1.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Giff,
Patricia Reilly. 1997. Lily's crossing. New York: Delacorte Press.
ISBN 0440414539
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Lily
Mollahan lives in St. Albans with her grandmother and her father, Poppy, but
every summer is spent on the lovely beach of Rockaway, a second home for the
young girl. Lily lives without a mother,
who died of a heart condition when Lily was young. The time is 1944, when the Second
World War rages in what seems like a very faraway place, that is, until Poppy
joins the war effort in France. Lily is
so upset she doesn't even say goodbye to her father. But soon, Lily finds
comfort in her friendship with Albert, the nephew of her grandmother’s neighbor
in Rockaway, and the orphaned Hungarian refugee with a dark past of his
own. Both Albert and Lily tell lies to
cover up the pain of the past, but ultimately find healing in the power of the
truth.
3.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lily’s Crossing is beautifully written with just enough historical detail
to paint the picture of the home front during World War II, without the weight
of too much historical baggage. The
story deals with pain and loss and the coping mechanisms that Lily employs. The loss of Lily’s mother affects her deeply,
and she becomes quite skilled at weaving lies, both big and small. Lily knows it is a problem. “She thought of her list of problems: Number
1: Lies, and the second list, the list of solutions. Right up there on top was the
promise not to tell a lie ever again, not even a tiny little one, much less one
of those gigantic ones about her aunt being an important U.S. spy against the
Nazis.” Unfortunately, Lily has a hard time with her resolution when she lies
to Albert about her plan to swim to the ship that will ultimately take her to
her father, not realizing that Albert would take her lie quite so
seriously. When the time for truth comes
for Lily, she discovers that Albert has a lie of his own about his ill sister,
Ruth, whom he left behind in France when he was coming to America. Lily and Albert learn the tough lesson of
honesty, but gain the rewards of friendship and a reunited family for their efforts. Tender and heartfelt, Lily’s Crossing is a
very satisfying read, with a happily emotional ending.
Lily is a character to whom one can easily relate, flawed, yet sincere in her attempts at redemption. Because of the time period in which the book is set, she has much more freedom to come and go, which will surely be the envy of most children who read about her character. The war history is accurate, given in a small enough dose to feel unforced, including just the details pertinent to Lily. The setting is an integral part of the story, with Lily placed in just the right time and place for the plot to unfold. The book is authentic and real, yet interesting and relevant to today with the timeless themes of honesty, family, and friendship. It is a great blend of fact and fiction and is sure to capture the hearts of its readers, as it did mine.
Lily is a character to whom one can easily relate, flawed, yet sincere in her attempts at redemption. Because of the time period in which the book is set, she has much more freedom to come and go, which will surely be the envy of most children who read about her character. The war history is accurate, given in a small enough dose to feel unforced, including just the details pertinent to Lily. The setting is an integral part of the story, with Lily placed in just the right time and place for the plot to unfold. The book is authentic and real, yet interesting and relevant to today with the timeless themes of honesty, family, and friendship. It is a great blend of fact and fiction and is sure to capture the hearts of its readers, as it did mine.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Booklist
Review: 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. Lily makes up stories about her involvement with spies,
submarines, and anti-Nazi plots in her small seaside town in 1944, but
underlying her melodrama and lies is grief for her dead mother. 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. The happy ending, when
Lily's father finds Albert's sister in France, is too contrived, but the
reunion scenes at home are heartbreaking. The friendship story is beautifully
drawn: both Lily and Albert are wary, reluctant, and needy; they quarrel as
much as they bond, and in the end, they help each other to be brave.
5. CONNECTIONS
*Read a The Kids of the Polk Street School book, also by Patricia Reilly
Giff, and see how the book compares to Lily’s Crossing.
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