Reviews for Criss Cross

The average rating for Criss Cross based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2007-08-21 00:00:00 Patricia Bohram I LOVED this book. YOU may hate it. This story is subtle as heck, and while it resonated with me down to my toes, it is a peculiar tale that some people will throw across the room and rage to the heavens "Why in the world did THIS win the Newbery Award?" Funny, insightful, and wry. Yes, things DO happen, although not everyone will agree with me on that. I loved the start, where Hector, 14, experiences satori at a coffeehouse concert. And now, I know what satori means. Thank you, Lynne Perkins! I laughed at the school yearbook haiku, I loved the diagram explaining perfect pant length, and I enjoyed the subtle humor and the playful text layout. For me, plenty happened -Debbie learning to use a stick-shift, Hector learning to play guitar (to meet girls, of course), and both learning more about who they are. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the cover. Not for everyone, though. This is a very introspective book, and most boys will hate it! Give this one to your quiet, thoughtful girlfriends.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-08-23 00:00:00 D D Df Criss Cross is a beautiful story of what it is really like to be a teenager. It doesn't need the drama of violence or break-ups to show how fragile the world is when you are in a cocoon, waiting to be a butterfly and without a clue what your wings will look like. It is full of small steps, some leading to new experiences and others just leading nowhere. The author's illustrations are a wonderful complement to the randomness of the story lines. My favourite quote from the book sums up what makes it different from other teenage stories: "So often in books, or in movies, one character looks at another character 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 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." That is the true criss cross of human interaction.