Lily's Crossing (Yearling Newberg) (Paperback)

by Patricia Reilly Giff (Author) "Sometimes when it is still, so still you can hear the swish of a butterfly's wing-sometimes when it is that still I take the canoe..." (more)
Key Phrases: tan purse, Cross Bay Boulevard, Sister Eileen, Eddie Dillon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Elizabeth Mollahan--the Lily of Lily's Crossing--lost her mom when she was little. Her father and a grandmother are her only family. Every summer the three of them flee sweaty New York City for a beach house in New York's Rockaways.

This year though, Lily's father announces that he's enlisted in the Army; days later, he is gone. Alone with her grandmother, Lily sees a long lonely summer ahead. And then, Albert appears. A refugee from the Nazis, his family thrown to the winds, young Albert bears a grief and sadness of his own.

It's a pleasure to read along as Lily and Albert negotiate the pain they feel and the secrets and adventures they share. With subtlety and compassion, this gift of a book reminds us that wars happen to children, too.

[10 and up. Adults should sneak a peek too.] --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly
PW's starred review of this 1998 Newbery Honor book said that the WWII homefront novel, about Lily's growing friendship with a Hungarian refugee, "has all the ingredients that best reward readers." Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (January 12, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440414539
• ISBN-13: 978-0440414537
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (122 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,472 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Friendship in Rockaway, November 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lily's Crossing (Audio Cassette)

As thirteen year old seventh graders we really enjoyed reading this book for English class. Lily's Crossing was a book about friendship and both hard and happy times. Lily made a wonderful new friend, Albert, in Rockaway. This all happened during the summer of 1944, at the height of World War II. Everything occurred after Margaret, Lily's best friend, left Rockaway, Beach because her father was transferred to a new city were they manufactured bombers. Lily also had a difficult time dealing with her Poppy (father) leaving to help win the war. Read and discover the adventures and risks Lily and Albert experienced which built their friendship throughout the summer in Rockaway. Our feelings throughout this story were changing constantly. At different parts we both cried and shared happy and sad emotions with one another. Lily's Crossing is suspenseful, well written, and can be enjoyed by all ages.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lily's Crossing, November 28, 1999

By	Keely "mflanagan28" (Palo Alto, California) - See all my reviews

Lily's Crossing is a great book. One of the reasons why I liked it was that it had good voice. It had such good voice that when Poppy came home I cried out loud as I read. I also liked the book because I like historical fiction. The events that happened in the book could have happened in history in 1942. Also, it was about an immigrant from Hungary whose sister is in France with the Nazis. I loved Lily's Crossing because I never knew what would happen next, because of the way the problem was set up. The probem is Lily tells Albert she can take him to Europe. I didn't know what she was going to do. I kept guessing until the answer was revealed towards the end of the book. So, in conclusion, I would give the book five stars.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Summer of Change, April 25, 2007

By	A. Luciano (Lowell, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Every summer Lily looks forward to her vacation with her father and grandmother at Rockaway, on the Atlantic Ocean. She loves to go to a place where no one really knows her--they don't know she doesn't do well in school, she lies all of the time and makes up stories, and she doesn't have friends. Lily does have a friend in Rockaway--Margaret has been her friend since they could walk.

This summer is different, though. First Margaret's family has to move away to a wartime factory to help with World War II. Then Lily's own father finds out he has to go to war as an engineer, helping in Europe. He may be gone a very long time, and he has to leave Lily all alone with her grandmother. Terrible!

But then Albert, a boy about Lily's age, arrives at Rockaway. He speaks English with a heavy accent, and Lily soon learns he is a refugee from the war. Will Lily be able to become his friend and stop her cycle of lies?

I liked that over the course of the summer, Lily discovers things about her grandmother she hadn't seen before, and that strengthens their relationship. I liked the descriptions of the town of Rockaway. I didn't like the fact that Lily's personality isn't very well described. I couldn't really get a feel for the character.