From the Publisher
When Lily meets Albert, a refugee from Hungary, during the summer of 1944, they begin a special friendship. However, Lily and Albert have both told lies, and Lily has told a lie that may cost Albert his life.
Publishers Weekly
Exceptional characterizations and a robust story line turn this WWII homefront novel into far more than a period piece. Spending the summer of '44 at her family's vacation home on the Atlantic, Lily feels angry and deserted when her widower father joins the Army and is sent to Europe just after the Allied invasion. Her ever-critical Gram seems to be breathing down her neck at every turn, and Lily has gotten off on the wrong foot with Albert, the Hungarian refugee boy staying with neighbors. She just can't seem to break out of her self-described role as "a last-row, last-seat kid in school with terrible marks... [who] told lies every other minute." Giff keeps the spotlight off Lily's flaws, refraining as well from overtly linking them to her self-consciousness at being motherless. Rather, she uses them to generate the plot: as Lily and Albert work their way into friendship, Lily tells a lie with unexpected and potentially dangerous consequences. Lily learns her lesson in a resolution that feels psychologically true. In the background, characters cope with wartime shortages, stumble into tragedy as sons and brothers fall in battle-in short, lead complicated lives with the hope of redemption. Closely observed, quickly paced and warmly told, this has all the ingredients that best reward readers. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)
Publishers Weekly
PW's starred review of this 1998 Newbery Honor book said that the WWII homefront novel, about Lily's growing friendship with a Hungarian refugee, "has all the ingredients that best reward readers." Ages 8-12. (Jan.)
Children's Literature
Set during WW II, Lily's life with her beloved Poppy is disrupted when he is sent overseas. Lily, left with her grandmother, meets a Hungarian refugee named Albert. He too is suffering a separation from his loved ones. Gradually they become friends and eventually Lily, who has encouraged Albert in his scheme to return to Europe, realizes the danger. The story has a happy ending and Lily comes to understand herself and Albert. The story is filled with believable characters and historical details that make it real and relevant. Newbery Honor book.
Children's Literature
Lily, 10, spins yarns or what some might label "lies." It's her way of protecting herself. But during that summer of 1944 at Rockaway Beach, her favorite place, nothing is the same. She is so angry at her father who is going overseas that she refuses to say goodbye. Her best friend has moved away and to make matters worse, her grandmother introduces her to a refugee boy from Hungary. At first she is rude to him, but later they rescue and care for a kitten. Each child tells stories, but the tale Lily tells puts Albert in danger. This story is engrossing as Lily crosses over from self-absorption to being empathetic.
School Library Journal
Gr 5-7-Set during World War II, this tenderly written story tells of the war's impact on two children, one an American and one a Hungarian refugee. Lily Mollahan, a spirited, sensitive youngster being raised by her grandmother and Poppy, her widower father, has a comfortable routine that includes the family's annual summer migration to Gram's beach house in Rockaway, NY. Lily looks forward to summer's freedom and fishing outings with Poppy. She meets Albert, a Hungarian boy who is staying at a neighbor's house. At first, her fertile imagination convinces her that perhaps Albert is a Nazi spy, but eventually the two become good friends. The war interferes directly with Lily's life when Poppy, an engineer, is sent to Europe to help with clean-up operations. History is brought to life through Giff's well chosen details and descriptions. Both children suffer from the separation from loved ones, and both live with guilt for not having said proper good-byes. Albert even feels that he in some ways betrayed his sister Ruth, who was too ill to make the transatlantic journey. The developing friendship between Lily and Albert, and Albert's plan to swim to Europe to find Ruth, will grab readers' attention and sustain it to book's end. Despite convenient plot twists to reach a happy ending, Giff's well-drawn, believable characters and vivid prose style make this an excellent choice. A fine addition to collections that include Sonia Levitin's Silver Days (Atheneum, 1989).-Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-Patricia Reilly Giff's story (Delacorte, 1997) of a young girl trying to understand the war in Europe and its effects on the people in her life comes vividly alive in this reading by actress Mia Dillon. The year is 1944 and Lily has no cares in the world as her family heads to Rockaway for the summer. She plans to have fun during her vacation-- swimming, seeing movies with her best friend Margaret, and working on her list of "problems." Number one on that list is telling lies. Lily doesn't mean to lie, but sometimes the lies are just more exciting than the truth. Shortly after arriving in Rockaway, Lily's plans are turned upside down. Margaret is moving to Michigan so that her dad can help build bomber planes, and Lily's father must join the troops involved in the war in France. Lily fears that the whole summer is ruined until she meets Albert, a Hungarian refugee. After rescuing a kitten together, Lily and Albert become friends. However, Albert finds himself in danger as a result of one of Lily's lies. Mia Dillon's beautiful narration aptly captures Lily's innocence and precociousness, while her changes in voice bring to life the characters that Lily encounters. An excellent choice for all collections serving middle school students.-Veronica Schwartz, Des Plaines Public Library, IL Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
In 1944, Lily's eagerly awaited summer vacation becomes a time of anxiety when her widower father, Poppy, announces that he's off to Europe with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Lily's lonely in Rockaway with both her father and her summer friend, Margaret, gone, until she meets an orphan from Budapest living temporarily with her grandmother's neighbor. At first she responds coldly to Albert, but is soon drawn to him by his awkward dignity and his tragic tale of dead parents and ill sister, Ruth, left behind in France. As they care for an abandoned kitten together and wistfully watch ships passing on the horizon, a solid friendship develops, and by the time they part, Lily and Albert have helped each other through difficult times. Much of the plot, characters, and premise is conventional, but Giff (Shark in School, 1994, etc.) really pulls readers' heartstrings with Albert's memories of his family, the loss of Margaret's well-liked brother in the war, and Lily's joyful reunion with Poppy. Pull out the hankies for the final scene, in which Lily returns to Rockaway the following summer to find Albert—and Ruth—waiting for her. It's a strong ending to a deftly told story.
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