Review: Criss Cross – Lynne Rae Perkins

Criss Cross – Lynne Rae Perkins

She wished something would happen. Something good. To her. Looking at the bright, fuzzy picture in the magazine, she thought, Something like that. Checking her wish for loopholes, she found one. Hoping it wasn't too late, she thought the word soon.

Review: 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.

“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.

The Sunday Post #139

The Sunday Post is hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, and share news. It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Book Date. I get to tell you what I’ve read recently.

Public Service Announcement

I’m hosting a giveaway! Click here to win a book of your choice from Book Depository. The giveaway is open internationally, as long as Book Depository ships to your country.

On The Blog Last Week

• On Monday I reviewed Still Points North by Leigh Newman.
• On Tuesday I shared some intriguing quotes from books I’ve read recently.
• On Wednesday I reviewed Dinosaurs on Other Planets: Stories by Danielle McLaughlin.
• On Thursday we talked about Goodreads recommendations.
• On Saturday there was a book haul.

On The Blog This Week

• On Monday I review Criss Cross by Lynn Rae Perkins.
• On Wednesday I review The Butcher’s Hook by Janet Ellis.
• On Saturday there’s a book haul.

In My Reading Life

I read a lot last week, but don’t be too proud of me. They were short books. I finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Then I read The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman and Saint Death by Marcus Sedgwick. Right now, I’m reading Some Possible Solutions: Stories by Helen Phillips and Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton.

In The Rest Of My Life

Five things that made me happy last week:

1. Thank you to everyone who has entered my giveaway! You still have time to enter, if you want.
2. I’m actually ahead on my Goodreads challenge. Who knows how long that’ll last?
3. The Blog Stalker has been updated for the first time in . . . months? Years? I don’t know, but if you’re looking for excellent blogs to follow, check out the list in the sidebar. -->
4. I ate an ice cream cone. It was good.
5. My dad fixed the broken fence in the backyard. It broke because the neighbor’s snarly German shepherd crashed through it like the Kool-Aid man. Hopefully the new fence will be strong enough to stop the dogs from Kool-Aid-manning again.

Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other! See you around the blogosphere!

The “In The Past” Book Haul

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews. I get to show off all the books I’ve gotten recently.

Here are some of the books with historical settings I’ve gotten in the past few weeks.

The “In The Past” Book Haul

The War That Saved My Life – Kimberly Braubaker Bradley

Nine-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join him. 

So begins a new adventure of Ada, and for Susan Smith, the woman who is forced to take the two kids in. As Ada teaches herself to ride a pony, learns to read, and watches for German spies, she begins to trust Susan—and Susan begins to love Ada and Jamie. But in the end, will their bond be enough to hold them together through wartime? Or will Ada and her brother fall back into the cruel hands of their mother?

The Wonder – Emma Donoghue

An eleven-year-old girl stops eating, but remains miraculously alive and well. A nurse, sent to investigate whether she is a fraud, meets a journalist hungry for a story. 

Set in the Irish Midlands in the 1850s, The Wonder—inspired by numerous European and North American cases of “fasting girls” between the sixteenth century and the twentieth—is a psychological thriller about a child’s murder threatening to happen in slow motion before our eyes.

Salt to the Sea – Ruta Sepetys

World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the "Wilhelm Gustloff." Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety. Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.

The Smell of Other People’s Houses – Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

In Alaska, 1970, being a teenager here isn’t like being a teenager anywhere else. Ruth has a secret that she can’t hide forever. Dora wonders if she can ever truly escape where she comes from, even when good luck strikes. Alyce is trying to reconcile her desire to dance, with the life she’s always known on her family’s fishing boat. Hank and his brothers decide it’s safer to run away than to stay home—until one of them ends up in terrible danger.

Wolf Hollow – Lauren Wolk

Growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and while her bullying seems isolated at first, things quickly escalate, and reclusive World War I veteran Toby becomes a target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby’s strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. She will soon need to find the courage to stand as a lone voice of justice as tensions mount.

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Discussion: How Accurate Are Goodreads Recommendations?

The 2018 Discussion Challenge is hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction & It Starts At Midnight

Have you ever looked at the books that Goodreads recommends to you? Not the books recommended by other users, but the ones that the site’s robots think you’ll love? You can find them by going to Browse > Recommendations. The recommendations are based on what other readers have put on their shelves. I’ve never really looked at my Goodreads recommendations because my to-be-read list is long enough, but today I thought I’d take a look and see if I actually want to read any of them. I’m going to focus on young adult books because I’ve reviewed 136 of them. Goodreads should know my tastes, right? Let’s find out.

Here are the first 10 books that Goodreads recommended to me:

 I think we’re off to an okay start. All American Boys, The Raven Boys, and Chains are already on my TBR list. I’ll probably get around to reading them sometime in the next century. (It’s a long list, okay. Don’t judge.)

Honestly, the covers of the other 7 books are huge turn-offs. I wouldn’t be drawn to any of them based on the cover alone. But, my teachers told me not to judge books by the covers, so I’ll read the summaries like an obedient bookworm.

Terrier and Daughter of the Forest have excellent reviews, but they’re the first books in fantasy series, and that’s not usually my thing. I’m extremely picky about fantasy because most fantasy novels are too similar for my tastes. I’ll pass on both of those books. Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites is religious fiction, so no. I’ll skip that one, too.

Burn Baby Burn sounds promising. I love historical fiction, and the synopsis mentions serial killers. It also mentions romance, which I don’t like, but I can slog through a love story if there are serial killers involved. I’d read this book. Well done, Goodreads.

Even though I like books for teens, I’m kinda over books set in high schools. Once you’re an adult, all the cliques and angst just seem petty. That’s why I’d pass on reading Not Otherwise Specified. I also don’t read books about drug addicts, so no to Little Peach.

Love and First Sight is a tricky one. It sounds like a high school love story, but it’s not a traditional one. Based on the synopsis, I’d probably read this book, but the reviews mention that the author is internet famous on YouTube. Was he an author before he became internet famous? I’m asking because I’ve been burned by “celebrity” books in the past. Fans of the “celebrity” love the book, but (in my experience), most celebrities are terrible writers. I’m interested in this novel, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

So, how did the Goodreads recommendations robot do? Out of the first 10 books it showed me, I’m interested in 5 of them. That’s not great, but it’s not horrible, either. I should probably check out the recommendations more often.

What do you think? How accurate are the recommendations that Goodreads shows you? Am I wrong about any of these books? Which should I read, and which should I avoid?