Reading Guides

Each Digital Download Includes: 

1. Student Reading Guide- chapter guided worksheets with comprehension questions, creative reflections, chapter activities, vocabulary/glossary if applicable and historical content page if applicable.
2. Teacher Guides- includes book summary, sensitive content note, suggested reading age, grading rubric, sample answers, extension questions/projects. 

Each guide may differ in structure, depth, and style depending on the content of the book.  

Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff is a historical fiction novel set during World War II about Lily Mollahan, a young girl spending the summer in Rockaway, New York, while her father leaves to serve overseas. Lonely, worried, and full of big feelings she doesn’t always know how to handle, Lily befriends Albert, a refugee boy from Hungary who is carrying his own grief and secrets.

The book blends friendship, World War II history, family separation, guilt, honesty, courage, and growing up. It has that “summer by the ocean with war shadows at the edges” feeling, gentle on the surface but quietly powerful underneath. 🌊

Best fit: Readers ages 9–12, especially kids who enjoy historical fiction, friendship stories, World War II settings, emotional character growth, and realistic stories with heart. Great for classroom discussions about empathy, honesty, fear, and how kids experience big historical moments.

Content note: Includes war, family separation, refugee experiences, grief, guilt, and fear for loved ones, but it is written in an age-appropriate middle grade style.