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Lily's Crossing
Trailblazers · 4th–6th
Lily tells Albert she lies because she never said goodbye to her father. Is that the whole reason, or only part of it?
The tension At the library Mrs. Hailey stops Lily’s made-up excuse with “Don’t, Lily,” and Lily feels betrayed; in the boat Lily stops her own made-up excuse about the convoys, because “lying to Albert wasn’t like lying to anyone else,” and says, “I lied.”
Notice who sees through Lily today, and what Albert talks about while she tries to speak.
The sea is high today, yellow-green water reflecting a strange color in the sky. Lily and Albert have rowed a short way from the porch, still in the bay, to fish. The bait is sticky on Lily’s fingers, and she feels sick with the smell of it, and sick thinking about what Albert will say when she tells him. It has been a terrible day. This morning at the library Mrs. Hailey was not one bit friendly. She grumbled about the sand they brought in, “Leaving a trail behind you like Hansel and Gretel.” She asked about a book at home, overdue. Lily remembered leaving The Three Musketeers at the beach, and when she began to make something up, Mrs. Hailey sighed, “Don’t, Lily.” All Lily got was The Story of Roland, which she had already read. She had thought Mrs. Hailey was her friend. In the boat Albert goes on about meeting a ship to France: he will start at Paris, go to every hospital, and find her. “I will find her, do not worry.” The next line is one word: “Werry.” Lily asks who will take care of Paprika. Albert looks over the side, as if searching for a flounder, and says the Orbans will, won’t they? Lily begins, “I have to tell you,” but Albert is singing a song from her radio about accentuating the positive, to teach it to Paprika. On the ship last time the water tasted warm, so he plans juice, and fruit, which he will carry in his pocket. For a moment Lily forgets what she has to tell him: “You have pockets in your bathing suit?” He did not think of that. No matter; he will drink warm water and go without fruit. Lily says his name twice, and he looks across at her. “We can’t go.” There are tears in her eyes. She opens her mouth to say she has heard the convoys are moving out to sea farther south, but lying to Albert is not like lying to anyone else; he looks at her as if everything she says is important. “I lied,” she says. A quiver starts on his line, but he does not take his eyes off her. He asks if she still thinks he is a coward, because of the plane, or because it took him so long to swim. She says he is not a coward. He says he is not afraid of anything. Almost whispering, Lily tells him she lies: that her aunt is a spy, that her father is in the Secret Service, and that she will take a ship, when she knows the ships are too far out and the sea too strong and rough. He says he can still go; he is not afraid. She is crying. Is it because of her father? She nods, and because of him; he thought she would help him go back. She says she said it because she didn’t say goodbye to her father: she sneaked out of the house and never went back. Albert holds his hand over her wrist the way Poppy had. “Lily,” he says. “I lie too.” Not the way she does, she says, every minute. “Yes, because I am afraid.” For the first time he sees that his line is wiggling. He will pull the fish up and set it free, he says, and then he will tell her the truth, and she will know why he has to go on this ship back to Ruth.
Before reading, ask the student what makes some people easy to talk to and others hard. Then read aloud to “And she had thought Mrs. Hailey was her friend,” and ask what Lily expected a friend to do. Read on to the end, and have the student mark each place where Lily starts to say something and stops.
Retell The student tells the chapter back in four parts: the library this morning, from the sand to “Don’t, Lily”; Albert’s plans, from Paris to the pockets in his bathing suit; Lily’s truth, from “We can’t go” to her list of lies; and Albert’s answer, from “because of your father?” to the fish he means to set free. Look for the order, and for the library told as the start of Lily’s day, even though the chapter tells it after the boat.
Imitate the author After copying, the student writes one sentence of their own built like the convoys sentence: someone opens their mouth to say one thing, adds a second thing after a comma, and then turns with “but” to the reason they do not say it. Then the student writes a short sentence that uses spaced dots to show a guess forming in the middle of a thought, the way Giff writes “something . . . something small.” Look for the comma before “but,” and for dots set apart with spaces.
Debate Take sides on the last written question. First list from the chapter what makes the goodbye look like the whole reason: “I said it because I didn’t say goodbye to my father,” Lily’s nod when Albert asks about her father, the Secret Service lie, and “I sneaked out of the house.” Then list what makes it look like only part: the spy aunt, “every minute,” “And because of you,” and Albert’s own reason, “because I am afraid.” The student argues one side, and you argue the other; then switch. Keep to what the chapter shows: one confession, not a changed habit, and no word of what Albert fears.
Purpose Close with the last lines. Albert holds his hand over Lily’s wrist “the way Poppy had,” says he lies too, and then, “For the first time,” sees that his line is wiggling: he will pull the fish up and set it free, and then tell her the truth. The chapter stops there. Ask why Giff ends the chapter on the fish, and not on Albert’s truth. Leave it open; the chapter does not say what Albert’s lie is, and he still means “to go on this ship back to Ruth.”
Easier Read aloud together from Lily’s “We can’t go” to Albert’s “Yes, because I am afraid.” Retell what Lily tells Albert and what he says back. Talk through the third and fourth discussion questions, 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 set Lily’s own reason beside each lie on her list.
Harder Have the student find each place in the chapter where someone may be talking around something hard instead of saying it: Lily’s question about Paprika, Albert’s song and his plans, Lily’s almost-excuse about the convoys, and Albert’s “I am not afraid of anything.” Ask which of these they are sure of, and why. Then have them write a paragraph that sets Lily’s reason for lying beside Albert’s, “because I am afraid,” and say whether that comparison changes their answer to the last written question. Claim nothing about what Albert fears.
1. Lily takes a breath, and then she asks Albert who will take care of Paprika. What is she hoping he will say?Character
What it asks It asks about the first thing Lily says in the boat. She has felt “sick thinking about what Albert would say when she told him.” Albert is going on about the ship, Paris and every hospital. “Lily took a breath.” Then, instead of her news, she asks, “Who’s going to take care of Paprika?” Albert looks over the side “almost as if he were searching for a flounder,” and answers, “The Orbans, of course. They will do that for me. Don’t you think so?” Only then does Lily begin, “I have to tell you . . . ,” and Albert starts to sing. The student decides what Lily hopes the question will get her. It opens the hinge: before the chapter’s one truth, Lily tries a way around it. If a student says she only cares about the cat, ask what she took a breath to do. The card claims nothing about why Albert looks over the side.
That he will give up the plan himself. If Albert sees that he cannot leave Paprika, he might decide not to go, and Lily would never have to tell him. She dreads what he will say, so a way out that comes from him would spare her. But he answers at once, and that way out is gone.
sick thinking about what Albert would say when she told him.
The Orbans, of course.
Nothing much; she wants time. She took a breath to tell him and could not, so she asks something easier. As soon as he answers, she tries again, which shows the cat was never the real subject.
Lily took a breath.
I have to tell you . . . ,
A strong answer A strong response might say Lily hopes Albert will see that he cannot leave Paprika and give up the plan on his own, so she will not have to tell him; she has felt “sick thinking about what Albert would say.” Another might say she is not hoping for any answer, only buying time: she “took a breath” to tell him, asked about the cat instead, and tried again at once with “I have to tell you.” A thoughtful student may notice that Albert ends his answer with a question of his own, “Don’t you think so?”, as if he wants Lily to agree. Look for a reason tied to the lines around the question, and no claim about why Albert looks away.
2. Just before Lily says, “We can’t go,” she jokes about pockets in Albert’s bathing suit. Why does Giff put a joke there?Author's choice
What it asks It asks about a writer’s choice. Lily has tried twice to begin. Albert is planning the trip: on the ship last time the water tasted warm, so they must bring juice, and fruit, because “Nagymamma always said fruit was important.” Lily asks how he would carry it all. “In my pocket.” Then, “forgetting for a moment” what she has to tell him, she asks, “You have pockets in your bathing suit?” He waves his hand: “I did not think of that.” Then, “No matter. I will drink warm water, and go without fruit if I have to.” Lily says his name twice more, and then: “We can’t go.” The student decides what Giff gains by setting the joke right before the hard words. It feeds the hinge: the joke finds a small hole in Albert’s plan, and he waves it away, just before Lily must tell him the whole plan cannot work. If a student says the joke is only there to be funny, ask what Albert says right after it. The card claims nothing about the song beyond what Albert says: he does not know what American songs mean “most of the time.”
To give Lily, and the reader, one easy moment. For a line she is only teasing a friend, “forgetting for a moment” what she has to say. Then she says his name twice more, and the worry comes back all at once, so “We can’t go” lands harder.
forgetting for a moment
Albert . . .
To show the bad news in a small size first. Lily’s question finds a hole in Albert’s plan, and he waves it off: “No matter.” A few lines later she must tell him the whole plan will not work. The joke shows how hard that will be to say to a boy who brushes problems aside.
I did not think of that.
No matter. I will drink warm water, and go without fruit if I have to.
A strong answer A strong response might say the joke gives Lily, and the reader, one easy moment: she is “forgetting for a moment” what she has to tell him, and then she says “Albert . . .” twice and the hard words come all at once. Another might say the joke is the bad news in a small size: it finds a hole in Albert’s plan, and he waves it off, “No matter. I will drink warm water, and go without fruit if I have to,” so Lily’s “We can’t go” lands on a boy who brushes problems aside. A thoughtful student may notice that “for a moment” means the worry was only waiting. Look for a reason tied to what comes just before and just after the joke.
3. Lily’s lie to Albert was about the ship. Why does she tell him about her aunt and her father too?Character
What it asks It asks about Lily’s list. When she says, “I lied,” Albert guesses at once that it is about him: “You mean you do not want to go with me? You are still worrying I am a coward because of the plane, because it took me so long to swim?” Lily answers, “You’re not a coward, Albert,” and he frowns: “I am not afraid of anything.” Then, almost whispering, she says, “I tell lies,” and names three: “I tell people that my aunt is a spy. I say my father is in the Secret Service. I tell you I’m going to take a ship when I know the ships are too far out, that they seem closer than they are, and the sea is too strong and rough.” Only the last begins “I tell you.” The student decides why Lily gives Albert the other two as well. It feeds the hinge: the list is the first sign that Lily’s lying is bigger than one lie. If a student says she is just being honest, ask what Albert asked her just before. The card claims nothing about Lily lying less from now on; the chapter shows one confession, not a changed habit.
So Albert will see the trouble is hers, not his. He has just guessed that she thinks he is a coward. Naming lies she tells everyone shows that “I lied” was never about him.
You’re not a coward, Albert.
I tell people that my aunt is a spy.
Because once she starts, she cannot keep any of it back from him. She could not tell him one more made-up thing, and she cannot tell him half the truth either. So she tells him all of it, almost in a whisper.
How could she tell him something she had just made up?
I tell lies,
A strong answer A strong response might say Lily names the other lies so Albert will see the trouble is in her, not in him: he has just asked whether she thinks he is a coward, she answers, “You’re not a coward, Albert,” and then she says she tells people her aunt is a spy. Another might say that once Lily has begun, she cannot hold any of it back from Albert: she could not tell him “something she had just made up,” so she tells him everything, “almost whispering.” A thoughtful student may notice that her father is on the list, and that her father is where she ends up a few lines later. Look for a reason tied to the page: what Albert asks just before the list, or the lines just before “I lied.”
4. When Albert says, “Yes, because I am afraid,” what is he saying yes to?Inference
What it asks It asks about one word near the end. Lily has cried and told Albert about the goodbye she never said. Albert holds his hand over her wrist “the way Poppy had.” “Lily,” he says. “I lie too.” She shakes her head: “Not the way I do, every minute.” Then: “Yes, because I am afraid.” Earlier in the boat he had frowned and said, “I am not afraid of anything.” The student decides what his “Yes” answers. This is the pivot of the hinge: Lily’s confession opens the door to his. If a student says he is only agreeing that he lies, ask what Lily said just before. The card claims nothing about what Albert’s lie is or what he is afraid of; he says he will tell her after the fish, and the chapter ends first.
Yes, he lies the way she does. Lily says he does not lie like her, “every minute,” and he will not let her stand alone. His hand on her wrist and his “Yes” say the same thing: you are not the only one.
He held his hand over her wrist the way Poppy had.
Not the way I do, every minute.
Yes, he lies, but for a reason of his own. He is not saying he lies as often as she does. He is giving his reason, and it is not hers: Lily named a goodbye, and Albert names fear, though earlier he said he was not afraid of anything.
I am not afraid of anything.
Then I will tell you truth.
A strong answer A strong response might say Albert is saying yes, he does lie the way Lily does: she says, “Not the way I do, every minute,” and he will not let her be alone in it, holding her wrist “the way Poppy had.” Another might say he is saying yes, he lies, and giving a reason of his own, “because I am afraid,” which is not the goodbye Lily named, and which turns around his earlier “I am not afraid of anything.” A thoughtful student may notice that he says it only after Lily has told her own truth. Look for an answer tied to Lily’s words just before the “Yes,” and no guess about what Albert fears.
1. This morning Mrs. Hailey stopped Lily’s made-up story. In the boat, Lily stops her own before she tells it. Did the morning help her stop?
What it asks It asks about the two places where a made-up story gets stopped. At the library, when Lily “began to make something up” about the overdue book, Mrs. Hailey sighed, “Don’t, Lily.” Lily felt let down: “And she had thought Mrs. Hailey was her friend.” Giff tells that morning from the boat, as Lily drops her line and thinks back over “a terrible day from start to finish.” Then Lily opens her mouth to say “the convoys were moving out to sea farther south,” and stops. The page gives a reason: “lying to Albert wasn’t like lying to anyone else.” She asks herself, “How could she lie again?” and says, “I lied.” The student decides whether the morning had a part in that, gives reasons, and answers the other side. This is the hinge’s tension: the first time today someone refuses Lily’s story, then the first time she refuses it herself. If a student says the page already gives the reason, ask why Giff tells the library while Lily sits in the boat. The card claims nothing about Mrs. Hailey no longer being Lily’s friend; Lily only feels so today.
Yes. The morning is still on Lily’s mind in the boat; Giff tells it while her line is in the water. Hours ago she began a made-up story and heard “Don’t, Lily.” Now she stops the same kind of story before anyone has to stop her. “How could she lie again?” sounds like someone who has already been caught once today.
Don’t, Lily,
How could she lie again?
No, or not much. The page gives the reason, and it is Albert: lying to him is not like lying to anyone else. This morning Lily did not feel sorry; she felt let down by Mrs. Hailey. And the “again” can mean the ship lie she already told Albert, not the library.
lying to Albert wasn’t like lying to anyone else.
And she had thought Mrs. Hailey was her friend.
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue that the morning helped: Lily is still thinking about the library as she sits in the boat, she heard “Don’t, Lily” only hours ago, and now she stops her own story before anyone has to, asking, “How could she lie again?” Another might argue that it was Albert alone: the chapter says “lying to Albert wasn’t like lying to anyone else,” and this morning Lily blamed Mrs. Hailey, not herself: “And she had thought Mrs. Hailey was her friend.” A thoughtful student may notice that Mrs. Hailey would not believe Lily while Albert believes everything, and ask which makes a lie harder to tell. Look for both places weighed, and no claim that Mrs. Hailey has stopped being Lily’s friend.
2. Lily tells Albert she lies because she never said goodbye to her father. Is that the whole reason, or only part of it?
What it asks It asks the whole question of the chapter. Albert asks, “You are crying because of your father?” Lily nods: “And because of you.” Then, “I said it because I didn’t say goodbye to my father,” she says. “I sneaked out of the house, and I never went back to say goodbye, and now . . .” Her list a few lines earlier runs from a spy aunt to a Secret Service father to the ship, and when Albert says, “I lie too,” she answers, “Not the way I do, every minute.” Albert gives his own reason: “because I am afraid.” The student judges whether the missed goodbye explains all of Lily’s lying or only some of it, gives reasons, and answers the other side. If a student says it is the whole reason, ask how the spy aunt fits. If a student says it is only part, ask whom the Secret Service lie is about. The card claims nothing about Lily never lying again, and nothing about what Albert fears.
The whole reason, or close to it. Lily says so herself, through tears, right after naming her lies, and she nods when Albert asks if she is crying because of her father. The Secret Service lie is about that same father.
I said it because I didn’t say goodbye to my father,
I say my father is in the Secret Service.
Only part. Lily lies “every minute,” and the spy aunt has nothing to do with a goodbye. She also cries because of Albert, and his answer, that he lies because he is afraid, offers another reason people lie. One sorrow may have started a habit that now runs on its own.
Not the way I do, every minute.
I tell people that my aunt is a spy.
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue it is the whole reason, or nearly: Lily says it herself, “I said it because I didn’t say goodbye to my father,” she nods when Albert asks if her tears are for her father, and one of her lies dresses that father up in the Secret Service. Another might argue it is only part: she lies “every minute,” the spy aunt has nothing to do with a goodbye, and she is crying “because of you” as well. A thoughtful student may notice that “I said it” could mean only the ship lie, or may take Albert’s “because I am afraid” and ask whether fear is part of Lily’s reason too. Look for Lily’s words weighed against her list, and no claim that she will never lie again.