Book Description
In this lyrical sequel to All Alone in the Universe, Debbie, who wishes that something would happen so she'll be a different person, and Hector, who feels he is unfinished, narrate most of the novel. Both are 14 years old. The descriptive, measured writing includes poems, prose, haiku and question-and-answer formats. Debbie loses a necklace and finds a necklace (and boy does the necklace have a story to tell), she goes jeans shopping with her mother (an accomplishment in diplomacy), she learns to drive shift in a truck (illegally), she saves a life (directly connected to being able to drive, thus proving something), she takes a bus ride to another town (in order to understand what it feels like to be from "elsewhere"), she meets a boy (who truly is from "elsewhere"), but mostly she hangs out with her friends: Patty, Hector, Lenny and Phil. Their paths cross. Their stories crisscross. The book is illustrated throughout with black-and-white pictures, comics, and photographs by the author.

About the Author
Lynne Rae Perkins was awarded the Newbery Medal for Criss Cross. She is also the author of the novel All Alone in the Universe, the award-winning companion to Criss Cross. An artist as well as a writer, Lynne has also published several acclaimed picture books. She lives with her family in northern Michigan.