Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Lily's Crossing. New York: Yearling, 1997.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

The book is about Lily, a young girl learning about friendship and the consequences of lying during a war torn summer.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Lily Mollahan never stops lying. She exaggerates every story to anyone that will hear. After meeting Albert, a Jewish immigrant escaping from the Nazis, Lily realizes that her lies could have dire consequences. Set in 1944, Lily and her grandmother have to struggle with Lily's father, Poppy, leaving to help the war efforts in Europe. Their summer is spent in turmoil because they does not know where Poppy is or if he will be okay. A slow friendship begins to blossom with the new, strange boy, Albert, in the beach town of Rockaway as the news of D-Day reaches the States. The town is very near the port where the grand ships leave for the fight in Europe. Readers can sympathize with the reason that Lily lies, but not the outcome. The historical fiction shows the value honesty in building friendships and in life.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

1998 Newbery Honor Book

S. K. List from Common Sense Media: "Giff slowly and persistently connects her readers to the heroine, and, as with friendships in real life, makes the friendship that is at the core of this novel heartfelt. Young readers will recognize this honesty at once and will take to this book with devotion."

From Publisher's Weekly: "...has all the ingredients that best reward readers."

From Kirkus Reviews: "Much of the plot, characters, and premise is conventional, but Giff really pulls readers' heartstrings with Albert's memories of his family, the loss of Margaret's well-liked brother in the war, and Lily's joyful reunion with Poppy."


5. CONNECTIONS

Other Books by Patricia Reilly Giff:
Pictures of Hollis Woods    ISBN: 9780439579315
Nory Ryan's Song     ISBN: 9780756913045
Maggie's Door     ISBN: 9780375890390
All the Way Home     ISBN: 9780756913755

Lesson Plans:
This PDF is everything amazing in just 33 pages. I feel like you could do an entire semester with this one file alone. I always appreciate worksheets that are ready to be printed it off. Immediately start here: Lily's Crossing: A Study Guide

Bright Hub Education supplies some interesting journal prompts and a short two day lesson. See it here: Lesson Plan