Lily's Crossing
Chapter 23 — Teaching Companion
Patricia Reilly Giff · Trailblazers 4th–6th
Coaching, not a script — and not an answer key: every question here has more than one defensible answer.
This chapter's big question
Lily rows out alone into the storm to bring Albert back. Was that brave, or was it the same mistake he made?
The tension Once Albert lies safe in the bottom of the boat, Lily wants to say “You promised,” “even though she knew he hadn’t,” and in the next breath she knows “it was her fault, all her fault because of her lies”: the blame swings from him to herself.
Today's focus
Follow Lily’s night on the water: what drives her out alone, what she nearly loses, and what she tells herself once Albert is safe in the boat.
Two core ideas
- The rescue repeats the danger Lily feared for Albert: she goes out on the bay in a storm, alone and with no one told, wondering “How could he have thought he could do it alone,” to stop him from doing the same.
- Guilt shapes the moment of safety: Lily wants to say “You promised,” “even though she knew he hadn’t,” then takes all the blame, “all her fault because of her lies,” and vows never to lie again if she can just get him back safely.
The shape at a glance
It is dark and raining hard. Lily can see no light in any house along the row, not even glimpses at the edges of the blackout curtains. Gram won’t be home for an hour, and the Orbans are probably out shopping. Lily slides down the ramp into the rowboat and rows toward the marshes. Lightning shows Paprika under the seat in the stern, wet and shivering; there is “no time to take her back”. Albert never promised he wouldn’t try it, but Lily thought she had convinced him. “How could he have thought he could do it alone,” she wonders, “in a storm like this?” The rain slants into her, and the dye from her shorts runs blue down her legs. Water gathers in the boat, and there is no time to bail. She watches the marshes so the lightning will show her how far Albert has gone. In the middle of the bay the waves rise, and she thinks of Poppy, who said the war would end one day, and who promised to let her know; she doesn’t even know where he is. “Promised.” “Something tugged at her mind, and then it was gone.” Past the marshes and the channel, the sea pulls harder, and she can no longer see the way back into the bay. She hears a motor and feels less alone. Ahead, Albert hears it too and turns. “Wait,” she calls. “It’s not a ship, not a troop ship.” A huge wave lifts his boat, holds it still on the crest, and throws him into the sea. Lily circles, calling, marking her place by the boardwalk lights, until a swell pushes him toward her and her hand hooks his jacket. She will not let go, though her nails rip. He tumbles into the boat. She wants to say “You promised,” though she knows he hadn’t; then she is sure it is “all her fault because of her lies,” and she vows never to lie again if she can just get him back safely. Albert sits up, coughing, and reaches out to touch her hand. Lily rows back in under the porch, where the lights are on and Gram is waiting, and Paprika streaks out of the boat and up the path away from them.
A way in
Before reading, tell the student this chapter happens almost entirely in the dark, and ask them to listen for every light Lily sees by. Read it aloud without stopping, since it moves fast. Afterward, have the student name the lights in order, from the first line to the last, and say which one they would most want if they were in that boat.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the night back in order, from the dark houses and the ramp to Paprika running up the path. Look for the motor and Albert turning before the wave, the circles and the boardwalk lights before the catch, and the moment in the boat when Lily wants to say “You promised” and then blames herself instead.
Imitate the author After copying, the student writes two sentences of their own about being out in bad weather. The first tucks a picture between commas, the way “pelting the water” sits inside the rain sentence. The second makes one plain statement and then adds two pictures after it, the way “She was soaked through” is followed by her hair and the running dye. Look for the commas around the tucked picture, and for pictures that are things seen, not feelings.
Debate Take sides on the last written question. First list from the chapter what makes Lily’s trip look brave: no one is home to help; she keeps calling and circling; she yells “I’m here”; she holds on “even if she was pulled out of the boat.” Then list what makes it look like the same mistake: she wonders how Albert could go out “alone” in a storm and then does it; no one knows where she is; she has no time to bail or to take the cat back; she can no longer see the way into the bay. The student argues one side, and you argue the other; then switch. Keep to the chapter: no word of why Albert went out, what the motor was, or what Gram will say.
Purpose Close with the vow. A breath after she blames herself, Lily tells herself she’d never tell another lie “if she could just get him back safely.” Ask what she is offering, and what the “if” in it shows. Leave it open; the chapter gives the vow, not whether she keeps it.
Easier Read aloud together from “Then, above the sound of the rain and the waves” to “until he tumbled into the boat.” Retell what Lily sees and does, from the motor to the moment Albert is in the boat. Talk through the third 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 set Lily’s question about Albert going “alone” beside what she does that night.
Harder Have the student mark every place the chapter talks about time: “no time,” “there wasn’t time for it either,” “slow motion,” “for an instant,” “in that second,” “just for the second he needed”. Ask how Giff makes the night feel rushed in some places and slow in others. Then have them write a paragraph on which of the two, the rush or the slow moments, tells more about Lily’s choice to row out. Claim nothing about why Albert went out or what Gram feels.
Discussion
- Suppose one house on the row had a light on. What do you think Lily would have done?Character
What it asks It asks about the chapter’s first lines. “Lily couldn’t see light in any of the houses along the row, not even glimpses from the edges of the blackout curtains. Everyone was gone, it seemed.” Gram won’t be home for an hour, and the Orbans are probably shopping. “A moment later, she slid down the ramp into the rowboat and began to row toward the marshes.” The student changes one detail, a lit window, and decides whether Lily would have gone for help or rowed out alone anyway. It opens the hinge from the side of who knew where she was. If a student says she would simply get help, ask what she would have had to explain to a grown-up first. If a student says she would go anyway, ask what she looks for before she goes down the ramp. The card claims nothing about why Albert went out.
One reading
She would have run for help. Lily looks for a light first, even a glimpse at the edge of a blackout curtain, and only when no one is there does she go down the ramp. She rows out alone because nobody is home, not because she wants to.
Lily couldn’t see light in any of the houses along the row, not even glimpses from the edges of the blackout curtains.
Everyone was gone, it seemed.
Another reading
She would have gone alone anyway. Lily is in such a hurry that she will not even stop for a shivering cat, and she has already decided that she is the one who will talk Albert into coming back. Stopping to explain at a neighbor’s door would take time she thinks she does not have.
There was no time to take her back, no time to dry her.
until Lily persuaded Albert to come back
Listen for
- Notices that every house is dark and that Gram is an hour away.
- Says what Lily would have done with a light on, and gives a reason.
- Uses the dark windows, “Everyone was gone,” the rush past the cat, or Lily’s plan to persuade Albert.
- Keeps to what Lily thinks and does, and claims nothing about why Albert went out.
If stuck
- What does Lily look for before she goes down the ramp?
- Who could Lily have told, if anyone had been home?
- What would she have had to explain to a grown-up first?
A strong answer A strong response might say Lily would have run for help: she looks for light even at the edges of the blackout curtains, and only when “Everyone was gone” does she slide down the ramp. Another might say she would have rowed out alone anyway, since there is “no time” even to take a shivering cat back, and she plans to be the one who persuades Albert to come back. Look for a reason tied to what Lily does in the first lines, not a guess about what happens later.
- In the middle of the storm, Lily can’t stop thinking about Poppy. What has Poppy got to do with tonight?Inference
What it asks It asks about the middle of the crossing. As the waves rise, Lily “couldn’t stop thinking of Poppy” telling her that someday the war would be over. She can’t imagine it, and “she didn’t even know where Poppy was.” Then: “That last night in the boat he had promised her he’d let her know.” The word stands on a line by itself, “Promised.” Then “Something tugged at her mind, and then it was gone.” The student sets Poppy beside Albert and decides what links them on this night. It takes up the part of the hinge about what Lily carries out onto the water with her. If a student tries to say what the tug in her mind was, bring them back: the chapter lets it go, and the question is what Poppy has to do with tonight. The card claims nothing about where that thought leads.
One reading
Both are out of her sight. Lily does not know where Poppy is, and tonight she cannot see Albert either; she watches the marshes and waits for lightning to show her how far he has gone. The same fear, of losing someone she cannot see, is with her twice.
And she didn’t even know where Poppy was.
She kept her eyes focused on the marshes so the lightning would show her how far Albert had gone.
Another reading
Promises. Poppy promised to let her know, and the word catches in her mind and will not settle. Tonight is about a promise too: Albert never made one, though Lily thought she had talked him out of going. The thought slips away before she can finish it.
That last night in the boat he had promised her he’d let her know.
Something tugged at her mind, and then it was gone.
Listen for
- Places the thought: out in the bay, as the waves rise.
- Names a link between Poppy and Albert, and gives a reason from the chapter.
- Uses not knowing where Poppy is, the lightning over the marshes, Poppy’s promise, or the word on its own line.
- Leaves open what the tug in Lily’s mind was; the chapter does not say.
If stuck
- What did Poppy tell Lily about the war?
- What did Poppy promise her that last night in the boat?
- What does Lily not know about Poppy, and what does she not know about Albert tonight?
A strong answer A strong response might say both are out of her sight: “she didn’t even know where Poppy was,” and tonight she can find Albert only when the lightning shows him. Another might say the link is promises: Poppy “had promised her he’d let her know,” the word “Promised.” stands alone, and tonight Lily is chasing a friend she thought she had talked out of going. A thoughtful student may notice that the word comes back in another form near the end of the chapter. Look for a link tied to the lines around Poppy, and no claim about what the slipping thought was.
- Giff writes that “by some miracle,” Lily’s hand caught Albert’s jacket. How much of the rescue was luck?Plot structure
What it asks It asks about the rescue. After the wave tosses Albert into the sea, Lily keeps calling and turns the boat in circles, marking her place by the boardwalk lights and watching for lightning. She glimpses him, yells “I’m here,” and then “a mountain of a swell” pushes him toward her, “and by some miracle, her hand hooked around the top of the jacket.” She holds on as her nails rip, and the water grows calm “just for the second he needed to grip the boat”. The student weighs what the sea did against what Lily did. It takes up the part of the hinge about whether a good ending makes a choice wise, without asking it. If a student says it was all luck, ask what Lily was doing while she could not see him. If a student says it was all Lily, ask what moved Albert toward the boat.
One reading
Mostly luck. Lily cannot reach Albert on her own. A wave pushes him to her, and the sea goes quiet for exactly the second he needs. Giff calls it a miracle, and Lily already counted herself lucky that Albert was a poor rower.
a mountain of a swell that moved toward them, pushing Albert toward her
the water grew calm just for the second he needed to grip the boat
Another reading
Mostly Lily. Luck only helps someone who is still there to use it. She keeps calling, keeps circling, uses the boardwalk lights to know where she is, and when her hand finds the jacket she will not let go.
She kept calling, kept trying to turn the boat in circles, glancing at the lights on the boardwalk to mark her place
She held it, feeling her nails rip
Listen for
- Names something the sea or chance did, and something Lily did.
- Weighs the two and says which counts for more, with a reason.
- Uses “by some miracle,” the swell, the second of calm, the circles and the boardwalk lights, or the ripped nails.
- Keeps how the rescue turned out apart from whether going out was wise; that judgment comes last.
If stuck
- What does Lily do while she cannot see Albert?
- What moves Albert close enough to grab?
- If the swell had pushed him the other way, what could Lily have done?
A strong answer A strong response might say much of it was luck: “a mountain of a swell” pushes Albert toward the boat, and the water grows calm “just for the second he needed”. Another might say luck only works for someone ready to use it: Lily keeps calling, circles, marks her place by the boardwalk lights, and holds on while her nails rip. A thoughtful student may notice that Lily uses the word lucky herself earlier, about Albert being a poor rower. Look for both the sea and Lily weighed, with a reason for which counts more.
- The chapter ends with Paprika, “a furious ball of orange fur,” running away from them. Why does Giff end on the cat?Author's choice
What it asks It asks about the last line. Paprika has been in the boat all night. Lightning first shows her under the seat in the stern, “almost hidden against the anchor,” and Lily has no time to take her back. At the end, under the porch with Gram waiting, Lily watches “as Paprika, a furious ball of orange fur, streaked out of the boat and up the path away from them.” The student decides why Giff ends the night on the cat and not on the people. It takes up the part of the hinge that sees the trip from outside Lily: the cat is a third life in the boat. If a student says it is only funny, ask where the cat has been all night. If a student says it is only a warning, ask what the ending feels like after so much fear. The card claims nothing about what Gram says or feels.
One reading
The cat tells the truth about the night. Paprika never chose to come. She was terrified under the seat the whole way, and the moment the boat lands she runs from Lily. Ending on her reminds the reader that the trip put a third life at risk.
It was Paprika, small and wet, shivering, terrified.
streaked out of the boat and up the path away from them
Another reading
The cat lets out what the people do not. After the wave and the rescue, nobody in the boat says how they feel; Albert only coughs and touches Lily’s hand. The cat bursts out furious, and the night ends on something alive and almost funny instead of on more fear.
a furious ball of orange fur
Albert was up on the seat, briefly raising one shoulder in the air, coughing, and reaching out to touch her hand
Listen for
- Remembers where the cat has been all night: under the seat, wet and terrified.
- Gives a reason Giff ends with Paprika and not with Lily, Albert or Gram.
- Uses “small and wet, shivering, terrified,” “a furious ball of orange fur,” the run up the path, or the quiet in the boat.
- Claims nothing about what Gram says or feels.
If stuck
- Where has Paprika been all night?
- What does she do the second the boat lands?
- What would the ending lose if the cat were not there?
A strong answer A strong response might say the cat tells the truth about the night: she never chose to come, she was “small and wet, shivering, terrified,” and she runs “away from them” the moment she can. Another might say the cat lets out what the people do not: she bursts out “furious” while Albert only coughs and reaches for Lily’s hand, and the night ends on something almost funny. A thoughtful student may notice that the cat’s orange fur matches the orange of Albert’s life jacket. Look for a reason tied to where the cat has been all night, and nothing said about Gram’s feelings.
Critical thinking
- Lily wants to say “You promised,” though she knows Albert never did. Why does she want to say it anyway?
What it asks It asks about the moment the chapter turns on. Albert lies in the bottom of the boat, “taking deep breaths.” Then: “You promised,” she wanted to say, “even though she knew he hadn’t.” Rowing out, she had already thought, “He hadn’t promised he wouldn’t try it, but she thought she had convinced him.” In the very next sentence she knows “it was her fault, all her fault because of her lies”. The student explains why Lily wants to say something she knows is not true, and writes reasons. It takes up the guilt half of the hinge: the blame swings from Albert to Lily in one breath. If a student says she is only angry, ask what she thinks in the next sentence. If a student says she wants the blame to be his, ask why she takes all of it a moment later. The card claims nothing about why Albert set out, what Lily’s lies were, or whether she keeps her vow.
One reading
Fear turning into anger. Lily has just watched Albert go under and come up gulping water. Now he is safe, and the fear has to go somewhere. “You promised” is the angry thing a person says to someone who scared them, true or not.
He was gulping water
He lay there in the bottom, the water washing over him, taking deep breaths.
Another reading
She wants it to be his fault. If Albert had promised, he would have broken his word, and the night would be on him, not on her. She knows that is not true, and in the very next sentence she takes all the blame herself.
He hadn’t promised he wouldn’t try it, but she thought she had convinced him.
But she knew it was her fault, all her fault because of her lies
Listen for
- Gives a reason Lily wants to say “You promised” when she knows Albert never did.
- Ties the reason to what just happened in the water, or to what Lily thinks in the next sentence.
- Notices that Lily knew all along he had not promised: she only thought she “had convinced him.”
- Writes in complete sentences, and claims nothing about why Albert went out or whether Lily keeps her vow.
If stuck
- What has Lily just watched happen to Albert?
- Did Albert ever promise not to try it?
- What does Lily think right after she wants to say it?
A strong answer A strong response might say the words come out of fear: Lily has just seen Albert “gulping water,” and once he is safe her fright turns to anger, the way it can when someone has scared us. Another might say she wants the blame to be his, since a broken promise would make the night his fault; she knows he “hadn’t”, and a breath later she says it is “all her fault because of her lies”. A thoughtful student may notice that Lily never says it out loud: she only “wanted to say” it, and what she does tell herself is about her own lies. Look for a reason tied to the lines in the boat, and no claim about Albert’s own reasons.
- Lily rows out alone into the storm to bring Albert back. Was that brave, or was it the same mistake he made?
What it asks It asks the whole question of the chapter. Lily goes with no one home, no time to take Paprika back, and no time to bail. Rowing, she wonders, “How could he have thought he could do it alone,” and “in a storm like this?” She is alone, in that same storm. Past the channel she can no longer see the entrance to the bay. When Albert is tossed into the sea, she calls and circles, yells “I’m here,” catches his jacket, and holds on “even if she was pulled out of the boat.” She brings him home. The student judges whether rowing out was brave or the same mistake, gives reasons, and answers the other side. If a student says brave, ask what Lily thought of Albert going out alone in a storm. If a student says it was a mistake, ask who else could have reached him. The card claims nothing about why Albert set out, what the motor was, what Gram feels, or whether Lily keeps her vow.
One reading
Brave. Nobody else was there, and Albert was out of sight in a storm. Lily went anyway, kept calling when she could not see him, and held on when she could have been pulled in herself. He came home because she went.
“I’m here,” she yelled
knowing she wouldn’t let go, even if she was pulled out of the boat
Another reading
The same mistake. Lily wonders how Albert could go out alone in a storm, and then she does exactly that. She tells no one, leaves a terrified cat aboard, and has no time even to bail the water out of her own boat.
How could he have thought he could do it alone, she thought, in a storm like this?
She knew she should scoop it out with the old coffee can they kept for bailing, but there wasn’t time for it either.
Listen for
- Takes a position on whether rowing out was brave or the same mistake, and gives at least two reasons from the chapter.
- Answers the other side: someone who judges Lily the other way.
- Uses Lily’s own question about Albert going “alone,” the dark houses, the skipped bailing, the calling and circling, or the hold on the jacket.
- Writes in complete sentences, and claims nothing about why Albert went out or what Lily does after tonight.
If stuck
- What does Lily wonder about Albert while she rows?
- Who knew that Lily was out on the water?
- Can one choice be brave and a mistake at the same time?
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue it was brave: no one was home to help, Lily kept calling and circling when she could not see him, and she held on “even if she was pulled out of the boat,” so Albert came home. Another might argue it was the same mistake: Lily asks “How could he have thought he could do it alone” and then does the same, with no one told and no time even to bail. A thoughtful student may say it can be both, and that the reason she went, her guilt, changes how the choice looks. Look for Lily’s own question about Albert set beside what she does, and no claim about why Albert went out.