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All Alone in the Universe #2
Criss Cross
Debbie is wishing something would happen. Something good. To her. Soon. In the meantime, Debbie loses a necklace and finds a necklace (and boy does the necklace have a story to tell), she goes jeans shopping with her mother (an accomplishment in diplomacy), she learns to drive shift in a truck (illegally), she saves a life (directly connected to being able to drive, thus proving something), she takes a bus ride to another town (in order to understand what it feels like to be from "elsewhere"), she meets a boy (who truly is from "elsewhere"), but mostly she hangs out with her friends: Patty, Hector, Lenny, and Phil. Their paths cross. Their stories crisscross. And in Lynne Rae Perkins's remarkable book, a girl and her wish grow up. Illustrated throughout with black-and-white pictures, comics, and photographs by the author. Ages 10+
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 30, 2005
About the author
Lynne Rae Perkins
27 books176 followersLynne Rae Perkins is the author of several novels, including her most recent Newbery Award winning book, Criss Cross. She enjoys working in her studio, being with friends, watching her kids grow, and watching her husband, Bill, chase their dog around town.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,328 reviews
August 15, 2024
I LOVED this book. YOU may hate it. This story is subtle as heck, and while it resonated with me down to my toes, it is a peculiar tale that some people will throw across the room and rage to the heavens "Why in the world did THIS win the Newbery Award?"
Funny, insightful, and wry. Yes, things DO happen, although not everyone will agree with me on that. I loved the start, where Hector, 14, experiences satori at a coffeehouse concert. And now, I know what satori means. Thank you, Lynne Perkins!
I laughed at the school yearbook haiku, I loved the diagram explaining perfect pant length, and I enjoyed the subtle humor and the playful text layout. For me, plenty happened -Debbie learning to use a stick-shift, Hector learning to play guitar (to meet girls, of course), and both learning more about who they are.
The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the cover.
Not for everyone, though. This is a very introspective book, and most boys will hate it! Give this one to your quiet, thoughtful girlfriends.
Funny, insightful, and wry. Yes, things DO happen, although not everyone will agree with me on that. I loved the start, where Hector, 14, experiences satori at a coffeehouse concert. And now, I know what satori means. Thank you, Lynne Perkins!
I laughed at the school yearbook haiku, I loved the diagram explaining perfect pant length, and I enjoyed the subtle humor and the playful text layout. For me, plenty happened -Debbie learning to use a stick-shift, Hector learning to play guitar (to meet girls, of course), and both learning more about who they are.
The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the cover.
Not for everyone, though. This is a very introspective book, and most boys will hate it! Give this one to your quiet, thoughtful girlfriends.
November 27, 2016
Criss Cross is a beautiful story of what it is really like to be a teenager.
It doesn't need the drama of violence or break-ups to show how fragile the world is when you are in a cocoon, waiting to be a butterfly and without a clue what your wings will look like.
It is full of small steps, some leading to new experiences and others just leading nowhere. The author's illustrations are a wonderful complement to the randomness of the story lines.
My favourite quote from the book sums up what makes it different from other teenage stories:
"So often in books, or in movies, one character looks at another character and understands in a precise way what that person is feeling. So often in real life, one person wants to be understood, but obscures her feelings with unrelated words and facial expressions, while the other person is trying to remember whether she did or didn't turn off the burner under the hard-boiled eggs."
That is the true criss cross of human interaction.
It doesn't need the drama of violence or break-ups to show how fragile the world is when you are in a cocoon, waiting to be a butterfly and without a clue what your wings will look like.
It is full of small steps, some leading to new experiences and others just leading nowhere. The author's illustrations are a wonderful complement to the randomness of the story lines.
My favourite quote from the book sums up what makes it different from other teenage stories:
"So often in books, or in movies, one character looks at another character and understands in a precise way what that person is feeling. So often in real life, one person wants to be understood, but obscures her feelings with unrelated words and facial expressions, while the other person is trying to remember whether she did or didn't turn off the burner under the hard-boiled eggs."
That is the true criss cross of human interaction.
September 13, 2007
This book won the 2006 Newbery Medal, and I am for once in complete accord with the Newbery Committee. Perkins' prose is spare and clean. Some of the passages simply glow, especially when they are highlighting the ways in which we try to communicate and fail. Characters who love each other are at cross purposes with the best intentions in the world. The characters are sympathetic and believable, there are no emotional pyrotechnics, no huge tragedies these kids have to recover from, they are ordinary, singular, delightful young adults who learn some things worth knowing. Illustrated, which I confess put me off at first, but done so well I began to look forward to each intriguing illustration. I recommend this book without reservations.
January 14, 2009
Well now I better understand the fuss about disappointing Newbery Medal winners. This book was boring, not memorable, and the characters did not interest me one bit. I don't know if perhaps it was the "listening" rather than actual "reading" that made it unejoyable, but this story just didn't grab me in any way.
As I struggled through the 2 1/2 discs that I listened to, I was trying to figure out why it won the Newbery. Hmmmm....
As I struggled through the 2 1/2 discs that I listened to, I was trying to figure out why it won the Newbery. Hmmmm....
January 25, 2022
This may be the most fascinating Newbery book I've ever read. It manages to be about nothing, and also everything, because it's a book about the ordinary moments most people don't think to write about. It's about ordinary characters who aren't special or different, who might live next door. And so it's quiet - and yet it's not really contemplative in its quietness, because doesn't reach for much. It is content to chronicle an ordinary summer.
The prose can be beautiful, by the way. It's an achievement, to chronicle an ordinary summer and to breathe real truth into it every so often.
Criss Cross isn't a great book, but it is an interesting one. Even though it comes very close to being boring.
The prose can be beautiful, by the way. It's an achievement, to chronicle an ordinary summer and to breathe real truth into it every so often.
Criss Cross isn't a great book, but it is an interesting one. Even though it comes very close to being boring.
December 16, 2008
A book without much plot, but with beautiful writing and convincingly drawn characters. Set in what appears to be the 70's, Perkins tells the criss-crossing stories of a group of friends on the cusp of adolescence. Constantly shifting point of view between characters suddenly awkward as they consider the possibilities before them, and the selves they might become, Perkins focuses not on the life-changing moments, but on the small events when a piece of oneself comes into greater focus. This won't be a hugely popular Newbery winner, but will be appreciated by the quiet, thoughtful reader drawn to psychologically realistic character studies.
My favorite passage: "So often in books, or in movies, one character looks at another character and understands in a precise way what that person is feeling. So often in real life, one person wants to be understood, but obscures her feelings with completely unrelated words and facial expressions, while the other person is trying to remember whether she did or didn't turn off the burner under the hard-boiled eggs" (280-81). Perkins' narrative doesn't give in to the typical book/movie conventions; instead, if offers readers the comfort of knowing that mistakes will be made, opportunities will be missed, but "It was okay. They can't hear me, but I want to tell them it's okay, they're doing just fine" (337).
My favorite passage: "So often in books, or in movies, one character looks at another character and understands in a precise way what that person is feeling. So often in real life, one person wants to be understood, but obscures her feelings with completely unrelated words and facial expressions, while the other person is trying to remember whether she did or didn't turn off the burner under the hard-boiled eggs" (280-81). Perkins' narrative doesn't give in to the typical book/movie conventions; instead, if offers readers the comfort of knowing that mistakes will be made, opportunities will be missed, but "It was okay. They can't hear me, but I want to tell them it's okay, they're doing just fine" (337).
November 20, 2007
One of my little oddities is my inability to not finish a book. I know that many people don't understand this little obsession. A number of years ago, I took a children's lit class wherein we had to do a buttload of reading. I started reading Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes because I thought it would be good to read all the Newbery books. But I utterly despised the book. My professor, baffled, asked me why I would finish reading such a horrendous book considering how many wonderful books there were out there. I told him that I just have to finish a book if I begin reading it.
Anyway, the moral of this little story should indicate how I feel about Criss Cross. Criss Cross won this year's Newbery award, and this year's Newbery committee won this year's WTF award. You could say it's a fair trade, though generations of kids will be cursed with this book on their recommended reading lists. I feel for them.
I should say that I had been biased going into this book—Pat Castelli discussed this book as part of her presentation at UVSC. Her handout summarizes the book as follows:
On one of the listservs I'm on, one reader came to the defense of the book by noting that
Taking all of this into consideration, I still think the committee was smoking a whole lot o' pot when it chose this book. I'm all for literary and experimental writing, but you still have to give me a friggin' storyline to follow. Sheesh. And maybe I can forego an actual storyline if you give me a character to actually care about through the little slices of life. This book didn't do that; by the end of the book, I couldn't even really tell you who any of the characters were. Another great gripe I have of this book is the author's complete inability to maintain point of view. POV shifts were haphazard and odd.
Really, in the end, this book very much should not have won the Newbery. Avoid it like the plague. Read Shannon Hale's Princess Academy instead.
Anyway, the moral of this little story should indicate how I feel about Criss Cross. Criss Cross won this year's Newbery award, and this year's Newbery committee won this year's WTF award. You could say it's a fair trade, though generations of kids will be cursed with this book on their recommended reading lists. I feel for them.
I should say that I had been biased going into this book—Pat Castelli discussed this book as part of her presentation at UVSC. Her handout summarizes the book as follows:
The "story" emerges in the 2006 Newbery Award in slice-of-life chapters from various points of view, thus it may be difficult to engage an average young reader. While 14-year-old Debbie is the main character, four of her friends are almost as important, three boys and a girl, Patty. The cover art shows a girl with her back turned and her fingers crossed behind her back with the statement, "She wished something would happen." Many young readers [and I might add older readers] may share her wish regarding the book. That said, there are charming scenes in this book and some that are absurd.
On one of the listservs I'm on, one reader came to the defense of the book by noting that
the Newbery is awarded to the book the committee deems the "most distinguished contribution to children's literature" in any given year. It is not given to "the book kids will love the most" or to "the most marketable book" or to "the most readable book" or even to "the *best* book."
Taking all of this into consideration, I still think the committee was smoking a whole lot o' pot when it chose this book. I'm all for literary and experimental writing, but you still have to give me a friggin' storyline to follow. Sheesh. And maybe I can forego an actual storyline if you give me a character to actually care about through the little slices of life. This book didn't do that; by the end of the book, I couldn't even really tell you who any of the characters were. Another great gripe I have of this book is the author's complete inability to maintain point of view. POV shifts were haphazard and odd.
Really, in the end, this book very much should not have won the Newbery. Avoid it like the plague. Read Shannon Hale's Princess Academy instead.
September 4, 2018
To some readers, "nothing happens" in this story. But to me there is a whole universe of wonder in that "nothing"! It was as real to me as my own junior high school days, as if Lynn Rae Perkins lived in my neighborhood, hung out with me and my friends and classmates, and could see into our dreams. I loved the illustrations; they seemed so genuine, with a home-grown, sometimes droll feel. Pieces of the text are like that too--unfettered expressions, as if created by an exploring young diarist.
I think this book especially speaks to poetic souls who remember the singularly clumsy, magical, transformative years of budding into being...and contemplating fate.
(I suspect teens might react differently than nostalgic women like me--but I hope they love it too!)
I think this book especially speaks to poetic souls who remember the singularly clumsy, magical, transformative years of budding into being...and contemplating fate.
(I suspect teens might react differently than nostalgic women like me--but I hope they love it too!)
Read
July 10, 2015Wonderfully written, and a rare example of the omniscient mode in middle-grade/YA fiction, where first-person point of view has been king in recent years, it seems. The warm tone of the narrator follows a group of middle school kids, 14 years old, and some of the adults around them, as they go about their lives in a smallish town in a time before the Internet and cell phones. The narrator has a playful side, dipping briefly into the point of view of an inanimate object, such as a necklace, or animals, but two characters become slightly more prominent than the others: Debbie and Hector. The insights into the characters' lives, particularly those of the kids, proves the writer has not forgotten what it was like to be 14--in fact, she must have been taking excellent notes.
In my taxonomy of writers, there are storytellers and voice masters, the latter blessed with the ability to marry lovely, startling prose to interesting characters in offering amazing commentaries on life, while the former have a sure grasp of plot and are able to shape story arcs that seem inevitable and surprising at the same time.
Readers tend to prefer one to the other--we're all fortunate if we find the rare writer who combines both talents. I love a great story but I prefer those with a strong voice and beautiful prose; these are the books I reread, and Criss Cross falls into this category. Writers such as J. K. Rowling and, to a lesser extent, Suzanne Collins, are consummate storytellers. I enjoyed both of their series, but neither contains a single memorable sentence; once I've read their stories I don't feel the need to revisit their books. I think most people prefer the storytellers, though, to judge by the bestseller lists, and that's fine, so long as the market still has room for those whose words are more than simply a vehicle to move characters and readers from one plot twist to the next.
Reread on May 6, 2012.
In my taxonomy of writers, there are storytellers and voice masters, the latter blessed with the ability to marry lovely, startling prose to interesting characters in offering amazing commentaries on life, while the former have a sure grasp of plot and are able to shape story arcs that seem inevitable and surprising at the same time.
Readers tend to prefer one to the other--we're all fortunate if we find the rare writer who combines both talents. I love a great story but I prefer those with a strong voice and beautiful prose; these are the books I reread, and Criss Cross falls into this category. Writers such as J. K. Rowling and, to a lesser extent, Suzanne Collins, are consummate storytellers. I enjoyed both of their series, but neither contains a single memorable sentence; once I've read their stories I don't feel the need to revisit their books. I think most people prefer the storytellers, though, to judge by the bestseller lists, and that's fine, so long as the market still has room for those whose words are more than simply a vehicle to move characters and readers from one plot twist to the next.
Reread on May 6, 2012.
May 30, 2026
˚˖𓍢ִ໋❀ 3.5 ✧ stars (rounded down) ﹒﹒ ୨୧
⟹ ✿ spoilers are marked, and spoiler corner is open!
𖧁𓏲 ₊ “ Alas my love, you do me wrong. The song was so old, but it was such a new, real feeling. They sang it together, but their thoughts went off to different places, to different people. Maybe the wrong places, the wrong people. How did anyone know? ” 𓈒 𝒢
🎧 . ⬭ ⧅ from the subway train | vansire
⧅ , ˚ ✿ pre-read thoughts . .
⧅ , ˚ ✿ pre-review thoughts . .
3.5 rounded down! 💞 can't lie... i thought my original review for this was going to be kiiiind of mean (and nasty) because i wasn't originally a fan of the pacing.. but honestly it started growing on me towards the second half of the book to the end. romance makes everything interesting, even though this wasn't primarily a romance book ;D
⁺ ༶ . ───── ⁺
𝒢𓍢 overall thoughts 𝄈 🔅
𓈒 ⌢⌢ . ۫ ꣑ৎ .
̼̼♪ ﹒┊ ﹒the characters.
𓎢 𓈒 debbie: cute. she has a lot that could be said about her but i can't remember it all for the life of me. she's me and probably you when we were 10 or 11 and trying to figure ourselves out, if that helps any.
𓎢 𓈒 hector: i liked him! i liked that he was able to get out of his own shell over time. he was able to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, and look! he's thriving! sometimes, those things need to happen so you can learn from those experiences.. y'know? i really resonate with that, actually.
𓎢 𓈒 lenny: i think i'm just naturally drawn to silly guys who are very smart in technical work. he's pretty charming! and suuuuper funny.
𓎢 𓈒 peter: may a boy like this find me and shower me with affection..
𓎢 𓈒 dan persik: an effing jerk. he's.. interesting? but eugh.. he pisses me off.
ྀི , the plot ⌒⌒
live reaction of me the first half of the book btw
the book isn't meant to have a plot, which.. characters can make or break that genre in movies, in shows, etc.—this book... didn't do an amazing job at hooking me at first because of that. the characters were (and even now, still a bit are) unmemorable, and probably will be for most people in comparison to other works you'll read in your life. maybe you won't remember the characters for who they are, but you'll definitely remember how they and this book made you feel.
obviously, they're meant to be as human as a human can be in realistic fiction. humans are complex creatures, however, and even with everything i found out about these characters throughout the book, the characters were.. lacking? for lack of a better term. i feel like.. there was something more i was missing from them? though, this is not the point or purpose of the story so i'm just being knit picky because i'm used to that.
i do think the question of complexity or want to push TOWARDS complexity is absolutely there. this is a book for middle schoolers i believe (to about early high school, so 11-15 y/o maybe), so this is around the time they start to grasp on more complex concepts.. i think this book does a wonderful job at introducing them and allowing them to ask more abstract questions.
̼̼♪ ﹒┊ ﹒the writing.
the dialogue is so awkward and choppy almost too often. but not the good kind of awkward. awkward BLAND awkward!! not life changing (at all) but not terrible. just not for me in the longer term.
okay.. i DID think say before. (〃❛ ʜ ❛〃) however, i do think that the regular, simplistic nature of the dialogue is almost... charming... the farther you get into the book. the characters tend to have a lot of overthought-thoughts? a normal, very human amount of overthought-thoughts. it obviously makes the book feel a bit more personal and realistic, but the normal things transform into something so lovely in this book because of it.. you know?
𓈒 ⌢⌢ . ۫ ꣑ৎ .
𝒢 spoiler corner ᵕ ₊
careful! do not proceed if you haven't read ~
𓈒 ⌢⌢ . ۫ ꣑ৎ .
𝒢𓍢 final thoughts 𝄈 🌻
a very beautiful book especially in its final parts and chapters, but honestly.. i wouldn't recommend it if you're used to reading only linear stories with a limited-perspective. this book has a lot of perspectives, and they often change as fast as like.. one paragraph in the same chapter. if you don't get used to it, you might miss out on the fact that it happened (;´ρ`)
i also wouldn't recommend it if you're mostly into media or books with very well-thought out plots and complicated/complex characters (which is a LOT of works and media, and probably why i wasn't a fan at first). be wary that this book is meant for the youth, but if you're looking for a quick read and/or want to start enjoying the ordinary a little bit more.. i think this is a perfect one for you!!
𖧁𓏲 ₊ “ I felt ten years old and a thousand years old, but I didn't know how to be my own age. I had never felt that way before, but now I feel like that a lot. ” 𓈒 𝒢
⁺ ༶ . ───── ⁺
୨ৎ ── [🪷] by yours truly, mari . . . ( ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ഒ
⟹ ✿ spoilers are marked, and spoiler corner is open!
𖧁𓏲 ₊ “ Alas my love, you do me wrong. The song was so old, but it was such a new, real feeling. They sang it together, but their thoughts went off to different places, to different people. Maybe the wrong places, the wrong people. How did anyone know? ” 𓈒 𝒢
🎧 . ⬭ ⧅ from the subway train | vansire
⧅ , ˚ ✿ pre-read thoughts . .
got recommended this book by my school librarian (thank you, ms. bev!) in hopes to get back into reading and eventually writing again myself. i'm looking forward to this! i hope it's cute!!
⧅ , ˚ ✿ pre-review thoughts . .
3.5 rounded down! 💞 can't lie... i thought my original review for this was going to be kiiiind of mean (and nasty) because i wasn't originally a fan of the pacing.. but honestly it started growing on me towards the second half of the book to the end. romance makes everything interesting, even though this wasn't primarily a romance book ;D
⁺ ༶ . ───── ⁺
𝒢𓍢 overall thoughts 𝄈 🔅
well, i definitely read this book. and did enjoy it! it wasn't ABSOLUTELY life changing to the point where I'm like "I NEED TO BUY A PERSONAL COPY ASAP" (i'm still on the search for a book like that 👀) or anything... but i think this one was a nice reminder that sometimes its good to be patient with new things you're trying because you never know what you'll learn or like if you never try (or in this case, finish) anything. maybe this is your sign to give that one book u dnf'ed another chance... hehe..
sure, this book was pretty boring (no, really boring) at first... i think that's the reason it took me like 10 WHOLE days to finish. i must admit.. i started to hate the book at first for that reason.
but the multiple stories unfolding, some inherent details that are important later on, and characters reminiscing often on moments that affected their lives or the lives of others and how those same moments impacted the outcome of who they are now is so.. wow.
it's definitely an important thing to reflect on! you never know where something has been or what it means to someone, or maybe what a person has gone through, etc etc. you kind of manufacture your thoughts of someone based on what they show you.. which is something we can't necessarily control, but can reduce how much it impacts our perception of people when we're aware of it. but everyone has their own lives they're living, and we are all very complex and constantly changing too. i think this book did a good job at showing that.
𓈒 ⌢⌢ . ۫ ꣑ৎ .
̼̼♪ ﹒┊ ﹒the characters.
𓎢 𓈒 debbie: cute. she has a lot that could be said about her but i can't remember it all for the life of me. she's me and probably you when we were 10 or 11 and trying to figure ourselves out, if that helps any.
𓎢 𓈒 hector: i liked him! i liked that he was able to get out of his own shell over time. he was able to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, and look! he's thriving! sometimes, those things need to happen so you can learn from those experiences.. y'know? i really resonate with that, actually.
𓎢 𓈒 lenny: i think i'm just naturally drawn to silly guys who are very smart in technical work. he's pretty charming! and suuuuper funny.
𓎢 𓈒 peter: may a boy like this find me and shower me with affection..
𓎢 𓈒 dan persik: an effing jerk. he's.. interesting? but eugh.. he pisses me off.
ྀི , the plot ⌒⌒
live reaction of me the first half of the book btw
the book isn't meant to have a plot, which.. characters can make or break that genre in movies, in shows, etc.—this book... didn't do an amazing job at hooking me at first because of that. the characters were (and even now, still a bit are) unmemorable, and probably will be for most people in comparison to other works you'll read in your life. maybe you won't remember the characters for who they are, but you'll definitely remember how they and this book made you feel.
obviously, they're meant to be as human as a human can be in realistic fiction. humans are complex creatures, however, and even with everything i found out about these characters throughout the book, the characters were.. lacking? for lack of a better term. i feel like.. there was something more i was missing from them? though, this is not the point or purpose of the story so i'm just being knit picky because i'm used to that.
i do think the question of complexity or want to push TOWARDS complexity is absolutely there. this is a book for middle schoolers i believe (to about early high school, so 11-15 y/o maybe), so this is around the time they start to grasp on more complex concepts.. i think this book does a wonderful job at introducing them and allowing them to ask more abstract questions.
̼̼♪ ﹒┊ ﹒the writing.
okay.. i DID think say before. (〃❛ ʜ ❛〃) however, i do think that the regular, simplistic nature of the dialogue is almost... charming... the farther you get into the book. the characters tend to have a lot of overthought-thoughts? a normal, very human amount of overthought-thoughts. it obviously makes the book feel a bit more personal and realistic, but the normal things transform into something so lovely in this book because of it.. you know?
𓈒 ⌢⌢ . ۫ ꣑ৎ .
𝒢 spoiler corner ᵕ ₊
careful! do not proceed if you haven't read ~
𓈒 ⌢⌢ . ۫ ꣑ৎ .
𝒢𓍢 final thoughts 𝄈 🌻
a very beautiful book especially in its final parts and chapters, but honestly.. i wouldn't recommend it if you're used to reading only linear stories with a limited-perspective. this book has a lot of perspectives, and they often change as fast as like.. one paragraph in the same chapter. if you don't get used to it, you might miss out on the fact that it happened (;´ρ`)
i also wouldn't recommend it if you're mostly into media or books with very well-thought out plots and complicated/complex characters (which is a LOT of works and media, and probably why i wasn't a fan at first). be wary that this book is meant for the youth, but if you're looking for a quick read and/or want to start enjoying the ordinary a little bit more.. i think this is a perfect one for you!!
𖧁𓏲 ₊ “ I felt ten years old and a thousand years old, but I didn't know how to be my own age. I had never felt that way before, but now I feel like that a lot. ” 𓈒 𝒢
⁺ ༶ . ───── ⁺
୨ৎ ── [🪷] by yours truly, mari . . . ( ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ഒ
May 3, 2014
I just loved this. It reminded me of the great fiction I read in Sassy magazine when I was a young teenager, before it went bust. I honestly didn't expect to like it, but it wasn't nearly as weird or quirky as I expected--I'd heard that parts of it were "told in verse", for instance, but there's just one short chapter of that and it isn't esoteric.
The setting made me think of what Laurie said about the Penderwicks--if you're going to write a book set in the forties, SET it in the forties. The world these characters live in does seem a little bit gentler and slower than the current one, and the seventies setting (understated, not intrusive) makes that make sense. But I thought, reading it, that when I was this age my world was also a little gentler and slower-moving than that of some of the other kids I knew--and I'm sure that will always be true for some teenagers--so in a way, the setting gives the book a way to be timeless, too. (That's a little garbled; sorry if it doesn't make any sense.)
I kind of wonder why it won the Newbery instead of the Printz. There's absolutely nothing that anyone could object to for younger kids (well, I guess some people object to a tobacco-chewing scene in which chewing tobacco is shown to be icky and dumb, but whatever), but I really don't think I would have gotten much out of this until I was at least thirteen. There's some overlap in the ages between the two awards, but I think this one skews older. (I'm sure I'm not the first to wonder about this.)
The setting made me think of what Laurie said about the Penderwicks--if you're going to write a book set in the forties, SET it in the forties. The world these characters live in does seem a little bit gentler and slower than the current one, and the seventies setting (understated, not intrusive) makes that make sense. But I thought, reading it, that when I was this age my world was also a little gentler and slower-moving than that of some of the other kids I knew--and I'm sure that will always be true for some teenagers--so in a way, the setting gives the book a way to be timeless, too. (That's a little garbled; sorry if it doesn't make any sense.)
I kind of wonder why it won the Newbery instead of the Printz. There's absolutely nothing that anyone could object to for younger kids (well, I guess some people object to a tobacco-chewing scene in which chewing tobacco is shown to be icky and dumb, but whatever), but I really don't think I would have gotten much out of this until I was at least thirteen. There's some overlap in the ages between the two awards, but I think this one skews older. (I'm sure I'm not the first to wonder about this.)
November 27, 2011
"She wished something would happen. Something good. To her." keep wishing! This was just a random collection of memories, most of them not contributing towards the story in any way. Kirkus Reviews says 'A poignantly funny coming-of-age story'. Not only did I not find it funny, most of the characters barely changed and were just as childish at the start as at the end.
I picked this book up because of the interesting cover, and the reviews and blurb on the back. I was under the impression something actually would happen in this book, but I was mistaken. It's one of those horrible books your year seven teacher is going to jam down your throat, and assume you'll like it aged anywhere from 12+, because it talks about guitars, rebellious clothing choices and secretly learning to drive. I hope in reality kids see it as drivel, and they probably will. The characters are meant to be around 14, and they come across as much younger. They mark holding hands as some momentous occasion!
Probably you're reading this view and not agreeing, since obviously this book is popular enough and has won a Newbery Medal, but I wonder how many 14 year olds, like the ones supposedly portrayed in the book, would agree with me?
I picked this book up because of the interesting cover, and the reviews and blurb on the back. I was under the impression something actually would happen in this book, but I was mistaken. It's one of those horrible books your year seven teacher is going to jam down your throat, and assume you'll like it aged anywhere from 12+, because it talks about guitars, rebellious clothing choices and secretly learning to drive. I hope in reality kids see it as drivel, and they probably will. The characters are meant to be around 14, and they come across as much younger. They mark holding hands as some momentous occasion!
Probably you're reading this view and not agreeing, since obviously this book is popular enough and has won a Newbery Medal, but I wonder how many 14 year olds, like the ones supposedly portrayed in the book, would agree with me?
November 20, 2022
The winner of the Newbery Medal in 2006 features a set of 14 year olds whose paths criss cross in various ways. Small town life in the early 1970s seemed to me a bit unusual for a 21st century Newbery but I found it good, at times entrancing.
In 1973, I had a 3 year old and a new baby. I felt rather stuck at home and like Debbie in the book was wishing something would happen. I surely felt that way in 1961 when I was 14. But I wonder how a young teen in 2006 would relate to a time with no cell phones, no internet, etc.
There is a Buddhist slant to the author's take on growing, change, connections and moving out of one's family into one's own life.
I especially liked the boy who goes to a coffee house and decides to become an acoustic guitar playing songwriter. Maybe that's because I also discovered the guitar at 14 and taught myself to play.
In 1973, I had a 3 year old and a new baby. I felt rather stuck at home and like Debbie in the book was wishing something would happen. I surely felt that way in 1961 when I was 14. But I wonder how a young teen in 2006 would relate to a time with no cell phones, no internet, etc.
There is a Buddhist slant to the author's take on growing, change, connections and moving out of one's family into one's own life.
I especially liked the boy who goes to a coffee house and decides to become an acoustic guitar playing songwriter. Maybe that's because I also discovered the guitar at 14 and taught myself to play.
August 5, 2025
Look at the diversity of reactions. I'm guessing one's appreciation depends a lot on how much one feels a sympathetic resonance with the main character. Now, the best books will make most anyone care about most anyone, and if this fails in that, it's not fabulous. But I bet that it's not really a one-star book, either.
---
Now that I've read it, I want to read it again immediately! I loved it. I'm not going to look at negative reviews; I don't want my reaction to be contaminated by the negativity.
It is possible people don't realize that it takes place circa 1970, and is a sequel to All Alone in the Universe, it's possible they are bothered by being a bit at a loss as to what was going on. Or maybe they just wanted more to be going on. Maybe they don't remember that smart, thoughtful kids can have a summer that seems quiet, but it pivotal in how it affects what kind of teen they become.
It is a quiet book. It reminds me of some of the works by E.L. Konigsburg, or a few from Jerry Spinelli such as Hokey Pokey. All need to be booktalked more by educators who understand that not every child needs adventures and thrills.
I certainly would have loved this as a child.
"... many people in those days only had one sweater or one dress. It was hard to believe but that's what her mother said, and ... they spruced up for special occasions" by wearing a lacy collar. An illustration is included.
Note that Perkins is an artist. There are quite a few illustrations, inserted in just the right places to help convey mood or explain something (as above) or give the reader a bit of a break from the text.
" I think... that it's a good thing to get out of your usual, you know, surroundings. Because you find things out about yourself that you didn't know, or you forgot. And then you go back to your regular life and you're changed, you're a little bit different because you take those new things with you. Like the Hindu, except all in one life: you sort of get reincarnated depending on what happened and what you figure out."
I also like the subtle references to Jonathon Livingston Seagull a story and to "Words Of Love" by The Mamas & the Papas.
And of course I love Debbie, and Hector, and all the rest of the kids.
---
Reread. More review coming tomorrow. Just know now that I want to reread it again someday. Like The Bees and The Secret Garden I don't think I'll ever get burnt out by it.
Debbie goes to hang out with her friends Lenny and Phil. But she thinks: "It was a relief to shift her thoughts away from boys and what happened when she tried to talk to one of them." I hope she does learn eventually that everyone is just people, and also that you should only be in r'ships with ppl you think of as friends. Most of us do learn that, don't we?
Author explains Dan P., the handsome, fortunate, popular football player who is developing a bestial nature: " The key was, something had to penetrate his golden aura and touch his soul. If he learned these lessons, he would get to keep some of the special powers, though they would matter less because he would have some new ones. If he didn't learn them, he would remain a large, furry, willfully stupid animal."
"She picked up a book someone had given her that, from what she could gather, was about a seagull who was some kind of deep thinker. It worked even better than the Reader's Digest" to put her to sleep. For those who don't know, Reader's Digest is a magazine that includes abridged popular novels. The seagull is from the short 'novel' Jonathan Livingstone Seagull which was huge back in the day.
Note - these two books could not have taken place in 60s as one reviewer says. The seagull book wasn't published until 1970.
---
Now that I've read it, I want to read it again immediately! I loved it. I'm not going to look at negative reviews; I don't want my reaction to be contaminated by the negativity.
It is possible people don't realize that it takes place circa 1970, and is a sequel to All Alone in the Universe, it's possible they are bothered by being a bit at a loss as to what was going on. Or maybe they just wanted more to be going on. Maybe they don't remember that smart, thoughtful kids can have a summer that seems quiet, but it pivotal in how it affects what kind of teen they become.
It is a quiet book. It reminds me of some of the works by E.L. Konigsburg, or a few from Jerry Spinelli such as Hokey Pokey. All need to be booktalked more by educators who understand that not every child needs adventures and thrills.
I certainly would have loved this as a child.
"... many people in those days only had one sweater or one dress. It was hard to believe but that's what her mother said, and ... they spruced up for special occasions" by wearing a lacy collar. An illustration is included.
Note that Perkins is an artist. There are quite a few illustrations, inserted in just the right places to help convey mood or explain something (as above) or give the reader a bit of a break from the text.
" I think... that it's a good thing to get out of your usual, you know, surroundings. Because you find things out about yourself that you didn't know, or you forgot. And then you go back to your regular life and you're changed, you're a little bit different because you take those new things with you. Like the Hindu, except all in one life: you sort of get reincarnated depending on what happened and what you figure out."
I also like the subtle references to Jonathon Livingston Seagull a story and to "Words Of Love" by The Mamas & the Papas.
And of course I love Debbie, and Hector, and all the rest of the kids.
---
Reread. More review coming tomorrow. Just know now that I want to reread it again someday. Like The Bees and The Secret Garden I don't think I'll ever get burnt out by it.
Debbie goes to hang out with her friends Lenny and Phil. But she thinks: "It was a relief to shift her thoughts away from boys and what happened when she tried to talk to one of them." I hope she does learn eventually that everyone is just people, and also that you should only be in r'ships with ppl you think of as friends. Most of us do learn that, don't we?
Author explains Dan P., the handsome, fortunate, popular football player who is developing a bestial nature: " The key was, something had to penetrate his golden aura and touch his soul. If he learned these lessons, he would get to keep some of the special powers, though they would matter less because he would have some new ones. If he didn't learn them, he would remain a large, furry, willfully stupid animal."
"She picked up a book someone had given her that, from what she could gather, was about a seagull who was some kind of deep thinker. It worked even better than the Reader's Digest" to put her to sleep. For those who don't know, Reader's Digest is a magazine that includes abridged popular novels. The seagull is from the short 'novel' Jonathan Livingstone Seagull which was huge back in the day.
Note - these two books could not have taken place in 60s as one reviewer says. The seagull book wasn't published until 1970.
November 10, 2014
I wasn't even on Goodreads when I read this, and the five stars is just a guess, but I do know I loved it. Copying and pasting (and cutting) from two LJ write-ups below.
Okay, so probably most people have read Criss Cross by now - or at least, everyone in the States, as for some bizarre reason, it STILL hasn't been published this side of the Pond, which seems ridiculous. But there's not a huge amount to say about the plot of this book, anyway, aside from its being mostly about a - or maybe two - 14-year-old(s), in a small town in the sixties. The book opens with Debbie wishing that something good will happen to her soon, and there's a lovely, gentle movement through the book of what she sees happening and changing her and what she doesn't necessarily see. And Hector, the other main character, is dragged along by his older sister to a 'coffeehouse thing' at a nearby community college, where he's so impressed by a guitar player that he decides he has to learn to play himself. And the criss-crossing theme applies to them and other people, and them and each other, and they're all really nice people and the kids feel so very right and the humour is just my type. I have no real idea why this makes me think of food, but it does. A really light lemon pudding - not too sweet, and not at all stodgy!
[A few days later, I wrote more about it]
I remembered after posting the little I managed to say about Criss Cross that I'd completely forgotten to mention the Midsummer Night's Dream theme in it (though perhaps theme is too strong a word). I don't think I even saw the epigraph when I read the book, but noticed it when I was checking publisher (as I didn't want to grumble about the fact it had never been published This Side only to find it was). It's 'What thou seest when thou dost wake, Do it for thy true-love take...'
I really want to reread this book anyway, as I read it in interrupted doses and when pretty exhausted and stressed, but I've caught some of the AMND tracings and was retrospectively extremely impressed by how this was worked in. It's not at all a simple one-to-one pairing of any character, but rather the shifting seeing as these kids start to wake up to romantic possibilities in old and new friends. There's even a little touch of magic, as for example, when a necklace which has moved around the town through various different characters' hands fails to achieve anything when finally reunited with its owner. I loved this part. (I'll take out the characters' names, as it's fairly near the end. Not that there's any kind of spoiler really, but still.)
The more I think about what is rather broad comedy in the play when it concerns adults under enchantment, and how it becomes a perfect description of kids just coming into adolescence, the more I like this. I even wrote down who likes whom and who whom likes in return and the criss-crossing patterns of this through the book for myself! And okay, perhaps this isn't going to be as good an image of a 14-year-old now, growing up in a world stuffed with TV soaps and reality shows, but neither is it confined to adolescence in biological years. I've seen people even older than I am who are 'waking' and 'seeing' and 'loving' people in dizzyingly rapid succession.
It occurred to me early this morning that there's even a character who plays the role of the 'rude mechanical'. And it's glorious because he's anything BUT 'rude' or crude or stupid. This is Lenny, for those who've read the book, and I already thought he was yet another wonderful character. His 'metamorphosis from bookworm to gearhead' is seen to be likely to separate him from his friends - though it's not clear 'just how far apart the paths would eventually veer'. And 'maybe it was some kind of tragedy that no one spotted who Lenny could be. Or maybe it wasn't. Lenny didn't need someone to tell him who he was.' How amazing to get so much of character, and so much awareness of social pressures and their effects (and sometimes the limits of their effects) in such a short and simple bit of writing.
Okay, so probably most people have read Criss Cross by now - or at least, everyone in the States, as for some bizarre reason, it STILL hasn't been published this side of the Pond, which seems ridiculous. But there's not a huge amount to say about the plot of this book, anyway, aside from its being mostly about a - or maybe two - 14-year-old(s), in a small town in the sixties. The book opens with Debbie wishing that something good will happen to her soon, and there's a lovely, gentle movement through the book of what she sees happening and changing her and what she doesn't necessarily see. And Hector, the other main character, is dragged along by his older sister to a 'coffeehouse thing' at a nearby community college, where he's so impressed by a guitar player that he decides he has to learn to play himself. And the criss-crossing theme applies to them and other people, and them and each other, and they're all really nice people and the kids feel so very right and the humour is just my type. I have no real idea why this makes me think of food, but it does. A really light lemon pudding - not too sweet, and not at all stodgy!
[A few days later, I wrote more about it]
I remembered after posting the little I managed to say about Criss Cross that I'd completely forgotten to mention the Midsummer Night's Dream theme in it (though perhaps theme is too strong a word). I don't think I even saw the epigraph when I read the book, but noticed it when I was checking publisher (as I didn't want to grumble about the fact it had never been published This Side only to find it was). It's 'What thou seest when thou dost wake, Do it for thy true-love take...'
I really want to reread this book anyway, as I read it in interrupted doses and when pretty exhausted and stressed, but I've caught some of the AMND tracings and was retrospectively extremely impressed by how this was worked in. It's not at all a simple one-to-one pairing of any character, but rather the shifting seeing as these kids start to wake up to romantic possibilities in old and new friends. There's even a little touch of magic, as for example, when a necklace which has moved around the town through various different characters' hands fails to achieve anything when finally reunited with its owner. I loved this part. (I'll take out the characters' names, as it's fairly near the end. Not that there's any kind of spoiler really, but still.)
X did look at Y, and he saw her, really saw her for a moment. Y looked at X and she saw him, really saw him, for a moment. If it had been the same moment, something might have happened. But their moments were separated by about a second. Maybe only half a second. Their paths crossed, but they missed each other.
The hardworking necklace couldn't believe it. It let out an inaudible, exasperated gasp.
The more I think about what is rather broad comedy in the play when it concerns adults under enchantment, and how it becomes a perfect description of kids just coming into adolescence, the more I like this. I even wrote down who likes whom and who whom likes in return and the criss-crossing patterns of this through the book for myself! And okay, perhaps this isn't going to be as good an image of a 14-year-old now, growing up in a world stuffed with TV soaps and reality shows, but neither is it confined to adolescence in biological years. I've seen people even older than I am who are 'waking' and 'seeing' and 'loving' people in dizzyingly rapid succession.
It occurred to me early this morning that there's even a character who plays the role of the 'rude mechanical'. And it's glorious because he's anything BUT 'rude' or crude or stupid. This is Lenny, for those who've read the book, and I already thought he was yet another wonderful character. His 'metamorphosis from bookworm to gearhead' is seen to be likely to separate him from his friends - though it's not clear 'just how far apart the paths would eventually veer'. And 'maybe it was some kind of tragedy that no one spotted who Lenny could be. Or maybe it wasn't. Lenny didn't need someone to tell him who he was.' How amazing to get so much of character, and so much awareness of social pressures and their effects (and sometimes the limits of their effects) in such a short and simple bit of writing.
February 12, 2018
When I read the synopsis for this book, I had no idea what it was about. Now that I’ve read it, I understand why the summary is so vague. Nothing happens in the book. It’s a quiet, meandering story about the transition from childhood to the teenage years.
Compared to most middlegrade books, this one has a lot of characters. All of the characters live in the same neighborhood, and their paths keep crisscrossing. The novel mostly shows them going about their daily lives. Sometimes they notice each other, and sometimes they don’t. All the young characters are becoming interested in romance and are starting to take on adult responsibilities.
This book doesn't really have a plot. It’s set in a small town in the early 1970s. There are two main characters, Debbie and Hector. Debbie has agreed to help an elderly woman with her housework. Hector has started taking guitar lessons and is desperate to impress a girl in his class. Debbie and Hector are acquaintances who get together every week to listen to a radio show with their mutual friends. The reader knows that Hector and Debbie could be great friends (or even something more), but the characters are so caught up in their own lives that they don’t pay attention to each other.
I’m not sure what to say about this book. I think the story and characters are pretty forgettable. It’s a sweet, slow, realistic story about growing up. The writing is where this book shines. It’s somewhat experimental and not the type of writing you’d normally find in a children’s book. First, it’s omniscient, so you’re inside all the characters’ heads at the same time. Also, there is a lot of unusual formatting. Some chapters are written in verse. One chapter is written in columns. There are mixed-media photograph/sketch things. The format makes the story feel very immediate. Each character is on his/her own trajectory, and there are many small events happening at the same time.
I like how this novel addresses the idea of soulmates. Maybe there isn’t “one person for everyone.” Maybe there are multiple people for everyone. In this book, the characters could have ended up in any combination of relationships and been happy.
This story is about near misses. Sometimes we’re so caught up in our own lives that we don’t notice other people. Your future friend or lover may be standing next to you, but you have to look away from yourself to notice them.
I’m not sure how I would have felt about this book if I’d read it as a kid. I think I would’ve liked the formatting, but I was a profoundly stupid child. (You could ask my teachers. They’d agree.) The subtlety of the story would have been lost on me. I probably would have been confused by all the characters. There are a lot of them, and the minor characters aren’t developed very well. I probably would have gotten them mixed up.
Ultimately, this isn’t one of my favorite Newbery winning books. I think I would have gotten bored with it as a kid. It would have been too meandering for me.
TL;DR: Beautifully written with thought-provoking themes, but otherwise forgettable.
Compared to most middlegrade books, this one has a lot of characters. All of the characters live in the same neighborhood, and their paths keep crisscrossing. The novel mostly shows them going about their daily lives. Sometimes they notice each other, and sometimes they don’t. All the young characters are becoming interested in romance and are starting to take on adult responsibilities.
“Life was rearranging itself; bulging in places, fraying in spots. Sometimes leaving holes big enough to see through, or even step through, to somewhere else.” – Criss Cross
This book doesn't really have a plot. It’s set in a small town in the early 1970s. There are two main characters, Debbie and Hector. Debbie has agreed to help an elderly woman with her housework. Hector has started taking guitar lessons and is desperate to impress a girl in his class. Debbie and Hector are acquaintances who get together every week to listen to a radio show with their mutual friends. The reader knows that Hector and Debbie could be great friends (or even something more), but the characters are so caught up in their own lives that they don’t pay attention to each other.
I’m not sure what to say about this book. I think the story and characters are pretty forgettable. It’s a sweet, slow, realistic story about growing up. The writing is where this book shines. It’s somewhat experimental and not the type of writing you’d normally find in a children’s book. First, it’s omniscient, so you’re inside all the characters’ heads at the same time. Also, there is a lot of unusual formatting. Some chapters are written in verse. One chapter is written in columns. There are mixed-media photograph/sketch things. The format makes the story feel very immediate. Each character is on his/her own trajectory, and there are many small events happening at the same time.
I like how this novel addresses the idea of soulmates. Maybe there isn’t “one person for everyone.” Maybe there are multiple people for everyone. In this book, the characters could have ended up in any combination of relationships and been happy.
“Debbie wondered if it was true that there was only one person in the world for every person, and if she had already met him, and she either had to find a way to be around him again someday or always be alone. Romance-wise. She didn't quite believe this. What seemed more likely was that there were at least five or six people scattered around the globe who you could bump into and, wham, it would be the right thing.” – Criss Cross
This story is about near misses. Sometimes we’re so caught up in our own lives that we don’t notice other people. Your future friend or lover may be standing next to you, but you have to look away from yourself to notice them.
“Their secrets inadvertently sidestepped each other, unaware, like blindfolded elephants crossing the tiny room.” – Criss Cross
I’m not sure how I would have felt about this book if I’d read it as a kid. I think I would’ve liked the formatting, but I was a profoundly stupid child. (You could ask my teachers. They’d agree.) The subtlety of the story would have been lost on me. I probably would have been confused by all the characters. There are a lot of them, and the minor characters aren’t developed very well. I probably would have gotten them mixed up.
Ultimately, this isn’t one of my favorite Newbery winning books. I think I would have gotten bored with it as a kid. It would have been too meandering for me.
TL;DR: Beautifully written with thought-provoking themes, but otherwise forgettable.
May 13, 2008
I loved this book. It's funny and touching. It actually reminded me of what it was like to be 14. The tag line drew me in immediately: "She wished something would happen." I definitely remember spending my teen years wishing "something would happen." I still feel that way! The author writes so simply and perfectly. For example:
"Whatever her name was, she was pretty. She had a thick, careless braid of chestnut hair, a quick smile, and dark, merry eyes. She wore some kind of a fuzzy lavender pullover, and when she crossed her legs and lifted her guitar onto her lap, she had an interesting way of tucking the foot of the bottom leg back under her chair that made Hector feel melty. He looked away in self-preservation." (p.72).
That last sentence made me laugh out loud. So funny. A "careless braid". "Melty". Love it!
"Whatever her name was, she was pretty. She had a thick, careless braid of chestnut hair, a quick smile, and dark, merry eyes. She wore some kind of a fuzzy lavender pullover, and when she crossed her legs and lifted her guitar onto her lap, she had an interesting way of tucking the foot of the bottom leg back under her chair that made Hector feel melty. He looked away in self-preservation." (p.72).
That last sentence made me laugh out loud. So funny. A "careless braid". "Melty". Love it!
July 15, 2025
The cover copy: "She wished something would happen"
The moral: Wishes frequently don't come true.
Another lesson: Sometimes a Newbery Medal means jack shit. I mean, it can be stamped right there on the cover, but everything under it makes you wonder if, like, the committee just gets really wasted every so often and gives it to a book that really, really doesn't even deserve to be in consideration. A drunken, "Wouldn't it be funny if we gave it to . . . ?" joke gone oh so very wrong.
This is an extremely boring and generic slice-of-life/coming-of-age tale. The author tries to spice it up by occasionally diddling around with the format and her writing style, including some useless illustrations and photographs, and alluding to some literary serendipity crap, but it remains steadfastly dull, bland, and tedious.
The moral: Wishes frequently don't come true.
Another lesson: Sometimes a Newbery Medal means jack shit. I mean, it can be stamped right there on the cover, but everything under it makes you wonder if, like, the committee just gets really wasted every so often and gives it to a book that really, really doesn't even deserve to be in consideration. A drunken, "Wouldn't it be funny if we gave it to . . . ?" joke gone oh so very wrong.
This is an extremely boring and generic slice-of-life/coming-of-age tale. The author tries to spice it up by occasionally diddling around with the format and her writing style, including some useless illustrations and photographs, and alluding to some literary serendipity crap, but it remains steadfastly dull, bland, and tedious.
June 28, 2010
'Criss Cross' leads with its quintessential sentence: 'She wished something would happen.' Quintessential because the reader may often find himself wishing the same thing.
Perkins makes clever use of different styles of text and illustration in this novel about teen-age lives intersecting during a lazy summer in a small town. And the kids are interesting characters with depth. I was particularly fond of Hector, who actually does something (learns how to play the guitar). For the most part, however, nobody really does much of anything.
Well, the protagonist, Debbie, does get a boyfriend--for a few days.
Looking back on my adolescence, it all rings too true. Many hours of inactivity and wistful imagining are a major part of that period of life. But this reader wished for some elision.
Still, the book gets points for its dead-on portraits, especially its measured and funny put-down of the insensitive jock, Dan Persik. And for its graphics, language, and poetry.
Where Jane Purdy in Beverly Cleary's 'Fifteen' can barely imagine herself composing haikus 'if she could get them to come out in seventeen syllables,' the world-weary girls of 'Criss Cross' toss out one delightful haiku after another:
'The page is empty
Who knows what mystery
Will be written there?'
As you can see, though, nothing much happens in the haikus, either.
Something is happening with me. I'm steadily moving toward my goal of reading all the Newbery winners. With 'Criss Cross' (2006), I've got a major chunk, 1986 to the present, out of the way. 1967 to 1981 is done, too, and lots of smaller spans before that.
Perkins makes clever use of different styles of text and illustration in this novel about teen-age lives intersecting during a lazy summer in a small town. And the kids are interesting characters with depth. I was particularly fond of Hector, who actually does something (learns how to play the guitar). For the most part, however, nobody really does much of anything.
Well, the protagonist, Debbie, does get a boyfriend--for a few days.
Looking back on my adolescence, it all rings too true. Many hours of inactivity and wistful imagining are a major part of that period of life. But this reader wished for some elision.
Still, the book gets points for its dead-on portraits, especially its measured and funny put-down of the insensitive jock, Dan Persik. And for its graphics, language, and poetry.
Where Jane Purdy in Beverly Cleary's 'Fifteen' can barely imagine herself composing haikus 'if she could get them to come out in seventeen syllables,' the world-weary girls of 'Criss Cross' toss out one delightful haiku after another:
'The page is empty
Who knows what mystery
Will be written there?'
As you can see, though, nothing much happens in the haikus, either.
Something is happening with me. I'm steadily moving toward my goal of reading all the Newbery winners. With 'Criss Cross' (2006), I've got a major chunk, 1986 to the present, out of the way. 1967 to 1981 is done, too, and lots of smaller spans before that.
July 7, 2009
It's not entirely terrible -- the author has a good sense of the inner life of early teens. And the plot, sweet and slow, had potential. But the book is just a mess. The writing veers wildly from childish to sophisticated. The author introduces new points of view far too often -- even on the very last page. There are too many techniques and tricks showing and they got in the way of the story, and the use of illustrations to supplement the text didn't work at all for me. And very few of the characters are developed enough -- by the end I was still wondering who was who. How exactly did this book win a Newbery?
June 18, 2015
I very much dislike this book. its a very messy book which its title explains it criss crosses. for example it tells you that someone is at a cafe and then the next page they are at their friends with a hole new subject on your hands. So if you like a criss crossing kinda of book this is yours. I cant quite figure out the genre of this book there is no suspense yet barely any comedy and no adventure so if you can find out its genre please tell me. I read this in a group and none of us enjoyed it but thats my opinion.
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April 26, 2019A good realistic fiction book but i dont like it as much as desert dark.
May 17, 2025
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September 3, 2014
2006 Newbery Medal recipient.
Given that I'm down to only 11 to go, I can fairly safely say that this is my least favorite Newbery book. Page after page of introspective navel-gazing drivel. An example that demonstrates everything that is wrong with the unreadably terrible writing in this book:
"Debbie's feet were still propped up on the dashboard and, in their fronts-only sunburned state, her bare legs reminded Hector of a freshly opened, unscooped box of Neapolitan ice cream, minus the chocolate stripe."
Awkward grammatical structure? Check. Overly complex sentences? Check. Dubious reference that the author thinks makes her sound smart and hip? Check. Lack of any narrative direction? Check. Neurotically analyzing every detail? Check.
The story ambles from vignette to vignette with no purpose or character development. (It's hard to have character development when nothing happens.) And the few attempts at deeper meaning or philosophy are laughable, such as the silly kid who talks about the philosophies of Hinduism and Buddhism as if they were one and the same. Like the book, he thinks he appears smart, wise, and deep, yet makes it abundantly clear that he lacks the self-awareness to know how foolish he sounds.
This book goes nowhere, does nothing, and chooses the most cumbersome manner possible in which to accomplish those ends. I hated this book, and only a sadist could possibly think any but the most narrow YA audience would get anything out of this book.
Given that I'm down to only 11 to go, I can fairly safely say that this is my least favorite Newbery book. Page after page of introspective navel-gazing drivel. An example that demonstrates everything that is wrong with the unreadably terrible writing in this book:
"Debbie's feet were still propped up on the dashboard and, in their fronts-only sunburned state, her bare legs reminded Hector of a freshly opened, unscooped box of Neapolitan ice cream, minus the chocolate stripe."
Awkward grammatical structure? Check. Overly complex sentences? Check. Dubious reference that the author thinks makes her sound smart and hip? Check. Lack of any narrative direction? Check. Neurotically analyzing every detail? Check.
The story ambles from vignette to vignette with no purpose or character development. (It's hard to have character development when nothing happens.) And the few attempts at deeper meaning or philosophy are laughable, such as the silly kid who talks about the philosophies of Hinduism and Buddhism as if they were one and the same. Like the book, he thinks he appears smart, wise, and deep, yet makes it abundantly clear that he lacks the self-awareness to know how foolish he sounds.
This book goes nowhere, does nothing, and chooses the most cumbersome manner possible in which to accomplish those ends. I hated this book, and only a sadist could possibly think any but the most narrow YA audience would get anything out of this book.
August 1, 2010
For a Newbery Award winner, I was quite confused with how the book got the medal for about the first 300 pages. Criss Cross doesn't initially seem to have much going on that holds it together or even creates an ongoing plot to induce the reader's continued attention. I found the illustrations/ cartoons especially annoying because they didn't seem to further the story but instead lamely reiterate points of the story. The setting was also especially confusing. It seemed very much modern day, except without the heavy influence and presence of computers, which made me feel that the author was somewhat out of tune. When the author finally mentioned bell bottoms I thought that maybe it was in the 60's or 70's but there is an absence of greater social issues that really leaves the time period unplaceable for me. Regardless, the last chapter or two redeemed the book, as it finally became clear that the point of the book was missed romantic connections which is sort of touching and poignant and completely worth reading and thinking about. Too bad I didn't have any of those interesting thoughts to provide companionship throughout the first 98% of the book. With such a major flaw, you'd think that I'd have put the book down and completely lost interest, but there was enough there in the writing style and variety of characters and social situations to maintain some interest along the way. So not bad but still disappointing.
October 27, 2009
I enjoyed this sweet, quiet book about adolescence because of the beautiful shining moments of perfectly capturing the feeling of transformation that happens as children turn into young adults. I also really enjoyed the way the author played with form and media. The story is almost entirely character-driven; you'd be hard pressed to come up with a real plot summary, but nonetheless, there are so many small events that change the characters as they criss and cross each other all around the small town of Seldem--all of them barely missing each other on one level and encountering each other meaningfully in the most mundane of moments on another. It's a complicated book despite its simple appearance, and the omniscient narration that jumps among the many characters as they interact really adds to those layers of meaning, though it does make the book a bit more difficult at first to connect with.
I do feel like this book would appeal more to adults than to adolescents. It feels so nostalgic, like a look back at childhood's end from the perspective of someone who has already experienced the transformation.
I do feel like this book would appeal more to adults than to adolescents. It feels so nostalgic, like a look back at childhood's end from the perspective of someone who has already experienced the transformation.
June 9, 2007
Not a bad read, but disappointing for a Newbery medalist. A lot of the writing seemed too meta-literary for the target readership to comprehend or appreciate, and even some of the vocabulary I thought was too esoteric. The book also uses a multiple-narrative perspective throughout, which I find too fragmentary. At the end the auther pulls together the pieces (somewhat) for the reader, but not enough to justify a novel that felt like random camera angles shot for the sake of being "artsy". I get the fact that many sophisticated writers want to play with their audience a little, but why would you do this when your audience is middle schoolers??
June 18, 2015
I did not like this book. I found out that this book id not very clear. Also this criss cross book can be very confusing because on one page it will be about these people are at collage and then at the second page their at someones house. I would of liked this book but reading something in your hand that's so confusing and have no idea whats going on can make sometimes frustrated.
June 10, 2012
If it is possible for a book to be a muse, this one is mine. It is gently clever and poignantly insightful, and one of the few books I have re-read over and over without ever tiring of it. Simply a sweet, lovely little book.
August 12, 2024
I just want to start with saying that I know I wasn’t the target audience for this book so I truly tried to think of what I would feel when I was a teenager and that earned it a 3rd star but no more. The plot feels meandering and pointless and I just couldn’t connect with the characters.
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