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Crossing Stones
Maybe you won't rock a cradle, Muriel.
Some women seem to prefer to rock the boat.
Eighteen-year-old Muriel Jorgensen lives on one side of Crabapple Creek. Her family's closest friends, the Normans, live on the other. For as long as Muriel can remember, the families' lives have been intertwined, connected by the crossing stones that span the water. But now that Frank Norman—who Muriel is just beginning to think might be more than a friend—has enlisted to fight in World War I and her brother, Ollie, has lied about his age to join him, the future is uncertain. As Muriel tends to things at home with the help of Frank's sister, Emma, she becomes more and more fascinated by the women's suffrage movement, but she is surrounded by people who advise her to keep her opinions to herself. How can she find a way to care for those she loves while still remaining true to who she is?
Written in beautifully structured verse, Crossing Stones captures nine months in the lives of two resilient families struggling to stay together and cross carefully, stone by stone, into a changing world.
Some women seem to prefer to rock the boat.
Eighteen-year-old Muriel Jorgensen lives on one side of Crabapple Creek. Her family's closest friends, the Normans, live on the other. For as long as Muriel can remember, the families' lives have been intertwined, connected by the crossing stones that span the water. But now that Frank Norman—who Muriel is just beginning to think might be more than a friend—has enlisted to fight in World War I and her brother, Ollie, has lied about his age to join him, the future is uncertain. As Muriel tends to things at home with the help of Frank's sister, Emma, she becomes more and more fascinated by the women's suffrage movement, but she is surrounded by people who advise her to keep her opinions to herself. How can she find a way to care for those she loves while still remaining true to who she is?
Written in beautifully structured verse, Crossing Stones captures nine months in the lives of two resilient families struggling to stay together and cross carefully, stone by stone, into a changing world.
184 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2009
24 people are currently reading
2765 people want to read
About the author
Helen Frost
193 books225 followersI'm dipping my toes into goodreads to see how it works. Thanks for finding me here, and thanks to everyone who has read and written about my books. I love to know you're there, even if I don't come here too often to say so.
Helen Frost is the author of eleven novels-in-poems and seven picture books for children and young adults. She lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/helenf...
Helen Frost is the author of eleven novels-in-poems and seven picture books for children and young adults. She lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/helenf...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 399 reviews
June 28, 2013
Rating: 3.5 Stars
I've been on a bit of a verse novel binge lately, not to mention one of WWI (especially since I finished all three seasons of Downton Abbey in a record three and a half days!). Thus, it's almost not a surprise that I enjoyed this; it's merely a surprise that I enjoyed this as much as I did. Frost writes beautifully, choosing three separate styles to bring us the story of Muriel, a headstrong girl who isn't afraid to speak her mind; Ollie, her older brother who enlists for war despite being underage; and Emma, the sweet girl next door. With this short novel composed of poems, Frost is able to relate the horrors of war, the struggles of women, and the tension of those who remain home in such a way that it is bearable to us as readers. Not only is Frost's tale historically accurate, but it is also unexpectedly heartfelt.
Muriel, a young Alice Paul if you will, was my favorite narrator in the novel. I loved her outrageous opinions, her inability to accept the reality of her time, and her courage in standing up for her beliefs. Muriel is easily the most flawed of our three narrators which makes her, for me, the most realistic. Ollie provides us with the sole male perspective in this novel, one filled with the harsh realities of war and the peer pressure that men face to enlist. Emma, on the other hand, is possibly the dullest character. Although her poems had substantial depth, she herself is a relatively simplistic character, representing the average American women who was comfortable with her role in the house. With this novel, what Frost excels at is building the era both with war and politics. Granted, the characters aren't as fully fleshed as they could be, but as a piece of historic fiction this is one of the better - and more creative - ones.
I've been on a bit of a verse novel binge lately, not to mention one of WWI (especially since I finished all three seasons of Downton Abbey in a record three and a half days!). Thus, it's almost not a surprise that I enjoyed this; it's merely a surprise that I enjoyed this as much as I did. Frost writes beautifully, choosing three separate styles to bring us the story of Muriel, a headstrong girl who isn't afraid to speak her mind; Ollie, her older brother who enlists for war despite being underage; and Emma, the sweet girl next door. With this short novel composed of poems, Frost is able to relate the horrors of war, the struggles of women, and the tension of those who remain home in such a way that it is bearable to us as readers. Not only is Frost's tale historically accurate, but it is also unexpectedly heartfelt.
Muriel, a young Alice Paul if you will, was my favorite narrator in the novel. I loved her outrageous opinions, her inability to accept the reality of her time, and her courage in standing up for her beliefs. Muriel is easily the most flawed of our three narrators which makes her, for me, the most realistic. Ollie provides us with the sole male perspective in this novel, one filled with the harsh realities of war and the peer pressure that men face to enlist. Emma, on the other hand, is possibly the dullest character. Although her poems had substantial depth, she herself is a relatively simplistic character, representing the average American women who was comfortable with her role in the house. With this novel, what Frost excels at is building the era both with war and politics. Granted, the characters aren't as fully fleshed as they could be, but as a piece of historic fiction this is one of the better - and more creative - ones.
January 11, 2010
I had never read anything by Helen Frost before I requested this book on inter-library loan from my library system, but I knew she wrote novels in verse and that was the main reason I chose to read this book to begin with. And having finished Crossing Stones, the story of what happens to the children of two neighboring Michigan families during 1917, when World War I and women's suffrage are both at the political forefront, I can say that the true strength of this book is the poetry.
Not only are the words in each poem carefully chosen, but every character is built so believably, and though it is essentially 'yet another YA novel about a war,' it is also a YA novel about a female protagonist who goes against the grain and tries to sort out what kind of woman she wants to be. I was a little put off by the fact that most stereotypical wartime tragedies that can befall a community happen to these two families, and I'm not sure if that was a realistic portrayal of what happened to many families in the time period, or if the author was using the small setting she created to illustrate as many tragedies as possible. But I suppose it's not entirely implausible for so much bad to happen during a time when bad things were happening every day, and I certainly loved the book even though it did give me pause. I'll be checking out her other work very soon.
Not only are the words in each poem carefully chosen, but every character is built so believably, and though it is essentially 'yet another YA novel about a war,' it is also a YA novel about a female protagonist who goes against the grain and tries to sort out what kind of woman she wants to be. I was a little put off by the fact that most stereotypical wartime tragedies that can befall a community happen to these two families, and I'm not sure if that was a realistic portrayal of what happened to many families in the time period, or if the author was using the small setting she created to illustrate as many tragedies as possible. But I suppose it's not entirely implausible for so much bad to happen during a time when bad things were happening every day, and I certainly loved the book even though it did give me pause. I'll be checking out her other work very soon.
January 10, 2011
This novel in verse was amazing. Frost covered all the major events in the U.S. during the late World War I period, after America joined the fighting. The story alternates in viewpoint between that of Muriel, her brother Ollie, her friend Emma, and Emma's brother Frank, who are neighbors, "crossing the stones" over the creek between each other's property in rural Michigan. Muriel's childhood friend Frank goes off to war, as does her brother, who lies about his age. Some people are pro-war, some anti-war, including Muriel. The shortage of men requires women to take over their jobs and go to work, as does Muriel's mother. Around them some families lose sons to the war, and some sons come back shell-shocked or crippled. In the midst of it all the influenza epidemic strikes, and it threatens the life of Muriel's little sister Grace. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Muriel's Aunt Vera is picketing the White House for women's suffrage, and is jailed and goes on a hunger strike. Muriel is sent there to accompany her back to Michigan for recuperation, and is introduced to a whole new urban world and new ideas about women and herself. In 178 pages Frost encapsulates a summary of some of the major events and issues of the time. Beautifully done!
In addition, her poems have shapes with meaning. Muriel's poems meander like her thoughts, like the creek near her house, whereas the poems narrated by Ollie, Frank, and Emma are somewhat round, each slightly different and not perfect, just like the stones in the creek that they step on to cross over. A wonderful visual addition to the story. This book leaves you with a lot to think about and lingers with you long after you've finished it. Highly recommended!
In addition, her poems have shapes with meaning. Muriel's poems meander like her thoughts, like the creek near her house, whereas the poems narrated by Ollie, Frank, and Emma are somewhat round, each slightly different and not perfect, just like the stones in the creek that they step on to cross over. A wonderful visual addition to the story. This book leaves you with a lot to think about and lingers with you long after you've finished it. Highly recommended!
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May 3, 2012Amber Randol
Poetry
This book was a story told in verse, and each chapter was a different character's point of view. It involved two families who lived on farms right across a creek from eachother, and they were all great friends. There was the Jorgenson family, who were both parents, the oldest son, Muriel the daughter, and the little sister. The other family were the Normans, who were both parents, Frank the oldest son, and Emma, the daughter. The story followed all of their struggles with keeping their farms going and with dealing with a war going on. The Norman's son Frank decided to join the war, and tells Muriel that he loves her before he goes. Soon the son from the Jorgenson family decides to go fight too, and he sneaks his way in because he isn't 18 yet, but wants to be like Frank. He comes back home with his one arm gone, and Frank ends up dying before Muriel can tell him she loves him too. The loss of Frank really affects both families, and Muriel decides to go to Washington, D.C. to protest with her aunt. Her little sister gets extremely sick while she's gone, but ends up living. Emma and the Jorgenson's son fall in love when he comes back, and soon both families come together again once the grief isn't as bad. These two families are constantly crossing paths. I think this book is a good, heartwarming story and is still easy to understand even though it's in verse. The verse does give it an interesting twist. It's a story of poems that all work together.
Poetry
This book was a story told in verse, and each chapter was a different character's point of view. It involved two families who lived on farms right across a creek from eachother, and they were all great friends. There was the Jorgenson family, who were both parents, the oldest son, Muriel the daughter, and the little sister. The other family were the Normans, who were both parents, Frank the oldest son, and Emma, the daughter. The story followed all of their struggles with keeping their farms going and with dealing with a war going on. The Norman's son Frank decided to join the war, and tells Muriel that he loves her before he goes. Soon the son from the Jorgenson family decides to go fight too, and he sneaks his way in because he isn't 18 yet, but wants to be like Frank. He comes back home with his one arm gone, and Frank ends up dying before Muriel can tell him she loves him too. The loss of Frank really affects both families, and Muriel decides to go to Washington, D.C. to protest with her aunt. Her little sister gets extremely sick while she's gone, but ends up living. Emma and the Jorgenson's son fall in love when he comes back, and soon both families come together again once the grief isn't as bad. These two families are constantly crossing paths. I think this book is a good, heartwarming story and is still easy to understand even though it's in verse. The verse does give it an interesting twist. It's a story of poems that all work together.
April 17, 2013
I LOVED this book. I loved the way it was written, the thoughts that Muriel had from her view point, and the many quotable quotes from this book. This is on the top of my list right now of one of my favorites.
Muriel posts questions that are hard and the answers difficult to find/answer.
This book is written for teens but as an adult, I found it charming.
At the very end of the book the author explains the poetic form that the book is written in. I found her explanation to be intriguing and fascinating and wanted to go back and find the patterns and was even more impressed with her writing in how she made the story flow in such poetic form. A gift.
Muriel posts questions that are hard and the answers difficult to find/answer.
This book is written for teens but as an adult, I found it charming.
At the very end of the book the author explains the poetic form that the book is written in. I found her explanation to be intriguing and fascinating and wanted to go back and find the patterns and was even more impressed with her writing in how she made the story flow in such poetic form. A gift.
May 12, 2013
• Elby Wang
• Frost, H. (2009). Crossing stones. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
• Genre: poetry
• Format: print
• Review:
In 1917, Muriel Jorgensen, a 16 years old activist girl, is raised by a conservative family in new England. Muriel is opinionated against the war and shows her passion about the women's suffrage movement even with warnings from her teacher and discouragement from her mother. Jorgensen and Normans are close family friends who live across the Crabapple Creek to each other. Frank Normans enlists to fight for the country in World War I. His brave move changes the life of both families. Muriel’s brother, Ollie has lied about his age to follow Frank’s step. Muriel and Frank become closer and closer through mail correspondence until one day a young soldier shares shocking news. The death of Frank Normans binds the two families even closer, especially the moms. Frost tells the story through verses and flow. Each verse takes the shapes of petals and a moving water stream side by side with pages against each other. This symbolizes the fate and the connection between the Jorgensen and the Normans bounded with the stones in Crabapple Creek. Emma, Frank’s sister finds a letter from Frank’s bible which he carries with him during the war. The letter shows Frank’s doubt about the war and the passion for Muriel; this is the highlight of book and reflects the inner voice from Muriel. The return of the Jorgensen’s son, Ollie, reinforces the cruelty of the war. The meticulous expression between the love of families and the passion among the youth are sentimental and elegiac. It is a beautiful and heart-touching poetry book.
• Frost, H. (2009). Crossing stones. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
• Genre: poetry
• Format: print
• Review:
In 1917, Muriel Jorgensen, a 16 years old activist girl, is raised by a conservative family in new England. Muriel is opinionated against the war and shows her passion about the women's suffrage movement even with warnings from her teacher and discouragement from her mother. Jorgensen and Normans are close family friends who live across the Crabapple Creek to each other. Frank Normans enlists to fight for the country in World War I. His brave move changes the life of both families. Muriel’s brother, Ollie has lied about his age to follow Frank’s step. Muriel and Frank become closer and closer through mail correspondence until one day a young soldier shares shocking news. The death of Frank Normans binds the two families even closer, especially the moms. Frost tells the story through verses and flow. Each verse takes the shapes of petals and a moving water stream side by side with pages against each other. This symbolizes the fate and the connection between the Jorgensen and the Normans bounded with the stones in Crabapple Creek. Emma, Frank’s sister finds a letter from Frank’s bible which he carries with him during the war. The letter shows Frank’s doubt about the war and the passion for Muriel; this is the highlight of book and reflects the inner voice from Muriel. The return of the Jorgensen’s son, Ollie, reinforces the cruelty of the war. The meticulous expression between the love of families and the passion among the youth are sentimental and elegiac. It is a beautiful and heart-touching poetry book.
August 7, 2013
This book was such a pleasant surprise. It is the story of two neighboring families living in rural Michigan in the early 1900s -- in the midst of WWI, the suffrage movement and the Great Influenza. Told from alternating perspectives of three of the teen children, we learn how each of these historical events alters their lives and changes how they see the world.
Upon finishing this book (which I listened to on audio), I went on Goodreads to read the reviews and was surprised by what I learned. While I found the book to be rather lyrical and poetic, I didn't realize it was written in verse. I also didn't realize that the chapters told from the point of view of Muriel were written in the shape of a river, while the chapters told from the point of view of Emma and Ollie were shaped like stones. How interesting.
Obviously, these things are not apparent when listening to the book on audio. However, I do not feel I missed out. The audio version is extremely well-performed. The whole book was just lovely. I recommend to anyone who is a fan of YA historical fiction/children's lit.
Upon finishing this book (which I listened to on audio), I went on Goodreads to read the reviews and was surprised by what I learned. While I found the book to be rather lyrical and poetic, I didn't realize it was written in verse. I also didn't realize that the chapters told from the point of view of Muriel were written in the shape of a river, while the chapters told from the point of view of Emma and Ollie were shaped like stones. How interesting.
Obviously, these things are not apparent when listening to the book on audio. However, I do not feel I missed out. The audio version is extremely well-performed. The whole book was just lovely. I recommend to anyone who is a fan of YA historical fiction/children's lit.
April 4, 2013
I enjoyed reading this book and I am happy to say the author, Helen Frost, is coming to our book club meeting at my home this week. She is the childhood friend of one of our members and coincidently I once lived in the same small college town that Helen lived and was a playmate of her two older sisters. I will be reading more of her books because she is a talented writer. This story is very interesting from a historical perspective, but, it is the form or structure of the book which makes it most intriguing. All four of the main characters reveal the story in alternating separate chapters. The characters are gentle, thoughtful folks. For two of the characters, Helen uses free style poetry and for the other two she uses what she calls cupped hand sonnets with a very original rhyming scheme. The poignant story brings home the sad effects of war on the families' whose sons went to battle. The other story theme is about the courage and suffering and perseverance of the women who demonstrated and worked to get the 19th amendment to our constitution passed into law in 1920.
September 10, 2021
This is a very nice Teen novel written in a subtle style of poetry/art that you might not notice until reading about it in the Notes at the end. (like me). This reminds me a lot of the kind of books librarians would recommend to me as a tween. Set in the midwest at the start of WWI, it includes the Suffrage movement and the flu.
November 19, 2017
A beautiful, heartbreaking, hopeful novel in verse of World War I- its effects on those who fought in it, those at home, and of the women who fought tirelessly and courageously for suffrage. Highly recommended!
May 18, 2023
Beautifully written words and mind blowing form. Good stuff.
September 19, 2025
WWI, good characters,
February 25, 2024
this book was amazing. it was very heartfelt and moving. and the charecters felt very human. they were not perfect nor pure evil. i think this book was a amazing book and i will defenetly share it with others.
May 31, 2010
There's quite a lot going on with this book, and that is its beauty. It's a WWI historical fiction novel, of which there really are few, so that is good. It's also a novel in verse, and the verse has a particular, and meaningful, form. Another plus, because you can integrate it into Language Arts classes if need be.
It's a relationship novel, and a novel about the hell of war, with glimpses of PTSD. That alone might help kids understand what is happening to our vets returning from Iraq.
And, what's made clear is 3 historical events converged at the same time in that part of history: a major world war, the women's suffrage movement in the U.S., and the flu epidemic. Any one of these alone would make a good research project. All three at the same time - well, that's something that never hit me until this novel, even though I well knew the dates of each. And you can look up images documenting some of the stuff mentioned right in Google, e.g. the Kaiser Wilson banner used during White House picketing.
Well written, too. I loved the metaphor of the river and the stones. Beautiful.
It's a relationship novel, and a novel about the hell of war, with glimpses of PTSD. That alone might help kids understand what is happening to our vets returning from Iraq.
And, what's made clear is 3 historical events converged at the same time in that part of history: a major world war, the women's suffrage movement in the U.S., and the flu epidemic. Any one of these alone would make a good research project. All three at the same time - well, that's something that never hit me until this novel, even though I well knew the dates of each. And you can look up images documenting some of the stuff mentioned right in Google, e.g. the Kaiser Wilson banner used during White House picketing.
Well written, too. I loved the metaphor of the river and the stones. Beautiful.
April 28, 2021
It was a good verse novel. I didn't like all the deaths but all the characters get a happy ending in the end. It includes historical fiction based on WWI and the women's suffrage movement.
January 3, 2010
Carefully constructed poems in the voices of Muriel and Ollie Jorgensen and their Michigan neighbor, Emma Norman, describe their thoughts about World War I, where Ollie and Emma's brother Frank fought in Europe and the young women struggled at home -- and, in Muriel's case, in Washington, D.C. where she attended a demonstration for women's suffrage in Washington, D.C. This poetry is amazing. The limitations of the rhyme scheme do not seem to have lessened the impact of this moving story, and I appreciate Emma and Muriel's contrasting points of view about the role of women. You can see that reflected in the way they think...the tight circle of Emma's thinking and Muriel's "crooked mind."
May 16, 2013
I am all about covers, and this book cover did not entice me whatsoever. It wasn't until I flipped though the pages that I wanted to really read this book. The formatting was different than what I usually pick up- it is written in verse, and it looked interesting. Then I read the first poem, the first narrative, and it pulled me right in.
This was an amazing book. I loved the history it told, and the different perspectives it included. I would definitely share this with anyone, young adult or older, who wants an easy read.I would also share it with people interested in war, women's rights, and historical fiction in general.
Warnings
Sex:None
Language:None
Violence: A few small scenes
Drugs: No Drugs but mention of alcohol
This was an amazing book. I loved the history it told, and the different perspectives it included. I would definitely share this with anyone, young adult or older, who wants an easy read.I would also share it with people interested in war, women's rights, and historical fiction in general.
Warnings
Sex:None
Language:None
Violence: A few small scenes
Drugs: No Drugs but mention of alcohol
April 24, 2010
Frost tells this story from the perspectives of two brothers and sisters who have grown up together and face separation because of World War I. I most appreciated Muriel, a strong young woman full of opinions about the war and women's roles, and thought the author did a good job bringing four characters to life in few words. Young readers might see war's horrors in a different light and will see the women's suffrage movement as it unfolds.
When in the author's note I read about the care with which Frost created each page in structured poetry, I appreciated her skill. Yet I read the entire book as prose and found some of this book's structure distracting.
When in the author's note I read about the care with which Frost created each page in structured poetry, I appreciated her skill. Yet I read the entire book as prose and found some of this book's structure distracting.
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August 19, 2023*3.8*
It's beautifully written, and evoked emotion. All from a book written in verse. I listened to the audio, so maybe it's a different experience, but I wouldn't have enjoyed reading the book in verse. However, there's a story in the verses, there are characters, there is loss, messages. I'm glad I read it, but I don't think I'll do much reading of world war stories anymore. We'll see. It's tough to read through the insensible deaths and so on. Again, this was well-written. But it left me rather melancholy so it's not something I'd pick up again. And what they almost tried to do to Grace? Absolutely rude and uncalled for lol
It's beautifully written, and evoked emotion. All from a book written in verse. I listened to the audio, so maybe it's a different experience, but I wouldn't have enjoyed reading the book in verse. However, there's a story in the verses, there are characters, there is loss, messages. I'm glad I read it, but I don't think I'll do much reading of world war stories anymore. We'll see. It's tough to read through the insensible deaths and so on. Again, this was well-written. But it left me rather melancholy so it's not something I'd pick up again. And what they almost tried to do to Grace? Absolutely rude and uncalled for lol
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2009
There are more than a few reasons I have to give this one five stars...
1. Four narrators, and each has a unique voice and a very unique point of view on the issues surrounding World War I. As a reader, you are right there.
2. Experimentation with form that forces the clearest imagery. There isn't one wasted word, nor is there an unplanned section.
3. The form is secondary to the plot because it sweeps you away. Only when I was done, did I come back to think about form.
4. The author captures the universality of emotion over time, distance, gender, experience...
1. Four narrators, and each has a unique voice and a very unique point of view on the issues surrounding World War I. As a reader, you are right there.
2. Experimentation with form that forces the clearest imagery. There isn't one wasted word, nor is there an unplanned section.
3. The form is secondary to the plot because it sweeps you away. Only when I was done, did I come back to think about form.
4. The author captures the universality of emotion over time, distance, gender, experience...
October 7, 2014
I love Helen Frost's books, though I have not read them all...yet. How does she communicate so much in so few words???
A beautifully written, touching, coming-of-age novel written in verse. The book is a collection of poems, each told from the point of view of one of 3 teenage friends. The structure of the poems for each of the characters is different and significant. The reasons for the structure is explained by the author at the end of the book. Themes include war and patriotism, women's rights, self-understanding, and the importance of family and friendship.
A beautifully written, touching, coming-of-age novel written in verse. The book is a collection of poems, each told from the point of view of one of 3 teenage friends. The structure of the poems for each of the characters is different and significant. The reasons for the structure is explained by the author at the end of the book. Themes include war and patriotism, women's rights, self-understanding, and the importance of family and friendship.
July 18, 2012
I didn't know what to expect with this book. It is written in what looks like poems, but it's not poems. Each main character has a voice and a perspective you get to see. Emma and Muriel are the main characters and their brothers go to war. This is WW1. Ollie, Muriel's brother, is 16 and pretends to be 18 to be able to enlist. This war effects everyone. The book addresses other things other than the war such as the flu and women's suffrage. It was a good, quick read and I really enjoyed learning new things from it.
November 25, 2009
The voices of four young people, two boys and two girls, tell a moving story of life in rural Michigan in verse. Two families live happily on either side of a creek until World War I breaks out and the boys enlist. In a slim volume, the author describes love and loss during the war, women's fight for the vote, and the influenza epidemic. This is a book to read slowly and savor for each of the verses differs in an enlightening way.
May 21, 2016
I thought this was a pretty great book. Once I got started it was hard to put down. It was a nice short book, but it had a lot. I loved the form of the book. Mauriel was such a great character and I also loved Ollie, Emma, and Frank. I also liked how it combined WWI, Women's Suffrage Movement and the flu. Plus I like how it was from different points of views not just one.
May 13, 2015
This free-verse story weaves the historical threads of WW1, Women's Suffrage and the Great Influenza outbreak. The chapters alternate between four main characters, each with a different perspective to share. Will awaken an interest in middle school girls to learn more about the suffrage movement.
Grades 6 and up. Beautifully told and crafted into free verse narratives.
Grades 6 and up. Beautifully told and crafted into free verse narratives.
January 29, 2021
Beautiful--and cleverly--written coming-of-age story about World War I, women's suffrage, and the flu epidemic.
September 10, 2013
A beautifully written, touching book about WWI, women's sufferage, love, family and healing. I absolutely loved it.
January 5, 2020
Beautifully written in free verse poetry. Deals with WWI, women's rights, influenza epidemic and home life during a time of change in America. Suggested for ages 10 and up.
July 7, 2023
Summary: Muriel Jorgensen is an eighteen-year old young woman living on one side of Crabapple creek in rural Michigan, and her families close friends, the Normans live across on the other side. The United States has recently entered the Great War, but that's not the only issue at hand. As men, and young men go off to fight, the women have to take up the mantle and jobs they left behind. Muriel wants to find her own place in all this, and despite everyone around her expecting her to remain to do what the President of the US has decided, Muriel isn't content with that. Along with her friend Emma, and her younger brother Ollie, these three struggle through the political and social turmoil that was ever present during World War I, and work to find their place in the world.
Thoughts: It's fascinating to read a book written entirely in (what I think is called) verse poetry, and with three distinct styles to represent our three narrators in Muriel, Ollie and Emma. Since poetry isn't usually my go to form of reading I was pleasantly surprised at the depth and variety of the poems (like how Ollie and Emma's poems are stone shaped, maybe representing the whole crossing [or stepping] stones thing the title has going) and I unfortunately don't really have enough of a breadth of knowledge to fully appreciate. However I think this story has a ton of literary merit to help younger audiences (and older ones too) get involved in and analyzing poetry. There's tons of beautiful and well crafted imagery, metaphors (poor Ollie and his trauma related similes) and so on here.
It has largest focus is on the historical context that it's set in, (though there's a fair bit of romance tinged with Muriel questioning women's traditional roles and taking up suffragette roles) WWI, or the Great War as the characters refer to it and the effect that that has on the character. It ends up covering a swath of the political (wars, and the dread and trauma it can induce in its soldiers from Ollie) and social issues (like Muriel and women's suffrage and women's voices which still hadn't been granted or even been made an amendment at this point). Despite the hard issues prevalent, there's a positive portrayal of family here, and how these two families cross over the river to help each other in times of need or sorrow. I like it.
Content Warnings:
Death (It is WWI after all)
Violence (not super explicit or lingered upon, but it's implied and present)
Thoughts: It's fascinating to read a book written entirely in (what I think is called) verse poetry, and with three distinct styles to represent our three narrators in Muriel, Ollie and Emma. Since poetry isn't usually my go to form of reading I was pleasantly surprised at the depth and variety of the poems (like how Ollie and Emma's poems are stone shaped, maybe representing the whole crossing [or stepping] stones thing the title has going) and I unfortunately don't really have enough of a breadth of knowledge to fully appreciate. However I think this story has a ton of literary merit to help younger audiences (and older ones too) get involved in and analyzing poetry. There's tons of beautiful and well crafted imagery, metaphors (poor Ollie and his trauma related similes) and so on here.
It has largest focus is on the historical context that it's set in, (though there's a fair bit of romance tinged with Muriel questioning women's traditional roles and taking up suffragette roles) WWI, or the Great War as the characters refer to it and the effect that that has on the character. It ends up covering a swath of the political (wars, and the dread and trauma it can induce in its soldiers from Ollie) and social issues (like Muriel and women's suffrage and women's voices which still hadn't been granted or even been made an amendment at this point). Despite the hard issues prevalent, there's a positive portrayal of family here, and how these two families cross over the river to help each other in times of need or sorrow. I like it.
Content Warnings:
Death (It is WWI after all)
Violence (not super explicit or lingered upon, but it's implied and present)
May 14, 2019
First sentence: You'd better straighten out your mind, Young Lady.
Premise/plot: Crossing Stones is a historical verse novel set during World War I in a small community. Two families are super-super close: the Jorgensens and the Normans. Everyone expects Muriel Jorgensen to one day marry Frank Norman. Ollie Jorgensen is definitely hoping to one day marry Emma Norman. But plans and expectations have little place in a world turned upside down by war.
Frank isn't at home. He's a soldier getting ready to be shipped overseas when the novel opens. Ollie is a few years younger but his mind is filled with the war too. He wants to be a part of it with Frank. Where Frank goes he wants to follow. That's the familiar way of things.
Muriel wants nothing to do with the war and not because she's like Scarlett O'Hara. Muriel is an opinionated young woman not at all convinced of the merits of this war--or any war. She has little interest in becoming a wife and mother. She may follow in the footsteps of her suffragette aunt.
As for Emma...she's got a brother and an almost sweetheart in the war.
My thoughts: I first read Crossing Stones in October 2009. At the time I loved it. Did I love it just as much the second time around? Not really. Oh, I still liked it. I enjoyed spending time with the characters. My favorite characters are by far Emma and Ollie. I need them to get a happily ever after. Or at least a semi-realistic version of that. After all, if these two do marry they'd likely have children just the right age for being drafted into the second world war. And then there's the Depression to consider. There lives wouldn't be challenge-free by any extent. But. I think Ollie and Emma could handle what life gives them and find a way together.
But I didn't like Muriel nearly so much this time around. I found her opinionated voice to be pessimistic and at times unfeeling. Muriel is well on her way to an unconventional life. Perhaps she'll become a 'wild' girl in the big city.
War disrupts lives, changing everything. This is very much an anti-war novel. I don't have a problem with the message in general. It just left me sadder this time around.
Premise/plot: Crossing Stones is a historical verse novel set during World War I in a small community. Two families are super-super close: the Jorgensens and the Normans. Everyone expects Muriel Jorgensen to one day marry Frank Norman. Ollie Jorgensen is definitely hoping to one day marry Emma Norman. But plans and expectations have little place in a world turned upside down by war.
Frank isn't at home. He's a soldier getting ready to be shipped overseas when the novel opens. Ollie is a few years younger but his mind is filled with the war too. He wants to be a part of it with Frank. Where Frank goes he wants to follow. That's the familiar way of things.
Muriel wants nothing to do with the war and not because she's like Scarlett O'Hara. Muriel is an opinionated young woman not at all convinced of the merits of this war--or any war. She has little interest in becoming a wife and mother. She may follow in the footsteps of her suffragette aunt.
As for Emma...she's got a brother and an almost sweetheart in the war.
My thoughts: I first read Crossing Stones in October 2009. At the time I loved it. Did I love it just as much the second time around? Not really. Oh, I still liked it. I enjoyed spending time with the characters. My favorite characters are by far Emma and Ollie. I need them to get a happily ever after. Or at least a semi-realistic version of that. After all, if these two do marry they'd likely have children just the right age for being drafted into the second world war. And then there's the Depression to consider. There lives wouldn't be challenge-free by any extent. But. I think Ollie and Emma could handle what life gives them and find a way together.
But I didn't like Muriel nearly so much this time around. I found her opinionated voice to be pessimistic and at times unfeeling. Muriel is well on her way to an unconventional life. Perhaps she'll become a 'wild' girl in the big city.
War disrupts lives, changing everything. This is very much an anti-war novel. I don't have a problem with the message in general. It just left me sadder this time around.
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