Print at 100% scale on letter paper, with no added margins.
Lily's Crossing
Trailblazers · 4th–6th
In church Lily prays for Eddie, but she keeps thinking about how thirsty she is and about getting caught. Does that make her prayers any less real?
The tension At the special Mass Lily tries to imagine being Eddie, hurt or taken prisoner, and prays for everyone she can think of; yet her mind keeps sliding to orange soda and to Eddie’s picture left on the table, and before the hymn is over she slips out to race home and hide the proof that she has been in the Dillons’ house.
Notice how differently the two letters look and sound, and what the stars on the church banner make Lily picture.
The morning after Lily and Albert saw the troop ship, two letters come, one from Poppy and one from Margaret. Lily has waited on the corner for more than an hour, and she gets them from the mailman before he even reaches Cross Bay Boulevard. She is tired: after tiptoeing back in at two or three in the morning, she lay awake thinking about the troop ship, Poppy, and the lie she told Albert. She takes the letters to the Dillons’ empty house, past Paprika asleep on Eddie’s pillow, up to the attic, and looks out at the empty beach. She wants the moment to last. Margaret’s letter is filthy and blotted, as if drops had spattered it; Poppy’s is neat, addressed to “Miss Elizabeth Mary Mollahan.” She opens Poppy’s first, closes her eyes at “My dearest daughter,” and reads so fast the words run together. He never mentions that she did not say goodbye. He has a picture of her in his head, frowning at a skate fish before she sets him free, and by now he is on his way across the ocean, “the faster there, the faster home.” She thinks her heart will stop: he may be part of a convoy, maybe even on the troop ship she saw. At the bottom he writes, “Hug Gram too. She loves you, Lily, more than you know,” and Lily is glad she has Margaret’s letter to think about next. He also asks her to finish Madeline, A Tale of Two Cities, and especially The Three Musketeers, which Lily finds strange. Margaret’s letter has no greeting. It asks Lily to send Eddie’s picture: Margaret can’t remember what he looks like, and he is missing in action on a beach, on D-Day. “He never even got any of the candy.” Dizzy, Lily takes the picture from the Dillons’ living room and runs home to tell Gram, but Gram already knows from Mrs. Colgan, after a phone call from Willow Run to Mrs. Tannenbaum’s candy store. They are going to a special Mass. Lily leaves the picture on the table next to the couch. In the hot church, under Father Murphy’s banner of blue stars, with one gold star for a sailor killed at Pearl Harbor and soon a silver star for Eddie, she tries to imagine being Eddie, taken prisoner or alone and hurt. She prays for Eddie, Poppy, and Albert’s sister and grandmother; she thinks of orange soda and a peach; after Gram frowns, she prays for everyone she can think of. She hopes they will find Eddie, or that some other Eddie is lost. Then she remembers the picture. If Gram finds it, she will know Lily has been in the Dillons’ empty house, and Lily has no money to mail it anyway. Her heart pounds. As the hymn ends, she whispers “See you” to Gram, ducks ahead of Mrs. Colgan, and races for home.
Before reading, ask the student about a time they waited a long while for a letter or a message. Then read aloud from the start to the line where Lily sees that Margaret’s ink is blotted and watery. Ask which of the two letters the student would open first, and why. Read on to the end, and have the student listen for every place Lily’s thoughts go once she is in church.
Retell The student tells the chapter back in four parts: the waiting, from the corner to the attic window; Poppy’s letter, from “My dearest daughter” to the list of books; Margaret’s letter and the run home with Eddie’s picture; and the Mass, from the banner to Lily slipping out as the hymn ends. Look for the order, for what each letter asks of Lily, and for the moment in church when she remembers the picture.
Imitate the author After copying, the student writes two or three sentences of their own about waiting for something good. Ask for one sentence with “like” that stretches a moment out, the way Giff writes “It would be like sucking on a red LifeSaver until it melted into a thin little circle.” Then ask for one sentence that begins with “But this time” and ends with an “as if” guess, the way Giff writes about Margaret’s blotted ink. Look for a comparison the reader can see or taste, and a guess that leaves something unsaid.
Debate Take sides on the last written question. First list from the chapter what pulls at Lily during Mass: Eddie (the silver star to come, and trying to imagine him hurt), Poppy, the heat and the orange soda, Gram’s frown, and the picture on the table. Have the student rank them by how much each matters to Lily and say how they can tell. Then the student argues one side of whether her prayers are any less real, and you argue the other. Keep the talk off whether Eddie is alive or captured; the chapter says only that he is missing.
Purpose Close with the last lines. Everyone stands and sings “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name,” and Lily edges out of the pew almost before they finish, whispers “See you,” ducks ahead of Mrs. Colgan, takes another quick dip of holy water, and races for home. Ask why Giff ends the chapter on Lily running, before the Mass for Eddie is quite over, and why she keeps that second dip of holy water in. Leave open whether Lily reaches the picture first; the chapter does not say.
Easier Read aloud together from the line where Lily kneels and waits for Father Murphy to begin, to the end of the chapter. Retell, in order, each thing Lily thinks about during Mass. Talk through the fourth discussion question, then answer the last written question aloud.
On level Talk through all four discussion questions in order, then have the student write answers to the two written questions in complete sentences, each with a reason and a line from the chapter. For the last one, have the student find the moment Lily tries to imagine being Eddie and set it beside the orange soda.
Harder In the pew, Lily thinks maybe Eddie just got mixed up and has to find his way back, “or maybe they had made a mistake and some other Eddie was lost.” Ask the student to write a paragraph on whether that is a kind hope or an unkind one, using only this chapter, and on what it adds to their answer about her prayers. Claim nothing about whether Eddie is found.
1. Lily wants to make her two letters last. Then she reads Poppy’s as fast as she can. What makes her hurry?Character
What it asks It asks about how Lily reads Poppy’s letter. She has waited on the corner for more than an hour, and up in the Dillons’ attic she wants to stretch out the moment, “like sucking on a red LifeSaver.” She opens Poppy’s letter first. At “My dearest daughter” she closes her eyes and holds the paper he held a few days ago. Then she reads the rest “so fast the words ran together.” What she notices is missing comes right after: he never mentions that she hadn’t said goodbye, and never says whether he minded. The student decides what makes her hurry. It feeds the last written question: Lily wants one thing from this moment and does another, and in church the student will meet her mind pulling two ways again. If a student says only that she misses him, ask why missing him would make her go faster, not slower. The card claims nothing about the goodbye beyond what this chapter says.
She is hungry for him. The letter is the closest thing to Poppy she has. She closes her eyes and holds the paper he held. She can’t wait to have all of it at once.
“Lily,” it began. “My dearest daughter.”
She closed her eyes, and held the letter her father had held in his own hands just a few days ago.
She is looking for one thing, and she is afraid of it. She did not say goodbye to Poppy. She rushes to find out whether he minded, and the letter never says.
He never mentioned that she hadn’t said goodbye.
He never said that he minded, or didn’t mind, only about the war being over, and everything the same again.
A strong answer A strong response might say Lily rushes because she is hungry for her father: she closes her eyes and holds “the letter her father had held in his own hands,” and then she can’t wait for the rest. Another might say she is looking for one thing she is afraid to find: “He never mentioned that she hadn’t said goodbye.” A thoughtful student may set the rush beside the LifeSaver she meant to make last, and notice that she gets neither the slow moment nor an answer about the goodbye. Look for a reason tied to what Lily does with the letter.
2. Margaret’s letter ends, “He never even got any of the candy.” Is that a strange way to end it, or just right?Tone
What it asks It asks about the last line of Margaret’s letter. The letter has no opening, “the way Sister Eileen had taught Lily in school.” It asks for Eddie’s picture, says she can’t “member” what he looks like, and calls it strange that he is missing “on a beach.” It says the telegram came only this morning. Then it ends on candy. The student decides whether that ending is strange or just right. It feeds the last written question: here a small thing carries the biggest news of the day, and in church small things crowd in on Lily too. If a student says only that Margaret is sad, ask why her sadness would come out as candy. The card claims nothing about what the candy was or who sent it, since this chapter does not say, and nothing about whether Eddie is alive.
Strange. The news is huge, and the candy is tiny. The whole letter is mixed up: no greeting, a missing word, a beach she calls strange. Ending on candy shows how shaken Margaret is.
No opening, the way Sister Eileen had taught Lily in school.
isn’t it strange, on a beach
Just right. A loss that big is too big to say. The rest of the letter is about small things Margaret can still do: send a picture, pay the money back. Candy he never got is one more small, real thing. It says what she can’t say straight out.
Tell her I’ll pay her back when the war is over.
He never even got any of the candy.
A strong answer A strong response might call it strange: the whole letter is mixed up, with no opening and “isn’t it strange, on a beach,” and a tiny thing after huge news shows how shaken Margaret is. Another might call it just right: the letter keeps to small things she can do, like paying Gram back “when the war is over,” and “He never even got any of the candy” is one more small, sad thing she can say when the big one is too hard. A thoughtful student may say it is both, and that the strangeness is what makes it ring true. Look for the candy line weighed against the rest of the letter.
3. Poppy writes that Gram loves Lily “more than you know.” Where in this chapter does Gram come closest to showing it?Character
What it asks It asks the student to test Poppy’s words against the chapter. At the bottom of his letter Poppy writes, “Hug Gram too. She loves you, Lily, more than you know.” Lily wipes her eyes and thinks it a good thing she has Margaret’s letter next, “and not having to give Gram a hug.” Then the student looks at Gram herself. At home she already knows about Eddie. She puts her hand to her mouth, blinks back tears, and says they will pray “for Eddie, and your father,” before she breaks off. She tells Lily to change and get her hat, and brings her to the special Mass. In church she pokes Lily and frowns at her, and Lily thinks Gram “always saw everything she didn’t want her to.” The student picks the moment where Gram comes closest to showing love and says why. It feeds the last written question: the person Lily is most afraid of in church is the same Gram Poppy asks her to hug. If a student says only that Gram is strict, ask what the poke and the frown are for. The card does not say why Lily is glad not to hug Gram; the chapter shows her relief, not her reason.
At home, when she tells Lily the news. Gram is close to tears, and the first people she names to pray for are Eddie and Lily’s own father. She is carrying Lily’s worry along with her own.
She blinked back tears.
we’re going to pray for Eddie, and your father
In church, when she keeps watch over Lily. The poke and the frown look like scolding, but Gram is keeping Lily close and paying attention to her. Lily feels watched; Poppy might call it love.
until Gram gave her a poke
Gram always saw everything she didn’t want her to.
A strong answer A strong response might pick the kitchen: Gram “blinked back tears” and wants to pray “for Eddie, and your father,” so she is carrying Lily’s worry too. Another might pick the church: Gram’s poke and frown keep Lily close, and the grandmother who “always saw everything” is also the one paying the most attention to her. A thoughtful student may say Gram never quite shows it to Lily, and that this is why Poppy has to write “more than you know.” Look for a moment Gram makes happen in this chapter, not only what Poppy says.
4. On the banner, Eddie will soon be one silver star. Lily tries “to imagine what it must feel like to be Eddie.” What does imagining give her that a star can’t?Character
What it asks It asks about the banner and what Lily does with it. In the hot church the fan just moves the fringe on Father Murphy’s banner. It has rows of blue stars, one for each man from the parish in the service, and one gold star for a sailor killed at Pearl Harbor. In a day or two there will be “a silver star for Eddie Dillon,” who is missing, “and no one knew if they’d ever find him.” Right after, Lily tries “to imagine what it must feel like to be Eddie,” taken prisoner by the Germans maybe, or alone somewhere and hurt. The student decides what imagining him gives Lily that a star on a cloth cannot. It feeds the last written question: here Lily’s thoughts go to Eddie himself, and the last question weighs that against the thirst and the picture on the table. If a student says only that she is sad, ask how a star and a boy alone on a beach are different to picture. The card claims nothing about what the stars stand for beyond what the chapter says, and nothing about whether Eddie is alive, captured or dead.
A way to stay close to him. On the banner Eddie will be one star in rows of stars that all look alike. Lily knows him. That morning she held his picture and heard his joke in her head. Imagining him keeps him a real boy, not a star.
On its white background were rows of blue stars, one for each of the men from the parish who were in the service.
Nice catch, Lily, Eddie would say.
The fear that a star leaves out. A star is neat and still. Imagining Eddie as a prisoner, or alone and hurt, makes the news hit her. It is a lonely, scary thing to picture, and no one can tell her it is wrong.
who was missing, lost somewhere on a beach in France, and no one knew if they’d ever find him
to have been taken prisoner by the Germans, maybe, or just somewhere by himself, hurt
A strong answer A strong response might say imagining gives Lily Eddie himself: on the banner he will be one star among “rows of blue stars,” but Lily knows him, the boy whose joke came to her that morning, “Nice catch, Lily.” Another might say it gives her the fear a star leaves out: a star is neat and still, while Eddie “taken prisoner by the Germans, maybe, or just somewhere by himself, hurt” is lonely and frightening to picture. A thoughtful student may say it gives her both, and that a star is easier to look at for just that reason. Look for the star and the imagined Eddie set side by side.
1. Lily slips out of Mass almost before the hymn is over, to get home ahead of Gram. How good a plan is that?
What it asks It asks the student to judge Lily’s plan. In church she remembers the picture on the table next to the couch. She wonders whether Gram saw her put it down; “Gram always saw everything she didn’t want her to.” If Lily gets to the living room first, she can grab the picture, “and then . . .” And then what? She has no money to mail it since the tan purse sank. As people stand and sing, she edges out of the pew almost before the hymn ends, whispers “See you,” and ducks ahead of Mrs. Colgan before Gram can answer. The student judges how good a plan this is, gives reasons, and answers the other side. It goes a step toward the last written question without asking it: Lily acts on her worry before the Mass for Eddie is quite over, and the last question asks what that does to her prayers. The card claims nothing about what happens when Gram gets home.
A good plan. Lily is not sure Gram saw her put the picture down. Lily ducks ahead of the people in the aisle and gets a head start. If she reaches the living room first, Gram may never know.
She wondered if Gram had seen her put it down.
But if she hadn’t, if Lily could get to the living room first, she could grab up the picture
A weak plan. Running off before Gram can answer is just the kind of thing Gram notices. And even if it works, Lily still has no money to send the picture. The plan only gets her as far as the table.
Gram always saw everything she didn’t want her to.
She didn’t have a cent since the tan purse had sunk in the water.
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue it is a good plan: Lily is not sure Gram saw her, and “if Lily could get to the living room first,” she could grab the picture before anyone asks. Another might argue it is a weak plan: rushing off with “See you” before Gram can answer is just what a grandmother who “always saw everything” would notice, and Lily still “didn’t have a cent” to mail it. A thoughtful student may notice that Lily’s own plan trails off at “and then . . .” and that she asks herself, “And then what?” Look for the plan weighed from both sides, not only described.
2. In church Lily prays for Eddie, but she keeps thinking about how thirsty she is and about getting caught. Does that make her prayers any less real?
What it asks It asks the whole question of the chapter. At the special Mass Lily kneels under Father Murphy’s banner, where a silver star for Eddie will soon go. She tries to imagine what it must feel like to be Eddie, taken prisoner maybe, or alone somewhere and hurt. She prays for Eddie, then for Poppy, then for Albert’s sister and grandmother. Then she leans back against the pew, thirsty, dying for orange soda or a peach with juice dripping. Gram frowns at her, and she prays again, for everyone she can think of, even Sister Eileen. She hopes they will find Eddie, or that some other Eddie is lost. Then she remembers the picture on the table, her heart pounds, and almost before the hymn is finished she slips out and races home. The student judges whether her wandering thoughts make her prayers any less real, gives reasons, and answers the other side. If a student says only that she cares, ask why her mind keeps leaving the prayers; if a student says the prayers are not real, ask what to make of her trying to imagine being Eddie. The card does not call Lily selfish or her prayers false, and claims nothing about whether Eddie is alive, captured or dead.
No less real. Lily does more than say words. She tries to feel what Eddie feels, and she prays for one person after another. Being hot and thirsty does not cancel that. A mind can hold a big sorrow and a small want at the same time.
Lily tried to imagine what it must feel like to be Eddie, to have been taken prisoner by the Germans, maybe, or just somewhere by himself, hurt.
She prayed for Albert’s sister too, and his grandmother.
Less real, at least for a while. Lily starts praying again only when Gram frowns at her. By the end, her biggest worry is getting caught, and she leaves almost before the hymn is over. Her prayers keep giving way to her own wants and fears.
Gram was looking at her, frowning, so she started to pray again.
Lily edged herself out of the pew almost before they finished singing.
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue the prayers are just as real: Lily tries “to imagine what it must feel like to be Eddie,” prays for him, for Poppy, and for Albert’s sister and grandmother, and a thirsty girl in a hot church can still mean every word. Another might argue they are less real for a while: she starts again only when Gram is “looking at her, frowning,” and by the end the picture matters enough that she leaves “almost before they finished singing.” A thoughtful student may notice that Lily never stops to judge her own prayers; she keeps coming back to them, and may ask whether coming back counts. Look for the imagining and the wandering both weighed, and for no claim about what became of Eddie.