Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

2006 Newbery Medal Winner

Rating Explanation

Language: Four swear words, 2 instances of profanity

Adult Themes: After leaving home to go to school, Debbie and Patty meet in the rhododendron bushes to change clothes. “Both of them had mothers who were stranded in the backwaters of a bygone era, and who were unable to grasp many current trends and ideas. You could argue and argue, but they weren’t going to get it. At some point you just had to go change your clothes in a bush.” (This is an amusing chapter)

Lenny experiments with chewing tobacco.

Synopsis

14-year old Debbie wished something would happen to her, soon. Criss Cross follows Debbie and some of her friends and neighbors through a period of everyday days. Sometimes something interesting happens, but quite often not much of anything happens. A coming-of-age story.

You know how Seinfeld was a show about nothing? Well, Criss Cross is a book about nothing. I was excited to read this Newbery winner, but my enthusiasm waned early on. There isn’t a plot or much of anything actually happening in the story, just random experiences. With that said, some of the experiences are pretty funny and her writing is quite witty, but I am surprised that Criss Cross won the Newbery Medal. Overall I found it a little better than mediocre.

An interesting note, the number of Amazon reviews rating Criss Cross as a 5 and as a 1  are almost equal. Maybe it’s one of those books you either love or hate.

©2009 The Literate Mother