Module 14: Crossing Stones

In Module 14 we studied poetry and short stories for children and young adults.  One of the books I read, Crossing Stones, is a novel written in verse.  The sections go back and forth between Muriel, the main narrator (whose verses appear as a zig-zag, representing the creek near her home), and her friends and relatives (whose verses appear round, to represent the stones Muriel and her friends use to cross the creek).

I thought this novel in verse was a very interesting read.  Not only was the form and style of the book unusual and symbolic, but the topics discussed in the books will really make the reader stop and think.  The author discusses issues including the First World War, women's suffrage, and the influenza epidemic of 1918.  Each of these issues strongly impacts the lives of Muriel and her family and friends.  This book would be a great one for junior high and high school students who are interested in learning more about the era depicted in the novel.

Image credit: childrensbookalmanac.com

Muriel's neighbor, Frank, is off fighting in the war.  Her brother, Ollie, decides to enlist secretly, as he is underage.  After two tragedies occur, Muriel goes to Washington, D.C. to visit her Aunt Vera, who is fighting for women's suffrage.  When she returns home, her younger sister, Grace, has fallen ill with the influenza that is sweeping the globe.  In the end, Muriel decides who she wants to be in this world that seems so uncertain.

Gillian Enberg of Booklist writes about Crossing Stones: "Muriel’s free-flowing entries indicate her restless curiosity; Emma and Ollie’s sonnets follow complementary rhyming patterns, adding a structural link between the characters as they fall in love. The historical details (further discussed in an author’s note) and feminist messages are purposeful, but Frost skillfully pulls her characters back from stereotype with their poignant, private, individual voices and nuanced questions, which will hit home with contemporary teens, about how to recover from loss and build a joyful, rewarding future in an unsettled world."

I think this book would be well-suited to introduce students to the world of written verse, showing that poetry mustn't always rhyme or be short snippets of thoughts.  Librarians and language arts teachers can collaborate to have the students write their own shape poems, and then post them throughout the library or host a poetry reading so students can share their work with one another.  It would also be a great accompaniment to any unit on World War I and the issues surrounding that time in America.

Reference:
Enberg, G.  (2009).  Crossing Stones.  Booklist, 106(3), 42.
Frost, H.  (2009).  Crossing Stones.  New York: Frances Foster Books.