Holes: Newbery Medal Award Winner

Holes, written by Louis Sachar and illustrated by Vladimic Radunsky

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

Pages: 240

Genre: Fiction - Science Fiction

Rating: Thumbs Up!

This story is about a young boy, Stanley Yelnats V, whose family has had years of bad luck from a curse prior to the first Stanley Yelnats immigrating to America. In this fun, twisting and time traveling story, Stanley is accused of stealing a famous baseball players donated sneakers. He then is sentenced to serve time at the Texas detention center, Camp Greenlake - where ironically there is no lake.

When Stanley arrives, he meet the young men he will be building character with by digging 5x5 holes in the old lake bed. Each boy has a nickname and only one is welcoming to Stanley - Zero. By the time we are finished we have traveled through time with an outlaw, reversed a curse, gotten rich, made it rain and closed Camp Greenlake.

This is a fun and twisting story that all can enjoy and this is why I rated it a "Thumbs Up!". It is a good depiction of how the past can follow us sometimes, and a good tale into the crazy and caring adventures of Stanley.

Criss Cross: Newbery Medal Award Winner

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

Publisher: Greenwillow Books/Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers

Pages: 352

Genre: Fiction - Realistic

Rating: Thumbs Down

In this book the main characters, Debbie and Hector, are teenagers in the 1970's. As you read, you begin to understand the very different but yet similar growth experiences of all youth. The story has been created with many additional characters and jumps randomly from chapter to chapter into the mind or life of Debbie and Hector.

In the end, the teens learn how lives often "Criss Cross" in many ways. The first connection with the title is in the radio commentary show the group of teen, including Debbie and Hector, weekly listen to in the truck - called "Criss Cross". In another way, the boys in the story unknowningly and accidentally pass a necklace that Hector eventually ends up with and he returns to its owner, Debbie. Finally, both Debbie and Hector have opportunity to "Criss Cross" lives with an elderly neighbor and learn about not only teenage and maturing issues, but also about the journey of life and death.

I gave this book a "Thumbs Down" because I felt the book was too long. I also found the book confusing to read as it jumped from person to person - and from thoughts to reality. The author also used too many various writing techniques and methods and I found the reading process to be interrupted.