Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
Winner, 2006 Newbery Award
Quick Summary
Several teens in a small town in the 1970s meet and mingle during the summer, learning about love and friendship, each other and themselves.
Favorite Quote
"Did you ever notice," she said, "that everything good or interesting happens to Nancy Drew, and her friends just get the leftovers?"
About the Author
Lynne Rae Perkins is an author and illustrator. She describes herself as "an ornery person who makes things." She keeps a regular blog on her website. (I especially liked her recent entry, "how to write a story, in diagrams.")
My Project
Because of the time period, I wanted to incorporate some popular crafts of the day, including beading and embroidery. (One of the girls owns embroidered bell bottoms.) I stretched myself colorwise by making a bead embroidered guitar in "groovy" tones of orange, purple, and brown. A couple of characters learn to play the guitar in the book, while others listen and enjoy the music. I added brass and wire accents.
The final scene takes place at a nighttime block party, so I chose to add some yellow fabric printed with a star pattern. I wanted to use the two different backgrounds to emphasize the "criss cross" theme of missed connections. I chose a fabric that had a vaguely tie-dye pattern on it for the other half of the background. Part of me wished I had more color coordination; I feel like there's too much going on. But on the other hand, the varied colors give the piece an unsettled feeling which suits a book that didn't wrap up the ending in a neat bow.
Final Thoughts
When I started reading this book, I thought it would be a typical teen romance. Instead, as the title suggests, it's about missed connections and opportunities. Because it wasn't as tightly plotted as some of the books I've read, it felt more true-to-life. I liked that some of the chapters were written from a male point-of-view, as that's not something that's typically done in novels about teen love. Perhaps because the author is also an illustrator, this book seemed especially rich with visual details such as the mason jars with fireflies or the pictures of cats drawn by the mentally ill. (The author also did her own illustrations for the book, which are quite varied in style and technique.) This book contained a number of great lines, many of them with subtle humor. Here's one favorite: "He found himself thinking that she would be an interesting girl to hang out with. Maybe they could hop freight trains or depose dictators or something." (Jewelry maker alert: A necklace plays a key role throughout and even gets its own chapter "Where the Necklace Went.")
Your Turn
Readers: If you read this book, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments.
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