BIBLIOGRAPHY
Giff, Patricia Reilly. 1997. LILY’S CROSSING. New York: A Yearling Book. ISBN 0780792971
PLOT SUMMMARY
Lily Mollahan is headed to Rockaway, the family’s usual summer residence; but this summer, 1944, Lily will have to spend the summer without her best friend and without her father. The war will take both to other parts of the country. Lily, reluctantly, meets Albert, a Hungarian war refugee. They become the best of friends, but Lily has a habit of telling ‘little white lies’ and one of them ignites a yearning and determination so strongly in Albert, that he almost loses his life in the process of trying to assuage his guilt of leaving his little sister in France.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ms. Giff draws upon personal recollections and experiences of her WWII summers in the New York/ Rockaway area for the setting and other memoriablia in the story such as songs, radio shows, businesses, black-out strategies, rationing, and victory gardens. She drives home the point of controlled alarm/apprehension/trepidation in her description of the reactions of those who witness the training plane flying overhead, the blackout curtains being used, and the partially painted vehicle headlights.
There are two areas of authenticity concern. One, is that Albert speaks English so well; it mentions he has an accent, but his sentence structure and syntax are American. Second, for being 10-years-olds, the children seem to have too much freedom, especially considering they are on the water and there is the anxiety of a possible air/sea attack.
AWARDS
A 1998 Newbery Honor Book
An ALA Notable Children's Book
A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
An ALA Notable Children's Book
A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
REVIEWS
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW: “easygoing language and swift, short paragraphs, the impact of the war on an American child is brilliantly told… For young readers, Lily's story is an energetic introduction to their grandparents' world. The paraphernalia of the mid-1940's are here in abundance. There are soap operas on the radio (''Portia Faces Life''), victory gardens, gas rationing, ''Lux Radio Theater,'' the liberation of Paris:… Spam, Shirley Temple movies, Kate Smith singing ''God Bless America.''
HORN BOOK MAGAZINE: “Details such as snatches of popular songs, movie titles, and blackout precautions are woven with great effect into a realistic story of ordinary people who must cope with events beyond their comprehension.”
BOOKLIST: “wry comedy and intense feeling…the happy ending is too contrived... The friendship story is beautifully drawn: both Lily and Albert are wary, reluctant, and needy; they quarrel as much as they bond, and in the end, they help each other to be brave. PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: “Exceptional characterizations and a robust story line….characters cope with wartime shortages, stumble into tragedy as sons and brothers fall in battle – in shor, lead complicated lives with the hope of redemption.”
NEWSMAGAZINE: “this book has two virtues rarely encountered in children's literature today. First, its two 11-year-old protagonists are not the wise ones; they recognize that they have much to learn from their elders. Second, both have suffered great loss.
TEACHING PRE K-8: “The book portrays very well the World War II era and the feelings that drive Lily. Gram is wonderful: she's strong, often difficult and she has a sense of propriety that often frustrates Lily, but sustains them both. “
CONNECTIONS
Books
Blume, Judy. STARRING SALLY J. FREEDMAN AS HERSELF. ISBN: 0440482534
Choi, Sook Nyul. YOUR OF IMPOSSIBLE GOODBYES. ISBN: 0440407591
Couloumbis, Audrey. GETTING NEAR TO BABY. ISBN: 0698118928
dePaola, Tomie. 26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE. ISBN: 0698118642
Drucker, Malka and Michael Halperin. JACOB’S RESCUE. ISBN: 0440409659
Fenner, Carol. YOLONDA’S GENIUS. ISBN: 0689813279
Fox, Paula. THE SLAVE DANCER. ISBN: 1606862227
Holm, Jennifer L. OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA. ISBN: 0064408566
Lowry, Lois. NUMBER THE STARS. ISBN: 0440227534
Maclachlan, Patricia. JOURNEY. ISBN: 0385304277
O’Dell, Scott. MY NAME IS NOT ANGELICA. ISBN: 0547406304
Speare, Elizebeth George. CALICO CAPTIVE. ISBN: 0618150765
Choi, Sook Nyul. YOUR OF IMPOSSIBLE GOODBYES. ISBN: 0440407591
Couloumbis, Audrey. GETTING NEAR TO BABY. ISBN: 0698118928
dePaola, Tomie. 26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE. ISBN: 0698118642
Drucker, Malka and Michael Halperin. JACOB’S RESCUE. ISBN: 0440409659
Fenner, Carol. YOLONDA’S GENIUS. ISBN: 0689813279
Fox, Paula. THE SLAVE DANCER. ISBN: 1606862227
Holm, Jennifer L. OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA. ISBN: 0064408566
Lowry, Lois. NUMBER THE STARS. ISBN: 0440227534
Maclachlan, Patricia. JOURNEY. ISBN: 0385304277
O’Dell, Scott. MY NAME IS NOT ANGELICA. ISBN: 0547406304
Speare, Elizebeth George. CALICO CAPTIVE. ISBN: 0618150765
Lessons
http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385321426&view=tg
Social Studies
During World War II, the U. S. government began rationing supplies. Ask students to find out what items were rationed. What was the purpose of a "Victory Garden"? Margaret's father goes to Detroit to make B-24 Liberator Bombers. What other jobs on the home front helped the war effort?
Encourage students to use reference sources and a map of Europe to trace the invasion of France by the Allies. Ask them to begin with the military's landing on Omaha Beach and follow their maneuvers through the small towns and cities that they liberated in France.
Math
Albert comes to Rockaway from Hungary via Austria, Switzerland, France and Canada. Ask students to calculate the approximate mileage over land and water of his trip. Have students call a travel agency and find out the flight time, including layovers, that Albert could expect if he were traveling today from Kennedy Airport in New York to Budapest, the capital of Hungary. How much would his flight cost?
Science
Lily feels close to her mother through the stars pasted on her bedroom ceiling. Each summer she brings one star with her to Rockaway. Why are the stars so important to her? Lily makes reference to the Big Dipper, Orion's Belt, and Cassiopeia. Ask students to research these constellations and draw a diagram of each. Some students may enjoy extending their research by locating other constellations that Lily might find in the summer skies at Rockaway.
During World War II, the U. S. government began rationing supplies. Ask students to find out what items were rationed. What was the purpose of a "Victory Garden"? Margaret's father goes to Detroit to make B-24 Liberator Bombers. What other jobs on the home front helped the war effort?
Encourage students to use reference sources and a map of Europe to trace the invasion of France by the Allies. Ask them to begin with the military's landing on Omaha Beach and follow their maneuvers through the small towns and cities that they liberated in France.
Math
Albert comes to Rockaway from Hungary via Austria, Switzerland, France and Canada. Ask students to calculate the approximate mileage over land and water of his trip. Have students call a travel agency and find out the flight time, including layovers, that Albert could expect if he were traveling today from Kennedy Airport in New York to Budapest, the capital of Hungary. How much would his flight cost?
Science
Lily feels close to her mother through the stars pasted on her bedroom ceiling. Each summer she brings one star with her to Rockaway. Why are the stars so important to her? Lily makes reference to the Big Dipper, Orion's Belt, and Cassiopeia. Ask students to research these constellations and draw a diagram of each. Some students may enjoy extending their research by locating other constellations that Lily might find in the summer skies at Rockaway.
Drama
Gram and Lily listen to "Portia Faces Life" on the radio. Divide the class into groups and ask each group to write a radio script for an episode of a show entitled "Lily Faces Life." Encourage each group to perform their script for the entire class.
Art
Mrs. Sherman has two war posters hanging in her shop. One says, "Loose Lips Sink Ships," and the other says, "Someone Talked." Ask each student to design a poster using one of these slogans.
Prepared by Pat Scales, Library Media Specialist, Greenville Middle School, Greenville, South Carolina.
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.
Gram and Lily listen to "Portia Faces Life" on the radio. Divide the class into groups and ask each group to write a radio script for an episode of a show entitled "Lily Faces Life." Encourage each group to perform their script for the entire class.
Art
Mrs. Sherman has two war posters hanging in her shop. One says, "Loose Lips Sink Ships," and the other says, "Someone Talked." Ask each student to design a poster using one of these slogans.
Prepared by Pat Scales, Library Media Specialist, Greenville Middle School, Greenville, South Carolina.
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.
Other sites for lessons and resources
http://warehouse.tecknoquest.com/samples/ENTr/lgls0508s.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment