Lily's Crossing (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) Book

Lily's Crossing is a historical fiction book that takes place in the summer of 1944, during World War II. Lily is a young girl who is about to start her summer in Rockaway Beach with her grandmother. She has plans to fish and spend time with her good friend Margret who lives there. Her father is supposed to visit every weekend and share in her time there. Nothing goes as it is planned though; Margret's family has to move because her father must start making bomber planes for the war and Lily's father's first weekend visit comes with terrible news. He must go overseas and help the allied troops. Lily is devastated. Even though her summer and life seems to have fallen apart, she meets a young boy named Albert who has been affected by the war also. Together they find strength each other's friendship and become best friends sharing emotional experiences that will last a lifetime.
I would recommend this book be read as it is a great way for us to get a feel for the fears of this time period. There are many references to planes flying overhead and you could feel the fear of the characters wondering if it was a Nazi plane. While some feel the separation of loved ones from wars today, it shows how it was different then. You would not even know where loved ones were for weeks if you were lucky. There was no internet, no Skype, and no communication except for an occasional letter. This book because of the reading level and subject matter would be good for advanced ages (12-18).
This book had no illustrations.