Synopses & Reviews
An exceptionally moving story of triumph against all odds set during World War 2, from the acclaimed author of
Jeffersons Sons and for fans of
Number the Stars.
Nine-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Adas twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesnt waste a minuteshe sneaks out to join him.
So begins a new adventure of Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susanand Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?
This masterful work of historical fiction is equal parts adventure and a moving tale of family and identitya classic in the making.
Review
"Details...are woven with great effect into a realistic story." The Horn Book Magazine (Starred Review)
Review
"Exceptional characterizations and a robust story line...this has all the ingredients that best reward readers." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Brilliantly told." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"With wry comedy and intense feeling...Giff gets across a strong sense of what it was like on the home front during World War II...The friendship story is beautifully drawn." Booklist
Synopsis
Author Patricia Reilly Giff's Newbery Honor-winning Lily's Crossing is now available for the first time in paperback!
Every summer Lily and her father go to her family's house in Rockaway, near the Atlantic Ocean. But the summer of 1944 is different. World War II has called Lily's father overseas, Lily's best friend Margaret had to move with her family to a wartime factory town, and Lily is forced to live with her grandmother.
But then a boy named Albert, a refugee from Hungary, comes to live in Rockaway. He has lost most of his family to the war. Soon he and Lily form a special friendship, and they have secrets to share. But they have both told lies, and Lily's lie may cost Albert his life.
Synopsis
This "brilliantly told" (New York Times) Newbery Honor Book gives readers a sense of what it was like to be on the American home front while our soldiers were away fighting in World War II.
As in past years, Lily will spend the summer in Rockaway, in her family's summer house by the Atlantic Ocean. But this summer of 1944, World War II has changed everyone's life. Lily's best friend, Margaret, has moved to a wartime factory town, and, much worse, Lily's father is going overseas to the war.
There's no one Lily's age in Rockaway until the arrival of Albert, a refugee from Hungary with a secret sewn into his coat. Albert has lost most of his family in the war; he's been through things Lily can't imagine. But soon they form a special friendship. Now Lily and Albert have secrets to share: They both have told lies, and Lily has told one that may cost Albert his life.
Synopsis
When Lily meets Albert, a refugee from Hungary, during the summer of 1944, they begin a special friendship. However, Lily and Albert have both told lies, and Lily has told a lie that may cost Albert his life.
Synopsis
Cold War anxieties play out in a sensitively told story set during the Cuban missile crisis in the 1960s, perfect for fans of Gary Schmidt and Kristin Levine.
Joanna cant get over how her brother broke his promise to never leave like their dad did. Sam is thousands of miles away on a navy ship, and no matter how often he sends letters, Joanna refuses to write back. When she makes a promise, she keeps it.
But then President Kennedy comes on TV with frightening news about Soviet missiles in Cubaand thats where Sams heading. Suddenly Joannas worries about being home alone, building up the courage to talk to a cute boy, and not being allowed to go to the first boy-girl party in her grade dont seem so important. Maybe sometimes there are good reasons to break a promise.
The tense timeline of the Cuban missile crisis unfolds alongside a powerful, and ultimately hopeful, story about what it means to grow up in a world full of uncertainty.
About the Author
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley lives on a forty-two-acre farm in Bristol, Tennessee. She is the author of several books for children, including Leap of Faith, Jefferson's Sons, and The War That Saved My Life.
Teacher Guide
NOTE TO TEACHERS
Lily's Crossing was about my childhood. I was inspired to write that because for years, I thought about my childhood during the Second World War, in Rockaway, New York, which I loved. We didn't sleep in Rockaway, we didn't have a cabin there, but we went there almost every day in the summertime. I loved the water. I was clumsy out of the water, but in the water, I could swim. I was good around boats, so I always felt good about it. So I thought one day that I would write Lily, and it took me about four years to finally do it.
The book is fiction, but it's based on so much that I did do. I am Lily; I am the grandmother. The bakery really existed, but it was in St. Albans, where I grew up. And Albert is a composite of many boys in my life when I was growing up.
Certainly, we went to the bakery alone--and during the war, when the baker couldn't get eggs or sugar, the offerings were pretty slim in the bakery. There were signs up, like
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Lily learns that true friendship is a treasure that crosses cultural boundaries, in this award-winning novel set during World War II on the home front.
Lily Mollahan can't wait to get to Rockaway, the coastal town where she and her father and grandmother spend each summer. Little does she know that the summer of 1944 will be marked by change. Her father goes to war; her best friend, Margaret, moves to Detroit; and she meets Albert, a Hungarian refugee.
As Lily and Albert become friends, they begin sharing their fears, their secrets, and their wishes. More than anything, Lily wants her father home safely, and Albert wishes to be reunited with his sister, Ruth. Through her friendship with Albert, Lily starts to see life differently and pledges to stop her worst habit--lying.
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
"I always start each day by writing. That's like breathing to me," says Patricia Reilly Giff. In fact, this best-selling author admits she knew she "wanted to write from the first time I picked up a book and read. I thought it must be the most marvelous thing to make people dance across the pages."
Reading and writing have always been an important part of Giff's life. As a child, her favorite books included Little Women, The Secret Garden, the Black Stallion books, the Sue Barton books, and the Nancy Drew series. Giff loved reading so much that while they were growing up, her sister had to grab books out of her hands to get Giff to pay attention to her; later, Giff's three children often found themselves doing the same thing. As a reading teacher for twenty years, the educational consultant for Dell Yearling and Young Yearling books, an advisor and instructor to aspiring writers, and the author of more than 60 books for children, Giff has spent her entire life surrounded by books.
TEACHING IDEAS
Lily's Crossing is a story of friendship that will appeal to young readers for many reasons. Because it is set during World War II in the United States, students can grasp a full understanding of how the war affected people on the home front. It asks them to think about the meaning of family, dealing with guilt, separation and loss, the consequences of dishonesty, and the rewards of honesty.
The powerful themes, endearing characters, and the flavor of the 1940s setting make this book an ideal choice for read-aloud or a class novel study. In addition, this guide offers activities for using the novel to connect language arts, social studies, science, drama, and art.
Pre-Reading Activity
Lily's Crossing is set in 1944 just after D-Day. In 1994, the United States celebrated the 50th anniversary of D-Day. Send students to the library to find articles in news magazines about this celebration. Ask them to share with the class any unusual facts or moving stories that they uncover.
Thematic Connections
Friendship
Ask students to describe Lily and Margaret's friendship. How is Lily's friendship with Albert different? Why does Lily say that he is the best friend she ever had? Ask students to write a letter Lily might write to Poppy describing her new friend, Albert. At the end of the novel, Albert and Ruth are reunited, and Lily gets to meet Ruth. What do you think Albert has told Ruth about Lily?
Honesty/Dishonesty
Throughout the book, Lily makes a list of her problems and solutions to the problems. One of her worst problems is lying. She also has a vivid imagination. Discuss the difference between lying and imagining. Why does Lily continue to lie when she knows she's being dishonest? Have students list all the lies that Lily tells. How does one lie lead to another? In what other ways is Lily dishonest? At what point in the novel does she finally overcome her habit of lying?
Family
Both Lily and Albert have lost parents, but they still have the love of a family. Ask students to describe Lily's family. What is her relationship with Poppy? What is Gram's role in the family? How does Lily's relationship with Gram change at the end of the novel? How does Albert gain a sense of family from Mr. and Mrs. Orban?
Guilt
Lily feels guilty because she didn't tell her father good-bye. Albert feels guilty because he didn't tell Ruth good-bye. How does each of them deal with the guilt? Lily writes an
VOCABULARY
Ask students to search for words in the novel such as convoy (76) that specifically pertain to the war. Then, ask them to locate words such as swell (116) and jetty (86) that refer to the coastal setting of the book. Have the class discuss the meaning of each word located.
AWARDS
A 1998 Newbery Honor Book
An ALA Notable Children's Book
A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
REVIEWS
x "Details. . .are woven with great effect into a realistic story..." -- Starred, The Horn Book
"With Ms. Giff's usual easygoing language and swift, short paragraphs, the impact of the war on an American child is brilliantly told." -- The New York Times Book Review
"Giff's well-drawn, believable characters and vivid prose style make this an excellent choice." -- School Library Journal
"[A] fine piece of historical fiction. . .fully satisfying." -- The Bulletin
"With wry comedy and intense feeling. . .Giff gets across a strong sense of what it was like on the home front during World War II. . .The friendship story is beautifully drawn. . ." -- Booklist
"[A] deftly told story." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Exceptional characterizations and a robust story line. . .Closely observed, quickly paced and warmly told, this has all the ingredients and best reward readers." -- Publishers Weekly
"Both evocative and provocative, this gentle novel presents the ripples of world war in a child-sized way." -- The San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle
FURTHER READING
Journey by Patricia MacLachlan[0-440-40809-1]
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry[0-440-40327-8]
Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume[0-440-48253-4]