Lily's Crossing facts for kids
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| Author | Patricia Reilly Giff |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Realistic fiction |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
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Publication date
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1997 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 208 |
| ISBN | 9780385321426 |
Lily's Crossing is a young adult novel by the American author Patricia Reilly Giff published in 1997. It received a Newbery Honor award in 1998.
Plot
Lily's Crossing is set in the United States in the 1940s. The story is about Lily and Albert, two children who face grief at a young age and must help and learn from each other through the summer.
Lily lives in St. Albans, Queens with her father and grandmother. Her mother died when Lily was a small girl. Each summer Lily and her father (Poppy) stay in Far Rockaway near the Atlantic Ocean at her grandmother's (Gram) house. She loves going there because it is far from her house and she is able to relax and explore the neighborhood. Lily has a friend, Margaret, and they spend most of their summer days together gossiping and watching movies. Lily feels she needs to fix some problems in her life, one of which is lying because it has become a habit for her and she finds it fun.
This summer is different because the story starts in 1944, which was when World War II was occurring in Europe. Her whole world begins to change because her father must go overseas and her friend Margaret is moving to Detroit with her family for her father to work on planes. Lily must find a new friend to replace Margaret. She meets a new friend called Albert Orban. Lily begins to follow Albert, which makes him uncomfortable and distanced from her, until a series of events leads them to cross paths and become friends. Albert is a refugee from Hungary who has escaped from the Nazis and dreams of reuniting with his family one day. He is not interested in making friends. While Poppy is away, Gram becomes very worried for him because she does not have a way to contact him and Lily and new view of the war. Lily becomes a support system for Albert because he is alone and his family is far away. Lily wants to help him pass his hard time by taking him on new adventures. Albert learns to swim giving him some trust in Lily. Albert begins to open up to Lily about his life in Hungary which Lily describes each conversation his voice being restless. Albert has a sister Ruth that he is desperately trying to find. She was left behind because she had measles and they could not escape together. Albert is willing to put his life in danger to find her
Themes
Lily has a difficult time being honest with the other characters. She has a habit of lying, which causes conflict in her life. Lily's only family is her father and grandmother and are a huge part of her life. When her father is sent to fight the war, her life changes completely. She usually tells lies when she wants to get out of doing something. She lost her mother at a young age which may explain why she is always looking for a new friend. Albert was left as an orphan after being separated from his family because of the war. Another theme is when Lily and Albert become friends. Lily and Albert develop a friendship, even with their differences they manage to help each other through a difficult period. He had a hard time accepting Lily as his friend and at first Albert was resisting any communication with Lily. However, Albert and Lily's friendship became strong, and they found trust in each other. Albert feels guilty for escaping the Nazis and the separation from his family. Albert was separated from his family, the only family he has left is his sister, Ruth. He does mention that his parents died for writing negative comments about Hitler and Nazis. Lily has a hard time accepting that her father left to go into the war, she mentions him a few times in her conversations with Albert. Margaret's brother is also missing during the war, and Lily becomes concern for his safety because she heard thousands of men had already died fighting the war.
Awards
- Newbery Medal Honor Book in 1998.
- ALA Notable Children's Book in 1998
- A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
- 1999 – Arkansas Charlie May Simon Master List
- 1999 – Kentucky Bluegrass Master List
- 1998 – Maine Student Book Master List
- 1999 – Massachusetts Children's Book Master List
