From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Thu, 09 Oct 1997 10:57:57 -0500

In a recent posting to CCBC-Net, Ginny asked:
  about Lily, about the ways Giff shows who Lily is and who Lily becomes during the course of her story?

It's been a while since I've read this book, but, as I recall, Giff does an excellent job at developing Lily's character by showing her in relation to other people, especially her grandmother and Albert. The prickly relationship between Lily and her grandmother was especially well done: neither one was thrilled about their living arrangement and Giff showed this in subtle, realistic ways that gave readers insight into both characters.

I also appreciated the manner in which the author handled Albert's dialogue. She made it clear that English was his second language and that he spoke with an accent, but she didn't overdo it by trying to
"recreate" his English as she imagined he would have spoken it. As a reader, I admired her restraint.

Kathleen T. Horning Cooperative Children's Book Center UW-Madison
Received on Thu 09 Oct 1997 10:57:57 AM CDT