Reilly Giff, Patricia. (1999). Lily's Crossing. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. 180 pp.

Grade Range: 6-9

Genre: historical fiction

Summary and Critique

Lily spends her summers in Rockway, New York with her father and grandmother. In 1944, however, Lily's summer dramatically changes. Her best friend Margaret's family is moving to Detroit so her father can contribute to the war effort by working in a factory. Lily's own father will be shipped over to Europe to help with reconstruction, so Lily is left with her grandmother for the summer. She befriends Albert, a Hungarian refugee, and together they share the pain and guilt of being separated from family members, secrets that bring them closer together, and lies that jeopardize Albert's life.

Although certain aspects of the plot are rather contrived, Giff's emotional portrayal of the joys of friendship alongside the despair of war will engage young readers throughout the book.

Awards

Newberry honor book

ALA Notable Book for Children

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book

Themes

Families

Friends and Enemies

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Generations

Challenges and Triumphs

War and Peace

The Holocaust

Author Information

Patricia Reilly Giff is a Brooklyn native. She attended Marymount College and St. John's University where she received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees, respectively. Hofstra University awarded her an honorary Ph.D. In addition to writing children's books and young adult novels, Giff has been a teacher, a reading and editorial consultant, a bookstore owner, and a guest lecturer. Currently, she resides in Weston, Connecticut with her husband, Jim.

For more information on Patricia Reilly Giff:

http://www.lib.usm.edu/%7Edegrum/html/research/findaids/giff,pr.htm author information and other books published

http://www.bcplonline.org/kidspage/kids_pgiff.html author information and other books published

http://cbcbooks.org/cbcmagazine/meet/patricia_reilly_giff.html Web site offering an author's letter about why she writes for children.

http://eduscapes.com/newbery/98c.html Web site offering author and book connections for Lily's Crossing, as well as author and book information (articles, excerpts)

Media Connections

Movies

Since You Went Away (1944) Anne Hilton must cope with life while her husband is fighting in World War II.

The Human Comedy (1943) After his older brother is shipped to Europe to fight in World War II, Homer Macauley becomes to man of the house and care for his family.

The Lion King (1994) Simba, a young lion, must deal with the grief and guilt of his father's death. Through friendship, Simba finds the courage to defeat his evil uncle and regain the throne.

Tomorrow the World (1944) After spending years being brainwashed by Nazi propaganda, a young German boy moves in with relatives in America, where he subjects his family, his classmates, and the town members to his prejudice and hatred.

The Search (1944) A mother and son survived the concentration camp and search for one another in refugee camps after World War II.

Angela's Ashes (1999) A young boy, Frank, moves to Limerick, Ireland with his parents, Angela and Maladhy, because they were unable to support their family in America. The family faces hardships of illness and death along with Maladhy's drinking problem.

Nu Tang (1999) Four successful thirty-something women from Taipei discover the importance of friendship while at a hot springs.

Marion's Triumph (2003) A family attempts to escape Nazi Germany.

The Wizard of Oz (1939) Classical musical of a Kansaas girl who gets stuck in a dream full of magical people, and other characters. Movie deals with issues and fears that children must face as they mature.

A Raisin in the Sun (1961) A story about a black family living in an apartment in inner-city Chicago, who want to purchase a home in a white suburban neighborhood. Explores themes of race, family, culture, and the individual vs. society.

The Joy Luck Club (1993) Explores the lives of four Chinese women and their relationships with their four Chinese-American daughters.

Music

"Masters of War." Lyrics by Bob Dylan. The Freewheelin'Bob Dylan. Sony, 1963. Song examines the role of the men orchestrating the war.

"Somewhere Out There." Lyrics by James Horner, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil. Performed by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram. An American Tail: Music from the Motion Picture Sound Track. MCA, 1987. A brother and sister were separated and dream about finding each other one day.

"Rockaway Beach." Lyrics by The Ramones. Rocket to Russia. 1977. A short song about Rockaway Beach.

On-line Resources

http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/SixChildren.html An interview with a mother about raising children while her husband was fighting in World War II.

http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/tocCS.html An Oral History of Rhode Island Women during World War II

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+hu0047) Information about Hungary during WWII
http://www.levity.com/brooklyn/Queens/QnsBeach.html Lyrics from a Ramones song about Rockway Beach and picture of the beach

http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/giff_lily's.htm Discussion questions for Lily's Crossing

http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/bookreportnow/books/lily.html More discussion questions for Lily's Crossing

http://www.eduscapes.com/newbery/98c.html Great websites to explore concepts covered in book more thoroughly

http://www.besthistorysites.net/WWII.shtml This Web site serves as a gateway to World War II sites for students.

http://www.esrnational.org/sp/we/uw.htm Helpful Web site for teachers to teach students about understanding different wars.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson187.shtml This Web site provides lesson plans and guidelines for teachers on the Holocaust.

http://www.holocaustsurvivors.org This Web site contains survivor stories, photographs, discussions, an audio gallery as well as a historical introduction to the Holocaust.

Related Texts

Chabon, Michael. (2000). The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. New York: Random House. 639 pp. Joe Kavalier, a Czech refugee, immigrates to America. While living with his cousin Sam Clay, they develop a strong friendship and combine their artistic and literary talent to create The Escapist, a comic book hero determined to fight tyranny.

Josephson, Judith. (2003). Growing Up in World War II:1941-1945. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company. 64pp. Various children's accounts of what life was like in America during WWII.

Pope, Mary. (2000). My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck. New York: Scholastic. 185pp. While Maddie's father is fighting in the Pacific during WWII, she keeps a diary about her life in Long Island. This historical fiction novel is part of a the Dear America series.

Gourley, Catherine. (1999). Welcome to Molly's World, 1944: Growing Up in World War Two America. Middleton, WI: Pleasant Company Publications. 58pp. Welcome to Molly's World depicts American life during the 1940s through photographs, illustrations, paintings, and text.

Zephaniah, Benjamin. (2001). Refugee Boy. New York: Bloomsbury. 291pp. Fourteen-year old Alem's parents send him to live in England while they assist in the struggle to unite Ethiopia and Eritrea in Africa. While in England, Alem struggles for political asylum.

Garland, Sherry. (1993). Shadow of the Dragon. San Diego: Harcourt. 314pp. Sixteen-year old Danny Vo struggles between his two lives: the one as a the oldest son in a traditional Vietnamese family and the one as a typical American student in Houston, Texas. Conflicts with a Vietnamese gang and a group of skin-heads complicate Danny's life further.

Nixon, Joan Lowery. (2001). Playing for Keeps. New York: Delacorte Press. 197pp. Rose's grandmother takes her on a Caribbean cruise where she becomes involved with a Cuban refugee who is also possibly a murderer.

Creech, Sharon. (1994). Walk Two Moons. New York: Harper Collins. 280pp.

Salamanca Tree Hiddle's grandparents take her to Idaho in search of her mother who disappeared. On the trip, Sal shares with them a disturbing story of a friend whose mother also disappeared. Sal must come to terms with her mothers'fate.

Dicamillo, Kate. (2001). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge: Candlewick Press. 182pp. Because of a new-found friendship with a stray dog, Winn-Dixie, ten-year old Opal learns to make friends and to fill some of the void created when her mother abandoned her.

Gould, June, Barbara Hyde Haber, and Ruth Steinberg. (1998). Counting the Stones. Westport, Conn. : Shadow Press. 101 pp. Poetry about the Holocaust.

Peck, Richard. (1998). A Long Way from Chicago: A Novel in Stories. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. 148pp. A boy and his sister visit their grandmother.

Orlev, Uri. (1995). The Lady with the Hat. Trans. Hillel Halkin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 183pp. Yulek, a seventeen-year-old Holocaust survivor, goes in search of a new life after World War II.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "Recipe for a Character" Have students do a pre-writing activity: (1) Select a character from the novel. (2) List the character's traits and descriptions. (3)Students list the events that they believe helped shape the character.

Next, students are to create a recipe that makes up the character. The recipe needs to include the ingredients, directions, and preparation time.

[Summarized from "Recipe: Character Casserole" by Warren Bowe in Classroom Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. August, 2002, p.5]

(2) "My Friend"

•Have the students keep a journal on a friend while reading Lily's Crossing. The friend needs to be living and be someone they know well.

•In the journal, have the students write for 10 minutes at the beginning of each class period about different aspects of their relationship with this friend.

Day 1- Brainstorm list of friends: grade school friends, neighborhood friends, summer camp friends, distant relatives, church friends, family friends, friends who have moved, etc. and choose one to write about. Then write about the first time you met this friend. (Spend more time on this first day.)

Day 2- Describe in as much detail as you can, the family of your friend. For family members, be sure to describe them physically as well as including significant personality traits.

Day 3- Describe your friend's house as accurately as you can.

Day 4- Describe a time you and your friend made contact with a creature of some sort.

Day 5- Describe a time when you were afraid together. How did you help each other?

Day 6- Describe something about your friend that annoys or irritates you. Be specific.

Day 7- Describe a place you went together, in detail. What happened there? Be as specific as you can.

Day 8- Describe in detail your friend's personality. Does he or she do anything that upsets you? That makes you feel angry or resentful? Has your friend ever teased you or made fun of you? How did you react/feel?

Day 9- What does your friend say or do to make you feel special or good about yourself? Be specific, give examples.

Day 10- Describe a time you helped your friend handle grief or sorrow, or perhaps a time when your friend helped you with grief.

Day 11- Have you or your friend moved away or been separated for long periods of time? What did you feel at the time of separation? If you ever see your friend now, what is it like when you're reunited? Be specific. What do you talk about?

Day 12- Exactly what does this friend/friendship mean to you now? How and in what ways has your friend enriched your life? Would you be the same person without him or her? Why or why not?

[Summarized/adapted from "My Friend" by Terry Boyle Falsani in Classroom Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. Jan. 1997, pp. 2-3.]

(3) "Writing about a Special Person"

•Read and discuss an excerpt from James Thurber's "Gentleman from Indiana," in which he reveals his father's character through some very touching moments. We talk about this excerpt and what it shows about Thurber's father.

•Ask students to select someone who has been special in their life -- a parent, an aunt or uncle, an older friend, a pastor, teacher, or mentor -- and to write a character sketch about this person, with the goal of giving the sketch to the person in appreciation.

List words, phrases, and memories related to this person, and then select the ones that will help them create a clear written picture of this person. (I tell students that this piece of writing will not be shared with the class unless the student wants to -- it will be shared with the teacher, and with the recipient, if the student decides to do so. This way students are more apt to write honestly about their emotions.)

As long as students' finished pieces include a character sketch, they are free to be creative in their format and add more to their written pieces. (qualities they admire in the chosen person, describe special moments they have shared together, write thank-yous for the many special things this person has done for them)

Students print their final copies on colored paper, and each student decorates an envelope. Some students become shy about actually giving their letters to the chosen person. I don't require this, but encourage that they do so. I ask them to imagine that someone has written them an appreciative letter, and how happy they would be to receive and read it. In some cases, students find secret ways to deliver their writings -- placing it in an envelope in a parent's microwave or under a pillow; leaving it in a newspaper, on a front porch, or somewhere the chosen person is sure to find it.

[Summarized/adapted from "What About a Special Person" by Sue Lyons in Classroom Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. August 2002.]

(Review written by Nicky Britton, Lisa Gibbons, and Jennifer E. Moore & edited by Jennifer E. Moore)