Lily's Crossing

Bibliography:

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

Summary:

Every summer, Lily goes with her father and grandmother to Rockaway Beach, on the Atlantic Ocean. She’s full of excitement and plans for this summer, but then everything changes. It’s 1944, and though she doesn’t fully comprehend what she hears on the radio, she knows her father is leaving for Europe and that there’s a war going on. Lily’s sure her grandmother doesn’t understand her, and she feels alone. Then she meets Albert – a boy her age who happens to be a Hungarian refugee. He lost his parents, and his younger sister is sick somewhere in France. During that summer, Lily and Albert grieve and mature together, becoming close friends. They have fun too, swimming in the bay, sneaking into the movies, and rescuing a cat. At the end, both Lily’s father and Albert’s sister return, which is perhaps a bit contrived, but happy nonetheless.

Analysis:

Lily is a well-developed character with whom young kids can identify. She hates practicing the piano, she tells lies sometimes, she misses her mother, and she can’t wait for school to get out so she can escape her teacher. The historical details develop naturally: at the beginning, war is something distant, but it moves closer as people Lily knows become involved. From clues in her father’s letters, she figures out he is in France, and she studies a map of France while listening to the news. She listens to Albert’s story of the Nazis taking his parents and feels empathy for him. Though her father survives, her best friend’s brother does not, so Lily does experience the loss associated with war. Except for the refugee, the author loosely based the story on the experience of her own childhood at Rockaway Beach during the war, and the setting feels authentic.

Reviews/Awards:

Newbery Honor Book

“To Lily, World War II has been little more than an annoyance (the scarcity of candy) or an excuse for elaborate lies (claiming her aunt is a spy). Then Lily receives the first of many blows the war will deliver. Her only friend, Margaret, announces her family is moving to Detroit so her father can work in a war plant. Lily's father enlists in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Left alone with her bossy grandmother, Lily begins to realize the depth of tragedy the war can cause.”
School Library Journal

“When Lily's father has to leave to fight in France, she is so hurt and furious that she refuses even to say good-bye to him. As she gets to know Albert, an orphaned Hungarian refugee, she learns about his secret anguish: he is guilt-stricken about the younger sister he left behind (he, also, didn't say good-bye), and he is determined, somehow, to cross the ocean and find her.”
Booklist

“Closely observed, quickly paced and warmly told, this has all the ingredients that best reward readers.”
Publisher’s Weekly

Connections:
* Read The Little Ships by Louise Borden. Both books involve a young girl, her father, ships, and World War II. Discuss the differences, including the settings on opposite sides of the ocean.