Skip to main content

Lily's Crossing


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Reilly Giff, P.1999. Lily’s Crossing. Bantam Doubleday Dell. ISBN-10: 0440414539

PLOT SUMMARY
Reilly Giff’s Lily’s Crossing, is a historical fiction of turmoil, hope, and perseverance. The unexpected friendship between two young children during WWII in Rockaway, makes for a fresh, enlightening, and adventurous story. Main character, Lily, and Hungarian refugee, Albert, become best friends through all odds. The story is based in the 1940’s when the world was at war and people of all ages suffered the loss of loved ones, or awaited in desperation for the war to be over and have their family members safely back home. Lily is a spontaneous, energetic young girl with a major flaw; she can’t stop her lies. Albert is hopeful to see his sister in Europe, that he is willing to swim across the Atlantic Ocean with Lily’s help. Lily’s lies get her into unlikely situations, but one of her worst lies nearly gets Albert killed. In the end Lily realizes her lies won’t make her world perfect, and vows to never lie again. Her father returns from the war safe and sound, and Albert is reunited with his sister. The power of friendship, the story’s theme, is greatly emphasized throughout the story to serve as a reminder of hope through the worst of times.

John Newbery Medal 1998
ALA Notable Children’s Books 1998
Arkansas Charlie May Simon Master List 1999
Audie Awards 1999
Kentucky Bluegrass Master List 1999
Maine Student Book Master List 1998
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Nominee 2000
Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award Nominee 2000


CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lily’s Crossing, is a historical fiction that takes place in the United States in Rockaway. The story’s setting is meant to be summer’s paradise for the main character, Lily. A house by the beach, her best friend Margaret, and her father’s companionship is the long-awaited treat for Lily. As the story moves along, we can envision the setting as a beautiful scene, yet, it has been invaded by war ships, aircrafts, and WWII posters and reminders in every corner. This juxtaposition, serves as a reminder of WWII and the turmoil it caused in many people’s lives, especially children. The author’s character development greatly impacts this historical fiction’s overall plot and theme. Giff takes us into the world of a young daydreamer whose summer turns into an unexpected twist of events. The author creates characters that young readers will connect to in a deeper level. Both Lily and Albert have suffered the loss of parents at a young age, and both are anxious about their loved ones overseas. Even though Lily and Albert have been raised in completely different worlds, their fears, dreams, and hopes help them build a lasting friendship that lives on for more than an unexpected summer.




EXCERPTS
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “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.” (1997)

KIRKUS REVIEWS: “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.” (1997)

CONNECTIONS
Classroom Activity: Social Studies/History- Have students create a timeline of important events of WWII.

Classroom Activity: ELA/Reading/Writing- Have students create a foldable booklet, and complete a plot for Lily’s Crossing. Students will write an exposition, turning point, denouement, theme and summary based on the historical fiction.

Library Activity: Display historical fiction books to entice students to read more.

·         Bruchac, J. 2006. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two. Speak. ISBN-10: 0142405965.

·         Boyne, J. 2007. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. David Fickling Books. ISBN-10: 0385751532.

·         Strauss, L. 2013. A Piece of Blue String: a young German girl's diary during WW2. La Plume Press. ISBN-10: 1927547164.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Screencasts

The digital world is taking over businesses, entertainment, and education. Guiding people through a series of steps online just got easier with screencasts. With its booming popularity and effectiveness, it can be difficult to choose from various softwares. I recently tried Screencast-O-Matic and Screencastify. Although they both got the job done, one was more simple to navigate through, and another offered more features. Both have its advantages and disadvantages. I will give you a run-down on both screencasts down below. https://screencast-o-matic.com/ : Screencast-O-Meter is super simple to navigate through. It gives you the option to create a free account or sign in through gmail. There is a Free Plan, Solo Deluxe ($1.65/month), or Solo Premier ($4.00/month). They allow for a free 30-day trial for video editting. You have to launch a screen video recorder. For the free plan, it only gives you the option to record the computer screen with narration. It will not record through yo
Post a Comment
Read more

Readings #17-25 (5385)

Anderson, J. (2017). Midnight at the Electric. HarperCollins. ISBN-10: 9780062393548. Jodi Lynn Anderson’s creation of Midnight at the Electric will leave readers captivated from beginning to end. The setting takes places in the future of 2065 with Adri Ortiz as a chosen colonist for Mars. She’s been waiting for this moment her entire life. She is smart, witty, and has no connections to people on Earth since she’s been in foster care all her life. Her attitude has never helped her make friends either. Adri is ready to leave Earth behind and start a new life in another planet. Before her mission to Mars, her team’s director gives her one last assignment on Earth. She has to spend a few months with her long lost, 107-year-old, cousin in Canaan, Texas, close to the Wichita science facility where she will be training. Her director wants her to have some closure before the journey of no return. When Adri arrives at the house, she is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by farmland.
Post a Comment
Read more

Paperboy

BIBLIOGRAPHY Vawter, V. 2013. Paperboy . Yearling. ISBN-10: 030793151X. PLOT SUMMARY Vincent Vawter writes a coming of age historical fiction, Paperboy , in which a young 11-year-old “Little Man” encounters the cruel reality of adulthood. The story takes place in 1959 in Memphis, Tennessee during a difficult time in U.S. history. Segregation, discrimination and racism play a role in the character’s development and overall theme. Main character, Victor, struggles with a speech impairment that makes his new job as a paperboy more difficult than expected. Live-in nanny, Mam, is a major support for Victor throughout the story. His stuttering gets him in trouble at times, but also carries some advantages. Victor meets different people along his summer journey that help him understand the adult life in a deeper level. A troubled alcoholic woman, Mrs. Worthington, a knowledgeable and well-read philosophical merchant marine, Mr. Spiro, and neighborhood African-American scary junkman,
Post a Comment
Read more