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ashrocketship's review against another edition
3.0
Some good writing, some great writing, some repetitive writing. Some really good, raw emotional stuff. Nice place-making. I didn't love it, but it was definitely worth the read.
ivyeori's review against another edition
4.0
The perfect book to pull you out of a reading slump! Super duper fast paced but doesn’t feel too rushed either. I was initially going to give it 3.5 stars but then the last 50 pages happened and I was sent through a LOOP. Extra 1/2 star for that ending ! I love the way Fukuda explores asian stereotypes and micro-aggressions that are disappointingly common in societies such as America. This novel captures the immigrant experience painfully realistically.
Although there were a few underdeveloped plot points, I really enjoyed this book and considering it’s a debut novel, Andrew Fukuda does extremellyyyy well :)
Although there were a few underdeveloped plot points, I really enjoyed this book and considering it’s a debut novel, Andrew Fukuda does extremellyyyy well :)
jennseeg's review against another edition
3.0
Are all teenagers these days angry and bullied? Xing, the main character in this novel certainly is. However, in addition to these issues there was enough plot (a murder mystery!) not to mention explorations of xenophobia, mental illness and immigration to carry the novel through. The editing was terrible, though.
ssohn's review against another edition
4.0
enjoyed this one; still wondering about what Fukuda will come up with after the hunt trilogy...
still not sure how i feel about amazon as a publishing imprint; the recent kerfluffle with hatchet makes me wonder if i should quit amazon completely
still not sure how i feel about amazon as a publishing imprint; the recent kerfluffle with hatchet makes me wonder if i should quit amazon completely
pumpkinmomma's review against another edition
3.0
I am not sure how I feel about this book. I love that the author took on such difficult topics (racism, fitting in as a teen, death, kidnapping, murder) but I hate how he resolved the conflict. I guess it works out well and it tells the story I think he set out to tell but I still don't like it. He did a great job because it is still with me even though I have read a number of books since and this one is still haunting me. I think it would be an excellent book for teens and the ending with the painting is beautiful... tragic and painful but beautiful. Worth a read if you are up for it.
tealrose81's review against another edition
4.0
[b:Crossing] by Andrew Xia Fukuda is a novel about an Asian boy who is one of two Asians in an all white high school. Xing aka Kris is a tormented boy with a lot of anger, loss and despair in his life. He constantly buries his identity deep within to blend into a society he cannot help but stand out in. In addition to the compelling struggle and a clearly tormented teen, Fukuda throws in a several high profile teen disappearances into the story adding suspense and creating quite a page turner. This short novel has a lot that drives it and it was well worth the read.
msmere's review
3.0
This is short and good as a YA book. Not really much mystery or suspense as you might think as you begin it. It is more a study of characters. I think teens may like it in that it is short, deals with high school pressures and has a crime element.
lawralthelibrarian's review
5.0
There are some books that you stay up all night reading because you just have to know what happens. Then there are books that you stay up all night reading because you really don't want to turn off the lights. Crossing falls gracefully into both categories.
The whole story, the story behind the disappearances, is told by Kris. We see his classmates, his one friend, the town, through his eyes. Kris kind of goes through the motions of his life, the ultimate observer. It isn't until he starts singing lessons before school that he gains some confidence and things really start happening both to and for him. If it weren't for the missing kids, this would be a very different story, one about an unpopular, unspectacular kid who, with a little adult attention and encouragement, finally comes out of his shell, makes friends, and is recognized by his peers. Well, almost. The disappearances are good for Kris. He's no longer bullied at school, and when the guy he's understudying goes missing, he gets the lead in the school musical. It's easy to see why Kris is the perfect suspect.
The first couple of pages of the book make it seem as though Kris is just that, at the very least: a suspect. For most of the story, however, that's not how it looks like things should go. Other things in his life, his crush on Naomi, the new girl Jan, and his music lessons, are more important than the missing kids. The disappearances are almost peripheral to Kris's story; he's to busy being a freshman for the disappearances, which make his life a little bit more livable, to worry him. When the disappearances, and the rumors surrounding them, come crashing into Kris's life, they are really creepy. Don't turn the lights off creepy. Everyone is paranoid and thinks they are being watched; Kris is chased. They've all "seen" the person watching them; Kris sees no one. He manages to brush these things off, most of the time, but they come back in strange ways.
But Jan, herself, is what creeped me out the most. She is new and an outsider, like Kris, and she eventually clings to him. Her desperation and hopelessness scared me. She is a truly haunting character. She's an important part of the story, in a nuts and bolts kind of way, but she's very much a side character. On one hand I wish there had been more of her in the book, especially in the aftermath part of it, but on the other hand, I don't think it would be the same story if she had been more present in it. The whole point, I think, is that Kris, Jan, and, to some extent, Naomi are kids no one notices. We only see what Kris sees, and even he doesn't really see Jan for a lot of the book.
The ending wasn't really a surprise, but the story did throw me for a few loops getting there. The mystery still exists, even if you think you know who did the deed.
Book source: Review copy from publisher.
The whole story, the story behind the disappearances, is told by Kris. We see his classmates, his one friend, the town, through his eyes. Kris kind of goes through the motions of his life, the ultimate observer. It isn't until he starts singing lessons before school that he gains some confidence and things really start happening both to and for him. If it weren't for the missing kids, this would be a very different story, one about an unpopular, unspectacular kid who, with a little adult attention and encouragement, finally comes out of his shell, makes friends, and is recognized by his peers. Well, almost. The disappearances are good for Kris. He's no longer bullied at school, and when the guy he's understudying goes missing, he gets the lead in the school musical. It's easy to see why Kris is the perfect suspect.
The first couple of pages of the book make it seem as though Kris is just that, at the very least: a suspect. For most of the story, however, that's not how it looks like things should go. Other things in his life, his crush on Naomi, the new girl Jan, and his music lessons, are more important than the missing kids. The disappearances are almost peripheral to Kris's story; he's to busy being a freshman for the disappearances, which make his life a little bit more livable, to worry him. When the disappearances, and the rumors surrounding them, come crashing into Kris's life, they are really creepy. Don't turn the lights off creepy. Everyone is paranoid and thinks they are being watched; Kris is chased. They've all "seen" the person watching them; Kris sees no one. He manages to brush these things off, most of the time, but they come back in strange ways.
But Jan, herself, is what creeped me out the most. She is new and an outsider, like Kris, and she eventually clings to him. Her desperation and hopelessness scared me. She is a truly haunting character. She's an important part of the story, in a nuts and bolts kind of way, but she's very much a side character. On one hand I wish there had been more of her in the book, especially in the aftermath part of it, but on the other hand, I don't think it would be the same story if she had been more present in it. The whole point, I think, is that Kris, Jan, and, to some extent, Naomi are kids no one notices. We only see what Kris sees, and even he doesn't really see Jan for a lot of the book.
The ending wasn't really a surprise, but the story did throw me for a few loops getting there. The mystery still exists, even if you think you know who did the deed.
Book source: Review copy from publisher.
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