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bethanymiller415's review against another edition
3.0
Muriel and Ollie Jorgensen and Frank and Emma Norman are brothers and sisters who have been neighbors and friends their whole lives. Their mothers have dreamed of the day when (they hope) Muriel will marry Frank and Ollie will marry Emma, and they will all be one big happy family, but those dreams are put on hold when Frank enlists in World War I and Ollie follows soon after. Muriel has always been opinionated and unafraid to speak her mind and she openly questions the president’s decision to enter into the war. Muriel isn’t the only strong woman in her family. Her Aunt Vera is a suffragette who is in Washington D.C. picketing outside the White House each day to try to get women the right to vote. Eventually, she is arrested and put in jail where she and some of the other women go on a hunger strike. With the day of her release approaching, it falls to Muriel to travel to Washington to bring her aunt, now very ill, home to Michigan. While in Washington, Muriel is exposed to a world much different from the one she is used to, and it opens her mind to a different way of life. In the meant time news of Frank and Ollie has made its way back to their families, changing everyone’s lives forever. Crossing Stones is a beautifully written novel-in-verse that captures a time period in American history through the story of two families.
jillreads77's review against another edition
4.0
This book is printed in a format of water and stones. It is also in verse. The story is about two families that live across a river from one another that has stones that can be easily crossed. It is set in the time of World War 1 and during the time of the suffragettes. There are several voices represented in the verse giving some different perspectives on the events that affect these two families. I was interested in Muriel and Ollie's mother who wasn't supportive of Aunt Vera and her women's rights friends. A worthwhile and quick read.
maricorchang's review against another edition
4.0
Crossing Stones by Helen Frost (2009)
Novel in Verse, 178 pages
18-year-old Muriel Jorgensen is an opinionated young woman who begins to question the risks of war and the inequality of women. The Jorgensen’s live across from the Norman’s, and their properties are divided by Crabapple Creek, but the line is blurred as all the families use the creek’s crossing stones to see each other every day. Both mothers hope their children will marry within the families: Muriel and Frank Norman, Ollie (Muriel’s 16-year-old brother) and Emma (Frank’s 16-year-old sister). Muriel is not sure how she feels about Frank and is afraid to get caught up in the life of a housewife. However, before she can decide, Frank enlists and is sent abroad to fight in The Great War. Only Muriel openly expresses the risks American young men are taking while boys go away to war. However, Muriel and both families are not ready for the reality of war, its destructive nature, or the changes happening back home. Frost’s characters portray the common patriotic sentiment pre-WWI and the disillusionment after the war in their alternating verse narration. The poet’s form in particular is quite interesting, creating a flowing creek pattern in all Muriel’s poems, showing her developing thoughts and forming beliefs. Furthermore, Frost’s form for Ollie and Emma’s poems as “cupped-hand sonnets” connected through beginning and end rhyme shows their bond and the stepping stones they have been for one another. Crossing Stones would be an excellent supplement to a WWI study for any young adult, providing the experiences of people back home and touching on other major events occurring in the era, i.e. women’s suffrage, child labor, and women in the workplace.
Novel in Verse, 178 pages
18-year-old Muriel Jorgensen is an opinionated young woman who begins to question the risks of war and the inequality of women. The Jorgensen’s live across from the Norman’s, and their properties are divided by Crabapple Creek, but the line is blurred as all the families use the creek’s crossing stones to see each other every day. Both mothers hope their children will marry within the families: Muriel and Frank Norman, Ollie (Muriel’s 16-year-old brother) and Emma (Frank’s 16-year-old sister). Muriel is not sure how she feels about Frank and is afraid to get caught up in the life of a housewife. However, before she can decide, Frank enlists and is sent abroad to fight in The Great War. Only Muriel openly expresses the risks American young men are taking while boys go away to war. However, Muriel and both families are not ready for the reality of war, its destructive nature, or the changes happening back home. Frost’s characters portray the common patriotic sentiment pre-WWI and the disillusionment after the war in their alternating verse narration. The poet’s form in particular is quite interesting, creating a flowing creek pattern in all Muriel’s poems, showing her developing thoughts and forming beliefs. Furthermore, Frost’s form for Ollie and Emma’s poems as “cupped-hand sonnets” connected through beginning and end rhyme shows their bond and the stepping stones they have been for one another. Crossing Stones would be an excellent supplement to a WWI study for any young adult, providing the experiences of people back home and touching on other major events occurring in the era, i.e. women’s suffrage, child labor, and women in the workplace.
pkadams's review against another edition
4.0
As a verse novel, Crossing Stones tells the coming-of-age story of 4 teenagers who live on adjacent farms connected by crossing stones in a river. Narrated by 3 of the 4 teenagers, Muriel, her brother Ollie, and her best friend Emma, the story is about how WWI and the outside world change these 16 and 18 year olds. Frank, Emma's brother, is the first to leave when he joins the army and is sent to France. During these tumultuous times, Ollie and Muriel's aunt becomes involved in the suffragette protests drawing in the family while they also must cope with the influenza pandemic.
I enjoyed the verse and though it was painstakingly crafted, it read quickly and easily while covering so many topics from the war, Espionage Act, universal suffrage, and influenza outbreak of 1918. This book is a great book club selection for kids as it touches on so many topics perfect for discussion.
I enjoyed the verse and though it was painstakingly crafted, it read quickly and easily while covering so many topics from the war, Espionage Act, universal suffrage, and influenza outbreak of 1918. This book is a great book club selection for kids as it touches on so many topics perfect for discussion.
peacewillfollow's review against another edition
5.0
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!
pandamans's review against another edition
3.0
Set in Michigan at the onset of World War I, Crossing Stones is penned in verse - sonnets actually, in the shapes of the rocks and rolling river that separate two neighboring families. It combined two styles - historical fiction and verse fiction - that I normally don't care for - into an entertaining and informative look at the challenges of the time. The young men being led off to fight for their freedoms in war, the suffragists fighting for their freedoms at home, and the country fighting off the flu.
frankisib's review against another edition
5.0
WOW! An amazing book. I love Helen Frost --I think this one is my favorite of all of her titles. Very powerful and the characters will stay with me for a very long time.
pinkrain718's review
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to recommending it to my 6th graders. This is a story told in verse, but I listened to the audiobook so I didn't see the formatting of the text. This is a perfect storm of events including WWI, the women's suffrage movement and the influenza pandemic. The story is narrated by three characters who are quite different from one another and tell their story with a unique voice. A perfect read for any young adult!
kcwreads's review against another edition
5.0
woman's sufferage+ wwi+ verse novel= a whole lot to love.