairzy Doats”.

The idea for this story comes from the author’s own childhood. In her note to readers at the end, Giff explains that she has thought about this story many years before she wrote it. She experienced many of the events Lily did. The author herself lived through this time, which helps with the authenticity of the historical aspects of the story.

Lily’s Crossing is a short yet intense story of major adjustments, surprising relationships, and maturity which readers will enjoy as they relate to the characters.

AWARDS AND REVIEWS

Newbery Medal Honor Book, 1998

Jefferson Cup Award, 1998

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, 1997

ALSC Notable Children’s Books, 1998

“This warm story gives readers a sense of what it was like growing up during the war and the importance of friends and family.”

—Bookhive.org review, (no date)

“With wry comedy and intense feeling, and without intrusive historical detail, Giff gets across a strong sense of what it was like on the home front during World War II.”

—Booklist, Feb. 1997

CONNECTIONS

Photo Album

Create an album of illustrations that show the important people, places, and objects described in the book. Sketch “snapshots” of memorable events and put them together as an album of Lily’s summer. Create captions describing the events illustrated.

Song Connection

Lily and Albert sing and play several songs of that time. Listen to recordings of two of these songs. Why do you think they were so catchy during this time in history?

Lying vs. Imagining

Early on in the book, Lily makes a list of things she ought to stop doing—lying being one. However, she continues to lie. Sometimes it’s just her imagination getting the best of her. Discuss the difference between lying and imagining. Pick out two lies Lily tells and write them down. List the consequences (direct and indirect) that occur because of Lily’s lies.

Adapted from http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385321426&view=tg