''Criss Cross'' is a novel by

Lynne Rae Perkins Lynne Rae Perkins (born July 31, 1956) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. Her novel '' Criss Cross'', winner of the 2006 Newbery Medal, is a book of vignettes, illustrations, photographs, and poems about a group of four ...

that won the 2006

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...

for excellence in children's literature. It includes the character Debbie from her previous novel, '' All Alone in the Universe'', but introduces several new characters, primarily her neighborhood friends Hector, Lenny and Phil.

Plot

This story takes place in Seldem, during spring and summer. It follows the criss-crossing stories of a group of middle-school children. A necklace plays a significant part in all of the criss-cross moments, helping the characters in the book to find their true selves, giving the novel a touch of magic realism. Debbie usually spends time with her four friends, Patty, Hector, Lenny, and Phil. A typical summer for them would be to hang around town and sit in Lenny's dad's pickup truck, listening to the radio. During this summer vacation, however, Debbie moved into the front of their family parlor, and she has her own room. She then gets a job helping an elderly woman. She meets her boss' grandson, Peter, and they share a quick, romantic week together. Soon after he leaves back to his town in California. All of the friends go through their own changes throughout the summer and each grow in their own way. In the end, to tie up their summer, they all have a block party, and are now more mature, and use their new knowledge to move along in life.

Reception

'' Kirkus Reviews'' described ''Criss Cross'' as "A tenderly existential work that will reward more thoughtful readers in this age of the ubiquitous action saga." According to ''

The Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...

'', "In idiosyncratic, wistful prose, Perkins mines every moment of missed connection and near-change with a hypnotic hyperawareness reminiscent of adolescence itself." In 2008, Anita Silvey, author of ''100 Best Books for Children'', described ''Criss Cross'' in a ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'' article as one of several recent Newbery winners considered "particularly disappointing" by public librarians.

References

2005 American novels 2005 children's books American children's novels Newbery Medal–winning works Novels set in Pittsburgh Novels set in the 1970s Novels about friendship Greenwillow Books books {{2000s-ya-novel-stub