Print at 100% scale on letter paper, with no added margins.
Lily's Crossing
Trailblazers · 4th–6th
Lily knows her story about the ships is why Albert begs to learn in the ocean, but she keeps it to herself. Is her silence kind to him, or unkind?
The tension Inside, Lily knows “it was never going to happen the way he wanted, and it was all her fault . . . all because of her wild stories”; out loud she says, “If you want to learn, it’ll be faster in the bay. And that’s my final offer.”
Look closely at each thing hidden in the coat and who it belongs to, and at the gap between what Lily thinks and what she says.
Lily and Albert sit on the kitchen floor of Margaret’s house with Albert’s navy wool coat between them. Lily works Gram’s manicure scissors into the collar seam while Paprika plays with her sneaker lace. Albert teases her about her piano: Hungarians play “The Blue Danube” too, but never like that. Her playing sounds “Like terrible. Like Ruth plays.” Ruth likes duets, loud. Then he talks about Nagymamma’s restaurant, Kalocsa’s, where he played the violin on Sundays, and the food people ate there. Last he tells of the plain, cold pancakes Nagymamma put in his coat pocket when he left. Lily knows he is ready to cry and can’t think what to say. She opens the seam and, without looking, pushes the coat to him. Out come forints, an English pound and a worn, creased fifty-dollar bill. “Nagymamma did not know where we were going. She had to guess about the money.” Lily starts to ask where his grandmother is. Albert holds the cat to his cheek: “She might be in prison. I do not know.” Lily thinks of her own mother, who died at home in St. Albans, and pats the money “the way she patted her stars.” Next comes a tiny picture: Albert, an old woman in round glasses, and a laughing girl with soft curls. “Ruth,” Lily says. Albert pockets the picture and most of the money and offers Lily the fifty dollars for Eddie’s picture. She says no: the post office would ask where they got it and tell her grandmother. They grin over the Hungarian money nobody here has seen. Then the church bells ring four, and the post office is closed. Lily offers to teach Albert to swim in the bay. He wants the ocean. She calls that ridiculous; he says he does not know the word. He grips her arm: Ruth is waiting, and summer will end. Lily knows “it was never going to happen the way he wanted,” and that it is all her fault, because of “her wild stories.” Out loud she says the bay is her “final offer.” She puts Eddie’s picture back on the living-room end table, thinks of the newspaper pictures of Normandy, and whispers to him, “Be just a little lost.” Albert says, “Ruth talks to herself all the time.” Paprika darts out the door, and they catch her on the path. Albert says he could take her to Canada, and Lily says, “Good.” But he is not going back to Canada, he tells her; he is going to Europe. “And I’m going to the bay,” Lily says. He says he will come too. Lily doesn’t answer. She marches out the door.
Before reading, ask the student what they would want to carry if they had to leave home fast and could take only what fit in a coat. Then read aloud to Albert’s words “I do not know.” Ask what was sewn into the collar and who each thing makes Albert think of. Read on to the end, and have the student mark each place where Lily thinks something she does not say.
Retell The student tells the chapter back in four parts: the coat, from the scissors to the cold pancakes; the collar, from the money to the photograph of Ruth; the bells, from the fifty dollars to the quarrel over bay or ocean; and the living room, from Eddie’s picture to Lily marching out the door. Look for the order, for each thing that comes out of the coat, and for what Lily thinks but does not say.
Imitate the author After copying, the student writes two passages of their own. First, three sentences about doing a careful job with their hands while someone watches. Each sentence adds a picture after a comma, and the last one ends on a single -ing word, the way Giff ends on “grinning.” Second, one sentence that starts with something seen, adds “and” twice to go deeper into a thought, and puts three spaced dots before the last part. Look for commas in the right places, and for dots that make a real pause.
Debate Take sides on the last written question. First list from the chapter what Albert has just lost or held: the cold pancakes, Nagymamma’s guessed money, “I do not know,” the photograph of Ruth. Then list what Lily knows and what she says: “all her fault,” “that rough water,” “my final offer,” “And I’m going to the bay.” Have the student say which list makes the silence look kind and which makes it look unkind. Then the student argues one side, and you argue the other. Keep the talk inside this chapter; do not reach ahead to whether Lily tells him.
Purpose Close with the last lines. Albert says, “I am going to Europe.” Lily says, “And I’m going to the bay,” and when he says he will come too, she doesn’t answer. Ask why Giff ends the chapter on a girl marching out the door, taking a deep breath, and what that breath might be for. Leave it open; the chapter does not say.
Easier Read aloud together from the church bells ringing four to the end of the chapter. Retell what Albert wants and what Lily offers instead. Talk through the fifth and sixth discussion questions, then answer the last written question aloud.
On level Talk through all six 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 set what Lily knows beside what she says out loud.
Harder Have the student list each thing that comes out of the coat and who it stands for, then list each time in the chapter that Lily says something small instead of something large. Have them write a paragraph on whether the two lists are connected, and whether that changes their answer to the last written question. Claim nothing about what Lily does in later chapters.
1. Albert says Lily’s playing sounds “Like terrible. Like Ruth plays.” What makes Lily swallow?Inference
What it asks It asks about the first quiet moment in a teasing talk. Lily is cutting the collar while Albert leans over her shoulder, grinning. He says Hungarians play “The Blue Danube” too, but “It never sounded like that.” When Lily asks, “Like what?”, he looks down at the coat: “Like terrible. Like Ruth plays.” He smiles and adds, “Ruth likes to play duets. Loud.” Lily swallows, says she doesn’t want to play the piano anyway, and thinks, “She’d probably like Ruth,” without saying it. The student decides what makes her swallow. It opens the hinge: Ruth is the person Albert wants to reach, and this is the first thing Lily thinks and keeps to herself. If a student says only that Albert was mean, ask what he does right after he says it. The card claims nothing about how Albert came to be parted from Ruth, or what has happened to her.
It stings. Albert has just called her playing terrible. Lily swallows the hurt and acts as if she doesn’t care about the piano at all.
Like terrible. Like Ruth plays.
I don’t want to play the piano anyway.
It moves her. Albert is smiling, and he has put her beside his own sister. Lily feels close to a girl she has never met, and she does not say so.
Ruth likes to play duets. Loud.
She’d probably like Ruth.
A strong answer A strong response might say it stings: Albert calls her playing “terrible,” and Lily covers the hurt by saying she doesn’t want to play “anyway.” Another might say it moves her: Albert smiles and talks about Ruth’s loud duets, and Lily thinks, “She’d probably like Ruth,” as if he has let her into his family for a moment. A thoughtful student may notice that Albert “looked down at the coat” when he said Ruth’s name, the coat that will soon give up Ruth’s picture, and that Lily keeps her thought about Ruth to herself. Look for a reason tied to what Albert says and what Lily does next.
2. Of all the food at Nagymamma’s restaurant, why does Albert end with plain, cold pancakes?Inference
What it asks It asks about the list Albert gives while Lily snips at the collar. He names Kalocsa’s, his grandmother’s restaurant, where he played the violin on Sunday: goulash, rolls with sweet butter, and three desserts, the last of them palacsintas. Lily asks, “What . . .”, and he explains: pancakes “filled with jam, or chocolate.” Then he comes to the ones Nagymamma gave him: “Nagymamma gave me plain ones, cold ones, folded over. She put them in my coat pocket when I left.” The student decides why the plainest food is the one he ends on, and whether he meant to get there. It opens the hinge: each thing in this coat stands for someone Albert left, and the pancakes once rode in it. If a student says only that he likes pancakes, ask where Nagymamma put them, and when. The card claims nothing about how Albert came to leave, or what has happened to Nagymamma since.
He was heading there all along. Albert “took a breath” before the list and talks slowly. The restaurant food was for everyone who came in. The plain pancakes were for him alone, the last thing his grandmother gave him, so he saves them for last.
He took a breath.
Nagymamma gave me plain ones, cold ones, folded over.
Lily’s question took him there. Albert was only naming desserts. When Lily asks what palacsintas are, explaining them brings him to the plain ones in his pocket. He may not have meant to say it at all.
What . . .
Palacsintas are pancakes. They’re filled with jam, or chocolate.
A strong answer A strong response might say he was heading there all along: he “took a breath” before the list, and the plain pancakes, “folded over,” were for Albert alone, put in his pocket “when I left.” Another might say Lily’s question took him there: she asks “What . . .”, and once he explains palacsintas, the plain ones come out. A thoughtful student may notice that the two of them are cutting open the very coat those pancakes rode in, and that right after it Lily knows “he was ready to cry.” Look for a reason tied to the order of what he says, with no claim about how Albert left.
3. Lily can tell Albert is ready to cry. Why does she push the coat to him without looking?Character
What it asks It asks about one small thing Lily does. Albert has just told her about the cold pancakes. “Lily knew he was ready to cry, but she couldn’t think what to say.” She keeps snipping until the seam is open wide. Then, “Without looking,” she pushes the coat toward him, and watches his fingers go into the seam. The student decides why she keeps her eyes off his face. It is one of the chapter’s small silences, set beside the large one the last written question weighs. If a student says she is busy cutting, point out that she has stopped cutting by then. The card claims nothing about what Lily will say to Albert later.
For Albert. Nobody wants to be stared at when they might cry. By not looking, Lily lets him have his face to himself, and gives him the coat to open with his own hands.
Without looking, she pushed the coat toward him and watched as he edged his thumb and index finger gently into the seam.
For herself. Lily can’t think of a thing to say. If she looked at him crying, she would have to say something. Not looking is easier.
Lily knew he was ready to cry, but she couldn’t think what to say.
She just kept snipping at the collar until there was a wide opening in the seam.
A strong answer A strong response might say it is for Albert: someone near tears does not want to be watched, and Lily hands him the coat so he can open it himself. Another might say it is for Lily: she “couldn’t think what to say,” and looking at his face would ask her to say something. A thoughtful student may notice that she does watch, just not his face: she watches “as he edged his thumb and index finger gently into the seam.” Look for a reason that fits what Lily knows at that moment.
4. Lily remembers that her mother died “not in prison, but at home.” What does that difference mean to her?Theme
What it asks It asks about one sentence after Albert’s hardest words. Lily begins, “Where is . . . ,” and Albert lifts the cat to his face: “Nagymamma might be in her house. She might be in prison. I do not know.” Lily thinks of her own mother, who died “of something wrong with her heart, and not in prison, but at home in St. Albans.” Then she touches the money and can almost see the grandmother who touched it last. The student decides what the difference between her mother’s death and Albert’s not knowing means to Lily. It feeds the hinge: not knowing leaves Albert room to hope, and that hope is what Lily later keeps her silence around. If a student says only that Lily is sad, ask why she thinks of where her mother died, not only that she died. The card claims nothing about what has happened to Nagymamma or Ruth.
It brings her closer to Albert. Lily knows what it is to lose someone. Thinking of her mother lets her feel his loss, and right after, she can almost see his grandmother.
Lily thought of her own mother, who had died
It was as if she could almost see Albert’s grandmother, who had touched it last.
It shows her how far apart they are. Her mother’s death was terrible, but Lily knows how and where it happened. Albert does not even know where Nagymamma is. His loss has no end he can see.
not in prison, but at home in St. Albans
She might be in prison. I do not know.
A strong answer A strong response might say it brings Lily closer: she knows loss, so she can feel Albert’s, and a moment later she can “almost see Albert’s grandmother” in the money. Another might say it shows her how far apart they are: her mother died “at home in St. Albans,” a place she knows, while Albert has only “I do not know.” A thoughtful student may notice that not knowing cuts both ways: it is harder to carry, but it leaves Albert room to hope, and Lily is the one who knows more than she says. Look for Albert’s words and Lily’s memory both used, with no claim about where Nagymamma is.
5. Lily is sure Albert knows what “ridiculous” means. So why does he say he doesn’t?Character
What it asks It asks about Albert’s side of the quarrel. Lily says they’ll go to the bay. Albert says, “Not the bay,” and then, “the ocean.” Lily says, “Don’t be ridiculous.” He answers, “I do not know what that means, ‘ridiculous.’” She narrows her eyes: “He knew very well what it meant.” Later he does it again. After her “final offer,” he says, “I do not know what that means,” and she answers, “You don’t have to.” The student decides what Albert gains by not knowing. It shows how much the ocean matters to him, the part of the hinge Lily is up against. If a student says he really does not know the word, read the narrowed-eyes line again. The card claims nothing about whether Albert could reach Ruth by sea.
A joke. Albert has been grinning and teasing all afternoon. Saying he doesn’t know the word turns Lily’s bossy word back on her.
Hungarians play ‘The Blue Danube’ too,
“No.” He grinned back.
He won’t take no. If he doesn’t understand “ridiculous” or “final offer,” her no doesn’t count. He keeps asking for the ocean.
Not the bay,
I do not know what that means,
A strong answer A strong response might say it is a joke: Albert has been teasing since the start, and pretending not to know “ridiculous” hands her own word back. Another might say he will not take no for an answer: if he does not understand “ridiculous” or “final offer,” her no does not count, and he does it twice. A thoughtful student may notice that earlier, Albert really did say “I do not know” about Nagymamma, and that this “I do not know” sounds very different. Look for a reason tied to what he says and what Lily thinks.
6. When Albert says he could take Paprika to Canada, Lily says, “Good.” What is she glad about?Inference
What it asks It asks about one word near the end. Paprika darts out the door, and Lily and Albert catch her halfway down the path. Lily scoops her up: “She’s growing.” Albert says, “I could bring her back to Canada, I think.” Lily says, “Good.” Then Albert answers, “But I am not going back to Canada,” and, “Remember? I am going to Europe.” Earlier, holding her arm, he had said himself that summer would end and he would “have to go back to Canada.” The student decides what Lily is glad about. It leads toward the last written question: Lily wants something for Albert that she does not say out loud. If a student says she is glad only about the cat, ask what Albert would not be doing if he went back to Canada. The card claims nothing about where Albert goes when summer ends, or whether he could reach Ruth by sea.
The cat. Albert loves Paprika; he held her to his cheek when he talked about Nagymamma. Lily is glad the cat could go with someone who loves her.
He held her up to his face, rubbing her soft fur on his cheek.
She’s growing,
Canada, not the ocean. If Albert is going back to Canada, he is not trying to swim to Europe. For a moment Lily hopes he has let go of the plan.
Do you know that summer will be over and I will have to go back to Canada
But I am not going back to Canada,
A strong answer A strong response might say Lily is glad about the cat: Albert held Paprika to his cheek when he spoke of Nagymamma, and the cat would go with someone who loves her. Another might say she is glad about Canada: if Albert is going back there, as he said himself when he begged her, he is not swimming to Europe. A thoughtful student may notice how fast Albert takes it back, “Remember? I am going to Europe,” and that Lily answers only, “And I’m going to the bay.” Look for a reason tied to what Albert says just before and just after “Good.”
1. Lily thinks of Eddie on a beach in Normandy and whispers to his picture, “Be just a little lost.” Why does she ask for only a little?
What it asks It asks about one whisper. Lily marches into the living room and thinks of Eddie on a beach in Normandy. She has seen newspaper pictures: “Nazi pillboxes set into the rocks, firing; soldiers in the sand, some of them dead, everything confused.” She puts Eddie’s picture on the table, runs her fingers over his face, and whispers, “Be just a little lost.” Then she asks, “What do you think, Eddie?” The student decides why she asks for only “a little.” It goes one step toward the hinge: like her quarrel about the bay, the whisper keeps a big fear small and unsaid. If a student calls it only sweet, ask what she was picturing a moment before. The card claims nothing about what has happened to Eddie; the chapter gives no news of him.
She is bargaining with the danger. She has just pictured soldiers in the sand, some of them dead. She asks for the smallest bad thing she can: not dead, only lost, and only a little. Someone a little lost can still be found.
soldiers in the sand, some of them dead, everything confused
Be just a little lost,
She is turning away from the danger. Right after the whisper, she thinks of Eddie smiling outside the movie and on the way to church. She talks to him as if he were home. Asking for only a little keeps the fear small enough not to look at.
she could remember him smiling the same way when she had met him coming out of the movie
What do you think, Eddie?
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue she is bargaining: she has just pictured soldiers “some of them dead,” and she asks for the least bad thing, lost, and only “a little,” so Eddie can still be found. Another might argue she is turning away: as soon as she whispers, she remembers him smiling “coming out of the movie” and asks lightly, “What do you think, Eddie?”, as if he were home. A thoughtful student may notice that she does this right after her “final offer” to Albert, another time she says something small instead of something large, and that Albert hears her and thinks of Ruth. Look for the Normandy pictures and the whisper both used, with no claim about Eddie.
2. Lily knows her story about the ships is why Albert begs to learn in the ocean, but she keeps it to herself. Is her silence kind to him, or unkind?
What it asks It asks the whole question of the chapter. After the bells, Lily offers to teach Albert to swim in the bay. “Not the bay,” he says, “the ocean.” He grabs her arm: Ruth is waiting, and summer will end. Lily answers that she has to go back to St. Albans and the sixth grade. Then the chapter tells what she knows: “it was never going to happen the way he wanted, and it was all her fault . . . all because of her wild stories.” Out loud she says, “If you want to learn, it’ll be faster in the bay. And that’s my final offer.” At the end, when Albert says he is going to Europe, she says she is going to the bay, and then “Lily didn’t answer.” The chapter names the ship stories only as “her wild stories”; Albert’s “I will learn to swim, and you will row” shows what he took from them. The student judges whether her silence is kind or unkind to Albert, gives reasons, and answers the other side. If a student says unkind because hiding things is wrong, ask what Albert has just held in his hands and said about his grandmother. If a student says kind, ask what Albert is planning his summer around. Settle it from this chapter, not from later ones. The card claims nothing about whether Lily will tell him, or whether Albert could reach Ruth by sea.
Kind, for now. Albert has just held his grandmother’s money and Ruth’s picture and said “I do not know.” His hope is what he has left. Lily keeps him in the safe bay without taking the hope away.
You can’t learn to swim in that rough water.
If you want to learn, it’ll be faster in the bay.
Unkind. Albert is building his whole summer on a plan Lily knows will not happen. Each day she says nothing, he hopes harder. Her “final offer” keeps her secret and ends the talk.
Do you know that Ruth is waiting for me?
it was never going to happen the way he wanted, and it was all her fault
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue the silence is kind: Albert has just held Nagymamma’s money and Ruth’s picture and said “I do not know,” and Lily keeps him out of “that rough water” without taking away the hope he has left. Another might argue it is unkind: he is holding her arm, saying “Ruth is waiting for me,” and she knows “it was never going to happen the way he wanted,” so each day of quiet lets him hope harder. A thoughtful student may notice that Lily could tell him right there and does not, and that her “final offer” is a fight about water standing in for the thing she does not say. Look for what Lily knows and what she says both weighed, with no claim about what comes later.