LSSL 5360: Module 5 -- Historical Fiction

Lily’s Crossing

By Patricia Reilly Giff

1)    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Giff, P. R. (1997). Lily’s crossing. New York: Yearling Book.

2)    PLOT SUMMARY

Lily always spends her summers in Rockaway with her Gram, best friend Margaret, and her Poppy comes up on the weekends.  It’s the summer of 1944, World War II is being fought, and her summer is different than usual.  Her friend Margaret and her family is headed to Detroit where he father will be building bombers in the factory.  Lily is sad that Margaret won’t be around, and knows that her summer will be lonely without her.  When Poppy comes up on Friday he tells her that the army needs engineers, and he’s headed overseas.  Lily is so upset that she doesn’t tell him goodbye.  Another new thing this summer is that the Orbans have their nephew Albert visiting from Canada.  Albert has traveled a long way from Hungary to escape the Nazis, but his sister was sick and left in France.  Lily concocts a plan for them to row out towards the boats, swim the rest of the way, and hitch a ride to Europe to find Poppy and his sister Ruth.  She finally has to tell Albert the truth, but he wants to see the boats one more time.  He gets caught in a nasty storm, falls out of the boat, luckily Lily grabs ahold of them, and they back it back to Gram’s house safely.  The summer comes to an end, Albert returns to Canada, and Gram and Lily return to St. Albans.  During the winter Poppy makes it back safely from the war, and has news that he was able to find Ruth from the information Lily and Albert had sent him.  They return to Rockaway the following summer and Lily is surprised to see both Albert and Ruth when they go to the Orbans’ house for dinner.

3)    CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Lily’s Crossing is told during World War II and portrays how two children were affected by the war.  Lily highlight’s the experience of most children in the United States where a father, brother, uncle, or family member went off to fight in the war.  Lily’s father didn’t go right away since he was an engineer, but when the army needed him he was ready to do his part.  Albert was in Hungary when the war started in, and his parents published a newspaper that spoke out against Hitler and the Nazis.  Albert’s parents were willing to stand up for their beliefs, and knew that in doing so their lives and their families were at risk.  Fortunately Albert’s grandmother was able to get him and his sister before the Nazis arrived for his parents, and she sewed money into his coat.  During that time people had to hide their money and make plans for the future.  Albert was able to make it to Canada, but his sister fell ill.  At the time, illness wasn’t something allowed on ships and she was left behind in France.  Giff includes many aspects that took place during World War II, such as U.S. troops storming the beaches of Normandy, known as D-Day, victory gardens, factories building bombers and various things for the war effort, and even gas shortages.  She develops the plot around Lily’s various lies, and her biggest one yet to Albert about being able to reach the boats to head to Europe.  Lily shows vulnerability with Albert and finally tells the truth that they won’t be able to make it to the boat, and he feels comfortable enough to share his lies too.  Throughout their summer they bond over that they weren’t able to tell their loved ones goodbyes, and that they’re stuck worrying and waiting for them to come home safely.  Giff sets the story in Rockaway during World War II, which she can personally relate to.  Much like Lily she spent her childhood watching boats headed to Europe, planes training overhead the beach, and the fear that she felt during that time.  Her personal connection to the setting allows her to connect to her main character Lily, and allows the reader to visualize what it must’ve felt like during that time.  Lily was excited to head to Rockaway for the summer to swim, fish, and spend weekends with Poppy, but soon came the worry and fear.  The reader can imagine Lily’s anticipation at getting the mail to receive news from Poppy, and the worry she felt when she learned that Eddie was missing in action.  Lily’s Crossing is a quick read that focuses on the theme of friendship, and gives readers a glimpse into what life was like from a child’s point of view during World War II.

4)    REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Publisher Weekly’s Review:  “Giff keeps the spotlight off Lily's flaws, refraining as well from overtly linking them to her self-consciousness at being motherless. Rather, she uses them to generate the plot: as Lily and Albert work their way into friendship, Lily tells a lie with unexpected and potentially dangerous consequences. Lily learns her lesson in a resolution that feels psychologically true. In the background, characters cope with wartime shortages, stumble into tragedy as sons and brothers fall in battle-in short, lead complicated lives with the hope of redemption. Closely observed, quickly paced and warmly told, this has all the ingredients that best reward readers.”  (Reviewed 2/10/97)

Kirkus’ Review:  “Much of the plot, characters, and premise is conventional, but Giff (Shark in School, 1994, etc.) 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. Pull out the hankies for the final scene, in which Lily returns to Rockaway the following summer to find Albert--and Ruth--waiting for her. It's a strong ending to a deftly told story.”  (Reviewed 5/20/10)

5)    CONNECTIONS

o   This is a great book if you are teaching:

§  World War II

§  Victory Gardens

§  Factories during War Times

o   Other books with similar stories:

Giff, Patricia Reilly.  WILLOW RUN  ISBN 9780440238010

White, Ruth.  BELLE PRATER’S BOY  ISBN 9780440413721

Klages, Ellen.  WHITE SANDS, RED MENACE  ISBN 9780670062355