Criss Cross (original 2005; edition 2005)

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. ( )

Lovely prose but BORING!!! ( )

I've grown really sick of coming-of-age novels, to the point I've vowed never to read another. One might call [b:CRISS CROSS|43475|Criss Cross|Lynne Rae Perkins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170107664s/43475.jpg|42904] a coming-of-age novel, but it has nothing in common with the ones I so despise.

[b:CRISS CROSS|43475|Criss Cross|Lynne Rae Perkins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170107664s/43475.jpg|42904] is the story of a late spring and summer in the lives of several 14-year-olds in a small town in, perhaps, Pennsylvania. It's probably the early 70s (bell-bottoms are still important items of clothing) but this isn't a historical piece in the way that, for instance, [b:THE WEDNESDAY WARS|556136|The Wednesday Wars|Gary D. Schmidt|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175775828s/556136.jpg|2586820] was. Criss Cross is the name of a radio show (similar to Dr. Demento) that some of the kids listen to, but it's also a description of how their lives intersect and veer apart during the summer, as each discovers new things about him- or herself on the road to maturity.

Nothing very dramatic happens in this book. There are no horrifying revelations about the perfidy of adults (one of the things I got so tired of in the standard coming-of-age novel). Instead, the author shows how we learn incrementally, in small everyday lessons, what it is to be human. Perkins makes occasional reference to Buddhist thought, but it's not necessary to know much about Buddhism to enjoy the book. I would highly recommend it to both boys and girls in the junior high age group, with some hope that boys would read it as several of the protagonists are boys. I will probably seek out Lynne Rae Perkins's other books in future. ( )

I liked this book a lot. But I'm not convinced that the "young adults" it is supposedly meant for would really like it all that much. It is quirky in a way that I don't think would resonate too much with the young folks. ( )

Debbie is wishing something good would happen to her. She loses a necklace and finds a necklace, which tells a story criss crossing with her mom, friends, a boy and the world. She grows up and the book is illustrated throughout with black–and–white pictures, comics, and photographs by the author. It's ok. For ages 13-16, this may be a good book when discussing self-awareness and the topic of real wishes vs. dreams. ( )