Why read Lily's Crossing?

Book cover of Lily's Crossing

Book description

This “brilliantly told” (New York Times) Newbery Honor Book gives readers a sense of what it was like to be on the American home front while our soldiers were away fighting in World War II.

As in past years, Lily will spend the summer in Rockaway, in her family’s…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Lily's Crossing as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Charlotte Herman

Author

This is one of my all-time favorite children’s WW2 books set on America’s home front. The year is 1944, and Lily is off to spend another magical summer in Rockaway. The beach and the boardwalk, the swimming and fishing, and her friend Margaret are waiting. But the summer soon begins to fall apart. Margaret and her family are leaving for a town in Michigan where her father has a job in a wartime factory. And her own father reveals that he is about to work as an engineer for the army somewhere in Europe.

Loneliness sets in until Lily meets…

From Charlotte's list on for children on WW2 at home and across the ocean.

Monica Sherwood

Author

This is a personal favorite from my own middle grade years; I credit it with fostering my love of historical fiction. Lily is a preteen living in Queens, New York during World War II. The War serves as a backdrop for Lily’s disillusionment and confusion over the world around her. Her struggle with grief over the death of her mother is compounded by a new anxiety as her father goes off to fight in the War. As a protagonist, Lily is far from perfect. She has a tendency to lie to her family, and struggles to be a good friend.…

From Monica's list on protagonists with grit.