Criss Cross

by Lynne Rae Perkins (Author)

Criss Cross
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Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
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Winner of the Newbery Medal - New York Times Bestseller - An ALA Notable Book - An ALA Best Book for Young Adults - School Library Journal Best Book - Booklist Editors' Choice - Kirkus Reviews Editors' Choice - Horn Book Fanfare Book - New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

In this acclaimed, award-winning, and timeless national bestseller, Newbery Medalist Lynne Rae Perkins explores the crisscrossing lives of four teenagers on the verge of adulthood. The unique format incorporates short vignettes, haiku, Q&As, and illustrations by the author. Written with love and humor, Criss Cross is an unforgettable story of friendship, family, and growing up.

"It's hard to write a book this good. Lynne Rae Perkins makes it seem easy."--Kevin Henkes, New York Times-bestselling author of the Newbery Honor Books Olive's Ocean and The Year of Billy Miller

"Brilliantly captures the adolescent-level Zen that thoughtful kids bring to their assessment of the world."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

"Best of all are the understated moments, often private and piercing in their authenticity, that capture intelligent, likable teens searching for signs of who they are, and who they'll become."--ALA Booklist (starred review)

"Written with humor and modest bits of philosophy, the writing sparkles with inventive, often dazzling metaphors."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Like a lazy summer day, the novel induces that exhilarating feeling that one has all the time in the world."--The Horn Book (starred review)

"A gentle story about a group of childhood friends facing the crossroads of life and how they wish to live it. Young teens will certainly relate."--School Library Journal (starred review)

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School Library Journal

Gr 6-9 -The author of the popular "All Alone in the Universe" (HarperCollins, 1999) returns with another character study involving those moments that occur in everyone's life -moments when a decision is made that sends a person along one path instead of another. Debbie, who wishes that something would happen so she'll be a different person, and Hector, who feels he is -unfinished, - narrate most of the novel. Both are 14 years old. Hector is a fabulous character with a wry humor and an appealing sense of self-awareness. A secondary story involving Debbie's locket that goes missing in the beginning of the tale and is passed around by a number of characters emphasizes the theme of the book. The descriptive, measured writing includes poems, prose, haiku, and question-and-answer formats. There is a great deal of humor in this gentle story about a group of childhood friends facing the crossroads of life and how they wish to live it. Young teens will certainly relate to the self-consciousnesses and uncertainty of all of the characters, each of whom is straining toward clarity and awareness. The book is profusely illustrated with Perkins's amusing drawings and some photographs." -B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY" Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

Through narrative that has the flavor of stream-of-consciousness writing but is more controlled and poetic, Perkins ("All Alone in the Universe)" captures the wistful romantic yearnings of three friends on the brink of adolescence. There's Debbie, who makes a wish that "something different would happen. Something good. To me." There's Hector, who hears a guitarist and quite suddenly feels inspired to learn how to play the instrument. Then there's mechanical-minded Lenny who feels himself drawn to Debbie. The characters spend spring and summer wandering about their neighborhood, "criss crossing" paths, expanding their perspectives on the world while sensing that life will lead them to some exciting new experiences. (During a walk, Hector feels "as if the world was opening, like the roof of the Civic Arena when the sky was clear. Life was rearranging itself; bulging in places, fraying in spots.") Debbie forms a crush on a boy from California visiting his grandmother. Hector falls for a girl in his guitar class. Lenny hints at his feelings for Debbie by asking her on a date. All three loves remain unrequited, but by the end of the novel, Debbie, Hector and Lenny have grown a little wiser and still remain hopeful that good things lie ahead if they remain patient. Part love story, part coming-of-age tale, this book artfully expresses universal emotions of adolescence. Ages 10-up. "(Sept.)" Copyright 2005 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780060092740
Lexile Measure
820
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Greenwillow Books
Publication date
December 26, 2007
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039020 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Adolescence
Library of Congress categories
Identity
Identity (Philosophical concept)
Nineteen sixties
Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens
Recommended 2006 - 2006

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