Criss Cross

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Perkins, Lynne Rae. 2005. CRISS CROSS. New York, NY: Harper Collins. ISBN 0060092726

SUMMARY
"Teenagers in a small town experience new thoughts and feelings, question their identities, connect, and disconnect as they search for the meaning of life and love" (CIP).

ANALYSIS
I wanted to think about CRISS CROSS for a few days before I wrote the review, because although I enjoyed reading it, at the end I was somewhat underwhelmed. I kept flipping to the front cover and thinking, "a Newberry, huh?" and wondering what they saw in it that I didn't.
I'm glad I waited because the longer I sat with it, the more I began to appreciate Perkins work for the stand-out piece of wonderful writing that it is. It doesn't have a strong narrative, since it is basically a collection of impressions and moments in the lives of these interconnected young adults, but the poignancy, tone and insight of the writing are spectacular. It was such a pleasure to read someone writing with this level of craft and skill for a Young Adult audience.

The characters, as well, are all completely believable teenagers, but more than that, they're all likable as well. There's no villain, and even Dan, the least sympathetic character, has moments of likability. I thought Hector was particularly loveable, and I wished several times that I could invite him over for some cookies and milk. A trap I fell into when reading the book was mistaking angst and pathos for depth. Lenny's relationship with his father is so wonderful to read about -- in the chaper, "The Fable of Lenny," we see that Lenny's life could so easily have taken a different track, and it is also easy to see that Lenny -enjoys- his life, and looks up to his father. The complicated swirls of emotions and decisions around these issues are not layed out by Perkins one by one. We see Lenny, in a poingnant moment, realize that his childhood friends do not see any adult glamour in "chew," and that his life is headed in a different direction. We also see Lenny embrace that life, as an affable, pleasant young man helping his dad around the house. As a reader, you can feel Lenny's father's quiet pride in his son. Perkins' characterizations are masterful.

Perkins' playful light tone throughout the novel does not detract from her ability to craft intense and authentic scenes, such as the one between Debbie and her mother on page 280. This scene felt real to me as a reader 10 or 15 years after I've had any interactions like this with my own mom. As a teenager, it would have felt spoken directly to me: "So often in books, or in movies, one character looks at another 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" (281). That is a universal adolescent experience- longing to connect and to be understood, but missing that connection, through chance or shyness, or as in Debbie's case, semi-intentional misdirection. Perkins turns the scene then, and gives the reader a heartbreaking insight into the character of Debbie's mom, before ending with the main theme of the novel: "Her mother had no way of knowing that this would have been a good time to tell her daughter that she had once known a boy who went away...they might have talked then about how that felt, and what you did next. But their secrets inadvertantly sidestepped each other, unaware, like blindfolded elephants crossing the tiny room" (281).

The moments of mysticism and magical realism (Dan's donkey-hood) spread throughout the story are delightful and so representative of being that age. Overall I think this is a wonderful book, but I'm not sure I would have had the patience for the vignette style as a young adult. But of course, at that age I read poetry, so who knows? CRISS CROSS is probably not the easiest book for everyone to engage with though.

REVIEWS
"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." SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"This lyrical sequel to All Alone in the Universe (1999), a Booklist Editor's Choice, begins with one of many black-and-white drawings and a caption that reads, "People move back and forth in this area like molecules in steam." As the title and caption imply, this story reads like a series of intersecting vignettes--all focused on 14-year-old Debbie and her friends as they leave childhood behind. Perkins writes with subtle, wry humor about perceptive moments that will speak directly to readers: universe-expanding crushes, which fill the world with "signs and wonder"; scornful reappraisals of childhood things (Debbie's disdain for Nancy Drew is particularly funny); urgent concerns about outfits, snappy retorts, and self-image. Perkins adds many experimental passages to her straightforward narrative, and she finds poetry in the common exchanges between teens." BOOKLIST

CONNECTIONS
I enjoyed this book, but it took me a while to get through, which is one reason why I don't think it's a great idea for a read aloud. There's not much tension- it feels like a summer afternoon. That tone throughout the writing, as well as the mixed media works and illustrations throughout the book are also part of its strength. As an assignened book for class reading, CRISS CROSS works well. It can be read on many levels, and students who are interested in literature will have fun picking out themes of adolescent development and connections (the necklace, the bugs...) while other students will enjoy some of the overtly humorous scenes dealing with Dan's potential transformation into a donkey. It's not a a difficult book to read, but not all students will find it easy to engage with either, so I think it will work with guided reading.