 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Lily's Crossing
- By Patricia Reilly Giff
- Genre: Friendship
Common Sense Media says
Lets readers walk in the shoes of a tweenage girl.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this book, written so well it appears effortless, lets readers inhabit the world of a 10-year-old girl dealing with loneliness, a new friendship, and the impacts of war during her summer vacation.
What's the story?
In the last summer of World War II, ten-year-old Lily meets a young Hungarian refugee who's come to the Long Island beach community to be safe from the war. With delicate but authoritative writing, the author brings these two distinctive youngsters together and makes them allies against loneliness.
Is it any good?
With meticulously chosen details, Giff lets us into Lily's life -- past and present -- and makes us care about what the future holds for her. It's clear that the author, who spent her own childhood summers in Rockaway, knows her landscape; she leads readers to inhabit Lily's world: beach sand and tarry streets, hot breezes and houses on stilts at the water's edge. They feel the impact of war: rationing, radio news, censored mail, and reports of a neighbor missing in action. They feel Lily's loneliness and know why she stretches the truth.
Giff slowly and persistently connects her readers to the heroine, and, as with friendships in real life, makes the friendship that is at the core of this novel heartfelt. Young readers will recognize this honesty at once and will take to this book with devotion.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how Lily deals with her situation.
How does she handle her frustrations?
How does her new friendship change her outlook on things?
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AGE
I had fun
I loved this book so much that I cried humorously
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AGE
This was a great book. I was required to read it for school. I liked the story and the message. Another similar book that i would definitly reccomend to people is Number The Stars by Lois Lowry.
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AGE
bad bad bad
it is bad it also has sex in it and it made me lead into sex with boys
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AGE
I am not sold on this book
I read this book because my daughter was required to read it for school. Despite the editors claim that Lily's lying would be understood by the reader - that never really happened. The fact that the author was determined to "show us" how her lying was OK - acceptable even - really bothered me. I don't know why this book won a Caldecott Award accept for it's war time setting. The writer is talented but I question the moral message here.
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AGE
Great descriptive writing but not for kids. Young readers likely to walk away from book thinking that lieing and sneaky behavior are acceptable. Uses a four letter word in the first chapter. If writing for children, the author must have forgotten who the audience is. As a parent, I do not recommend this book.
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AGE
this was awseome
it kind of confused me couse i was also reading willows run but over all it was awesome i would also recemengd pictures of hollis woods i also that that book was wonderful
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AGE
OK
Lily's Crossing is good in terms of story, but it doesn't make clear exactly what and when everything happened.
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AGE
don"t overlook classics!
first off "it swears in first chapter" give it up good reading is always close to reality. welcome to real life!
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| Author: | Patricia Reilly Giff |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Friendship |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1997 |
| Number of pages: | 180 |
| Paperback price: | $5.50 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 9 - 12 |
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