http://www.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9780440414537/mc.gif&client=bipsite&type=nocover
Giff,
Patricia Reilly. 1997. Lily’s Crossing.
New York: Yearling ISBN 0440414539
Lily’s Crossing is a gentle gem of a story about a
little girl’s world being affected by World War II. Patricia Reilly Giff masterfully
recreates American life in a 1940’s New England beach town from the lively,
spirited point of view of an 11-year-old girl.
Young Lily
spends every summer with her father and grandmother at Rockaway Beach. This is
her favorite time of year because not only does she get to spend her time by
the beach, she gets to see her best friend Margaret. But this summer turns out
to be quite different. Margaret must leave Rockaway beach early, so now there
is no one left here, until the arrival of a soon to be new friend, Albert—a refugee
from Hungary.
The setting
of this book is Rockaway beach, which was used during the Second World War as a
harbor for American ships headed to Europe. Lily loves to tell lies that make
her life sound more interesting than what it really is. Lily takes one of her lies
a bit too far with Albert causing him to risk his life. Giff hones right in on
the time period by describing the children’s clothes, toys, movies, and books.
The story
centers on Lily's experience during the war and her relationships. She comes to
terms with the grandmother who rears her, her father who leaves her behind for
the war effort, her mother who has passed away, and her best friend who has
moved away. These themes of loneliness and separation hold true whether in
times of war or not. In the author’s notes, Giff addresses the universality of
her work noting that people have always worried about the same things even if
the times change.
Lily’s Crossing is the winner of a Newbery Honor
award.
Readers can make further historical connections of wartime
America in Giff’s companion novel Willow Run.
Books in Print. TWU Library. Accessed November 11, 2013 http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2125/
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