Chapter 24 — Teaching Companion

This chapter's big question

Gram says letting Poppy go was “so hard,” but “worth it.” Is she right?

The tension Lily's discovery turns within a single paragraph: she smiles because she finally knows where Poppy is, then remembers “all the men who were being killed” as the army fights its way “across France.”

Today's focus

Hear what Gram says after the storm about why Poppy went away, watch the violin come out of its case, and follow Lily down to the boat, where a soaked library book sets her thinking about Poppy.

The shape at a glance

Gram, Lily and Albert come in from the storm. Gram puts the kettle on and sends Lily for dry clothes, some of Poppy’s for Albert. Twenty minutes later they sit huddled at the table in Gram’s afghans. Lily says, “It was my fault”: she told Albert they could get a ship to Europe. Albert says he never really thought they could go; it was a dream, and he just wanted to see the ships one more time. It was not even raining when he started. He says he would not have gone without her, and that now he has lost the boat. “And we might have lost you both,” Gram says. She tells Albert that Nagymamma sent him and Ruth away to keep them safe, and his mother and father worked on their newspaper to help win the war so he would have a good life. He says he never thought of that. Then she turns to Lily: Poppy could have stayed home, but he went for her, and Gram had to let him go. “My son.” She turns her head a little. “It was so hard.” She is quiet, stern again, then touches Lily’s cheek. “But worth it.” Before Lily can answer, Gram brings out a blue case: the violin from the As Good As New Shoppe, which she will pay for in fish for two summers. Albert plays a Hungarian song, “fast, and sharp, and beautiful.” Lily remembers Poppy’s letter telling her to give Gram a hug, and she is glad Gram is there. The rain stops. Albert starts Nagymamma’s favorite waltz, but Lily remembers her library book, left in the rowboat. As she goes, Albert kisses Gram’s cheek and says, “Szeretlek.” Down in the boat, the book is soaked. Albert knows it: it is about the French Revolution. Lily sinks onto the wet seat. Madeline, The Three Musketeers, Roland: all French. She believes Poppy has been telling her where he is all along, past the censors. She smiles, then remembers the men being killed as the army fights across France: “Let Poppy be all right.”

A way in

Before reading, tell the student that everyone is home from the storm, wet but safe. Ask them to listen for every gift someone gives in this chapter, big or small. Read it aloud without stopping. Afterward, have the student name the gifts they heard, in order, and say which one cost the giver the most.

Lesson plan

Retell The student tells the chapter back in order, from dry clothes in the kitchen to Lily’s last thought in the boat. Look for Lily’s “It was my fault” and Albert’s answer, the people Gram names and why each went or was sent away, the violin and the song, and the book that sets Lily thinking. Listen for whether the student ends where Giff does, on Lily’s fear for Poppy, and not only on her smile.

Imitate the author After copying, the student writes two sentences of their own about a quiet moment after something frightening. The first starts with a time phrase and a comma, the way “And twenty minutes later,” does, and then adds pictures after commas, at least one with no verb, like “hair damp.” The second makes one plain statement about a person and adds two short pictures after commas, the way “She looked like herself” is followed by “stern” and “frowning a little.” Look for the commas, and for pictures of things seen, not named feelings.

Debate Take sides on the last written question. First list from the chapter what makes Gram right: Poppy “went for you”; Gram says it was “Worth the price to keep you safe”; Lily is safe and glad Gram is near; and Lily believes Poppy has been keeping his promise from far away. Then list what makes it too soon to say: Gram can barely say “My son” and “It was so hard”; Albert’s family is still apart; and the chapter ends on “Let Poppy be all right.” The student argues one side and you argue the other; then switch. Keep to the chapter: no claim about where Poppy really is, whether he is safe, or what “Szeretlek” means.

Purpose Close with Poppy’s letter, which Lily remembers while Albert plays: “Give Gram a hug. She loves you more than you know.” Ask what Lily has seen of that love tonight, and how Gram showed it without saying the word. Leave it open; the chapter does not say whether Lily gives the hug.

Three levels

Easier Read aloud together from “Gram turned to Lily” to “But worth it. Worth the price to keep you safe.” Retell what Gram says and does, line by line. Talk through the second 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 Gram’s “worth it” beside the chapter’s last line.

Harder Have the student mark every time someone in the chapter stops before finishing what they say: Albert’s “. . .” about Ruth; Gram’s “. . .” about Poppy; “Before Lily could say anything”; Gram’s “if you’d only practice . . .”. Ask what Giff leaves unsaid at each one. Then have them write a paragraph on which unfinished moment tells the most about the people in the kitchen. Claim nothing about where Poppy is or what “Szeretlek” means.

Discussion

1. Lily says slowly, “It was my fault.” What difference does Albert’s answer make?Moral reasoning

What it asks It asks about the first talk at the kitchen table. Lily says, “It was my fault,” and “I told him we could get a ship to Europe.” Albert answers, “I never really thought we could go. It was a dream.” He says he “just wanted to see the ships one more time,” that “it was not even raining” when he started, and “I would not have gone without you.” Gram says only, “Oh, Lily.” The prompt does not give Albert’s words; the student has to bring them. The student weighs Albert’s answer against what Lily confessed and decides what it changes about her blame. It opens the hinge from the side of Lily’s guilt. The chapter leaves that question open, and so does the card. If a student says it clears her completely, ask what she told Albert about the ships. If a student says it changes nothing, ask what Albert says he was really doing out there. The card claims nothing about whether Albert has given up on Ruth.

A strong answer A strong response might say Albert’s answer takes the blame away: he says “I never really thought we could go,” calls it “a dream,” and says he went only to see the ships, before it was even raining. Another might say it makes the blame smaller but not gone: she told him they could get a ship, the ships are what drew him out, and Gram answers only “Oh, Lily,” with no word that it was nobody’s fault. Look for Albert’s words weighed against Lily’s own, and no verdict the chapter does not give.

2. Right after “It was so hard,” Gram looks stern and frowns a little. What is that frown about?Character

What it asks It asks about the middle of Gram’s speech. She has said, “And we might have lost you both,” and scraped back her chair. She tells Lily that Poppy “could have stayed right here,” and “He went for you, Lily, and I had to let him go. My son.” She turns her head a little and says, “It was so hard.” Then: “Gram didn’t say anything else for a moment. She looked like herself, stern, frowning a little. But then she put her hand on Lily’s cheek.” Only then does she say, “But worth it.” The student decides what the frown is about. It takes up the part of the hinge about what the speech costs her. If a student says it is only about Poppy, ask what Gram almost lost tonight. If a student says it is only about tonight, ask why the frown comes right after “My son.” Keep the judgment of whether it was worth it for the last written question.

A strong answer A strong response might say the frown is about Poppy: saying “My son” and “It was so hard” costs her, she turns her head, she is quiet “for a moment,” and the stern face is how she keeps the hurt in. Another might say it is about tonight: Poppy went to keep Lily safe, and tonight Gram “might have lost you both”; the fright is still on her face. A thoughtful student may notice that “She looked like herself” makes the frown Gram’s everyday face, so the new thing is the hand on Lily’s cheek. Look for an answer built on where the frown falls in Gram’s speech.

3. Albert gets two or three notes into Nagymamma’s favorite waltz, and Lily remembers her library book. Why does Giff stop the song there?Author's choice

What it asks It asks about the moment the music stops. Gram has brought out the violin, saying, “I know she’d want this for you.” Albert plays a Hungarian song, and the rain stops while he plays. He says, “This one, this waltz,” “is Nagymamma’s favorite.” Then: “But before he had played more than two or three notes, Lily remembered something else.” The library book takes Lily and Albert out to the boat, and there she works out where she believes Poppy is. The student decides why Giff cuts the waltz off after two or three notes. It takes up the part of the hinge about love across a distance: Nagymamma sent Albert away and is far off, and so is Poppy. If a student says it is only to get Lily to the boat, ask whose song is cut off. If a student says it only spoils a happy moment, ask where the book leads Lily’s thoughts. Steer away from calling the violin a prize for coming home safe; Gram ties it to Nagymamma.

A strong answer A strong response might say Giff stops the waltz to pass from one faraway person to the next: the song is Nagymamma’s, and the book takes Lily to the boat, where she says, “I know where my father is.” Another might say the calm cannot last: the rain has only just stopped, and the cut sends Lily back out to a boat “with four inches of water in the bottom.” A thoughtful student may say it is simply Lily, a girl who remembers a library book at the wrong moment (“Mrs. Hailey will have a fit”), and that the joke keeps the night from getting too heavy. Look for a reason tied to what the cut leads to, not only to the story needing Lily in the boat.

4. Lily says, “I know where my father is.” How much of that is knowing, and how much is hoping?Inference

What it asks It asks about the discovery. Albert looks at the dripping book and says, “It’s about the French Revolution, a million years ago.” Lily sinks onto the wet seat. “I know where my father is.” She puts it together: “Madeline and The Three Musketeers. Roland, the French hero. All in France.” She says Poppy “knew she’d tell me there wasn’t a book called The Promise,” and “He promised I’d know where he was, that he’d tell me without the censors knowing.” Albert is frowning; he “didn’t know what she was talking about.” The student sorts what Lily has worked out from what she wants to be true. It takes up the part of the hinge about Poppy’s promise from far away. The card never says Lily is right: nothing in the chapter confirms where Poppy is. If a student says it is all knowing, ask what would prove it. If a student says it is all hoping, ask how many clues point the same way.

A strong answer A strong response might say it is mostly knowing: “Madeline and The Three Musketeers. Roland, the French hero. All in France.” is a set of clues, and Poppy “promised I’d know where he was.” Another might say there is more hoping in it than she sees: Albert “didn’t know what she was talking about,” nothing in the chapter confirms it, and Lily has “dreamed the same thing, going to Poppy, finding Poppy.” A thoughtful student may notice that even if she is right, knowing where Poppy is does not tell her he is safe. Look for an answer that weighs the clues and claims nothing the chapter does not confirm.

Critical thinking

1. Gram talks about Nagymamma, then Albert’s mother and father, then Poppy. Whose choice is most like Poppy’s?

What it asks It asks about Gram’s list. After “we might have lost you both,” she asks Albert, “Don’t you know that this is what it’s all about?” She names “Nagymamma sending you and Ruth away from her so you’d be safe,” and Albert’s mother and father “publishing a newspaper, helping to win the war, so you’d have a good life.” Albert says, “I have never thought about that.” Then she turns to Lily: Poppy “could have stayed right here,” and “He went for you, Lily.” The student compares the choices and writes reasons for the one most like Poppy’s. It takes up the part of the hinge that says each parting was made to keep someone safe. If a student picks Albert’s mother and father, ask what Nagymamma gave up. If a student picks Nagymamma, ask who in the list worked to help win the war, the way Poppy went to the war. A student who says Gram herself is most like Nagymamma has found something real; ask them to show it.

A strong answer A strong response might choose Albert’s mother and father: they kept “helping to win the war, so you’d have a good life,” and Poppy, who “could have stayed right here,” went to the war for Lily. Another might choose Nagymamma: she sent Albert and Ruth “away from her so you’d be safe,” and Gram says Poppy’s going was “to keep you safe” too. A thoughtful student may notice that Gram, who “had to let him go,” is the one most like Nagymamma. Look for a choice backed by what Gram says each person did and why.

2. Gram says letting Poppy go was “so hard,” but “worth it.” Is she right?

What it asks It asks the whole question of the chapter. Gram says Poppy “could have stayed right here,” that “He went for you, Lily, and I had to let him go,” and that it was “so hard.” Then, with her hand on Lily’s cheek: “But worth it. Worth the price to keep you safe.” Later, Lily is “glad Gram was there in the kitchen instead of far away like Nagymamma.” Down in the boat she works out what she believes is Poppy’s promise, kept in code: “He’s been trying to tell me all these weeks.” Then she remembers “all the men who were being killed,” and the chapter ends, “Let Poppy be all right, she thought.” The student judges whether Gram is right, gives reasons, and answers the other side. If a student says yes, ask what the last line of the chapter adds. If a student says no, ask what Gram says the price bought. The card claims nothing about where Poppy is, whether he is safe, or what “Szeretlek” means.

A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue Gram is right: she says it was “Worth the price to keep you safe,” Lily is safe in the kitchen, and she believes Poppy has been caring for her from far away, “trying to tell me all these weeks.” Another might argue it is too soon to say: Gram can barely say “My son,” and the chapter ends on “Let Poppy be all right,” because the price may not be finished. A thoughtful student may say Gram can be right about why Poppy went and still not know yet what it will cost. Look for Gram’s words set beside the last line, and no claim that Poppy is safe or that Lily is right about where he is.