What were they thinking?

The official Newbery Medal Winner and honor books (along with lots of other book awards) were announced last Monday at the annual conference of the American Library Association. All I have to say about Criss Cross, the Newbery winner is...what? This is also the word that kept running through my head as I read the book, and even after I had finished it. It's not a bad book, it's just not a good book - at least not Newbery-good. Lynne Rae Perkins does some clever things with the format of several chapters of the book, my favorite of which is "The Japanese Chapter" - written in haiku. However, the plot is lacking. Or should I say the book lacks a plot? I don't mean to discourage anyone from reading it. It's not exaclty a waste of time, and you might even enjoy it. But, if the world is about to end, and you only have time to read one book, this isn't the one to choose...but Each Little Bird That Sings just might be.