2006年度のニューベリー賞(アメリカの権威ある児童文学賞)を受賞した作品です。
ニューベリー賞については「受賞作が子供には難解なものが多すぎるのでは」という議論があるようですが、この作品は間違い無くその槍玉にあげられている受賞作の一つでしょう(笑)。
子供の目線で一夏の日常生活を描いた小説で、10代前半の少年、少女が登場し、みんなで集まってラジオを聞いてみたり、ギターの演奏に心打たれて「悟り」を開いてみたりするのですが、これといって一貫したプロットはありません。ヒーロー、ヒロインとしてふさわしい、わかりやすい登場人物も出てきません。正直「子供がこんなの喜ぶの?」と言いたくなるような作品です。なので、最初のうちは読む側としても調子が出なかったのですが、途中から「これはいわゆる『あの夏』の物語ではないか」と気付き、すっかり引き込まれてしまいました。
思えば10代前半は精神的な発見がとても多かったと思います。他人は自分と同じではないということ、男の子と女の子は違うということ、恋愛って思っていたほどドラマチックではないこと、などなど。そして、そんな発見すらも、映画のようなドラマを持たずに淡々と消化されていていってしまう。切ないものです。
この小説が再現しているのはまさにそのあたりです。小説に求めるものが「ハラハラドキドキ」「びっくり展開」であるならばこの小説はつまらないでしょう。でも、プロットでは無い何かを求めて読書するタイプの方には非常におすすめします。10代の方にも、大人の方にも。英語は、語彙だけなら英検2級+αくらいのものですが、ユーモアの効いた文章なので、英文慣れしてないと理解しにくいかもしれません。
ちなみにこの小説は一つの独立した作品でありつつ、「All Alone in the Universe」という小説の続編でもあります。「All Alone〜」のほうがやや読みやすいので、あっちを先に読んでみるのも良いかもしれません。
著者は非常に多才な方のようで、登場人物が作った歌を作曲して楽譜を本文に挿入したり、状況説明を兼ねた挿絵を自ら描いていたり、本文のほとんどが俳句で構成された章があったりします。そのような実験的な作品に興味がある方にもおもしろい一冊だと思います。

Criss Cross
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©2005 Lynne Rae Perkins (P)2005 Recorded Books and HarperCollinsPublishers
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Product details
Listening Length | 5 hours and 9 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Lynne Rae Perkins |
Narrator | Danielle Ferland |
Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
Audible.com.au Release Date | 05 May 2006 |
Publisher | HarperAudio |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B07MG874VS |
Best Sellers Rank |
186,487 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
3,250 in Children's Books on Emotions & Feelings (Books) 7,380 in Children's Books on Friendship (Books) 10,191 in Literature & Fiction for Children (Audible Books & Originals) |
Customer reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
46 global ratings
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Top reviews from other countries

ayakuf
4.0 out of 5 stars
小説はプロットでは無い。
Reviewed in Japan on 23 June 2011Verified Purchase
2 people found this helpful
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Timothy Haugh
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dreamy, Truthful
Reviewed in the United States on 27 June 2008Verified Purchase
If you've read some of my other reviews, you might already be familiar with the fact that I find a Newbery Award-winner to be, generally, an excellent read. Of course, even these vary somewhat in quality and appeal; however, I am rarely disappointed when I find that gold seal on the cover. In this case, I think the award is very well deserved. This is one of the better of the recent Newbery winners.
What appeals to me the most about this novel is the atmosphere. Ms. Perkins has a very personal prose style that stands apart from most other authors. There's almost a dreamy quality that hangs over this novel that doesn't stand in the way of giving it a very "truthful" feel. I was impressed by how strongly I was drawn to the young people and their very ordinary struggles.
To that end, there isn't a particularly strong plot here, but the characters are very well drawn and come across as much more like real young people than you find in most young adult novels. The fact is, that not a lot of "extraordinary" things happen in most lives. Still, to us, there is nothing more we think about than our own existence. This is something Ms. Perkins captures very well.
In the end, I can only say that this is a book I would be ready to sit down and read again. I don't say that about many books, but this one.
What appeals to me the most about this novel is the atmosphere. Ms. Perkins has a very personal prose style that stands apart from most other authors. There's almost a dreamy quality that hangs over this novel that doesn't stand in the way of giving it a very "truthful" feel. I was impressed by how strongly I was drawn to the young people and their very ordinary struggles.
To that end, there isn't a particularly strong plot here, but the characters are very well drawn and come across as much more like real young people than you find in most young adult novels. The fact is, that not a lot of "extraordinary" things happen in most lives. Still, to us, there is nothing more we think about than our own existence. This is something Ms. Perkins captures very well.
In the end, I can only say that this is a book I would be ready to sit down and read again. I don't say that about many books, but this one.
8 people found this helpful
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Amalia
5.0 out of 5 stars
My 11 yr old loved this book
Reviewed in the United States on 25 February 2019Verified Purchase
My 11 yr old loved this book
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good book!
Reviewed in the United States on 13 May 2007Verified Purchase
This books was good, but not one of those "I can't put it down" stories. I kept reading because I did want to know what happened to the characters, but I felt it was very poorly written. Stuff was included that was irrelevant to the plot. And I thought it was very interesting (is that the word) that a 14 year old had access to tobacco and his friends did not even try to help him stop. The last chapter was great, but you have to read the whole book to get there.
4 people found this helpful
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d.
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's Like A Dream!
Reviewed in the United States on 25 January 2006Verified Purchase
I am so glad Criss Cross won the Newberry Award because the book is artful, honest,and a step away from the norm, and it works beautifully as a novel. The book takes risks with form and technique, risks that challenge and play with the readers, leaving the readers with a different sense of image that one may normally experience after putting a book away. I believe this book will encourage teens to take risks with their own writing, and also with their own lives. Pick up a guitar. Sing a song. Do something different. It's a positive book. I just finished teaching an Adolescent Literature course, and we read several award-winning books, but when you read them one after another, often times, the books tend to feel loaded with misery, which is why it's wonderful to have an uplifting book earning this award.
Teachers will love using this book in the classroom. What a fantastic book for showing their students what life was like when they were younger, yet, be a book
that feels like it's taking place today for the students who are reading it. I love the fact that both parents and teens will enjoy reading the same book. It's a delightful book that takes the readers on a funny self-discovery journey. If it was an action-packed thriller it wouldn't be this gem of a book.
Teachers will love using this book in the classroom. What a fantastic book for showing their students what life was like when they were younger, yet, be a book
that feels like it's taking place today for the students who are reading it. I love the fact that both parents and teens will enjoy reading the same book. It's a delightful book that takes the readers on a funny self-discovery journey. If it was an action-packed thriller it wouldn't be this gem of a book.
25 people found this helpful
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