Crutcher, Chris Books

Deadline

Chris Crutcher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Ben Wolf has big things planned for his senior year. Had big things planned. Now what he has is some very bad news and only one year left to make his mark on the world.

How can a pint-sized, smart-ass seventeen-year-old do anything significant in the nowheresville of Trout, Idaho?

First, Ben makes sure that no one else knows what is going on—not his superstar quarterback brother, Cody, not his parents, not his coach, no one. Next, he decides to become the best 127-pound football player Trout High has ever seen; to give his close-minded civics teacher a daily migraine; and to help the local drunk clean up his act.

And then there's Dallas Suzuki. Amazingly perfect, fascinating Dallas Suzuki, who may or may not give Ben the time of day. Really, she's first on the list.

Living with a secret isn't easy, though, and Ben's resolve begins to crumble . . . especially when he realizes that he isn't the only person in Trout with secrets.

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Chris Crutcher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 125 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An outstanding read for any age... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just out of curiosity, I picked up this book from my 15 year old's pile of summer reads. I didn't put the book down until I finished. The only time I put it aside was to wipe the tears from my eyes or move to a quieter location. At 43 years old, I have to say that this was one of the most moving books I've read (younger audience genre) - it is a book that will inspire any age. This story is about friendship, loyalty, life, God, free speech, free thinking, and most of all, compassion. The subject matter is sometimes difficult - as a mother of 3, it was hard to read about the abuse. Sarah's father, as someone mentioned in another review, is one of the scariest characters in fiction - there are parts of the book which will keep you at the edge of your seat. This book has a life lesson for any age!

Editorial Review:

Sarah Byrnes and Eric have been friends for years. When they were children, his fat and her terrible scars made them both outcasts. Later, although swimming slimmed Eric, she stayed his closest friend.

Now Sarah Byrnes -- the smartest, toughest person Eric has ever known -- sits silent in a hospital. Eric must uncover the terrible secret she's hiding, before its dark currents pull them both under.

Whale Talk

Chris Crutcher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 79 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

T. J. Jones is black, Japanese, and white; his given name is The Tao (honest!), and he's the son of a woman who abandoned him when she got heavily into crack and crank. As a child he was full of rage, but now as a senior in high school he's pretty much overcome all that. With the help of a good therapist and his decent, loving, ex-hippie adoptive parents, he's not only fairly even-keeled, he has turned out to be smart and funny.

Injustice, however, still fills him with fury. So when big-deal football star Mike Barbour bullies brain-damaged Chris Coughlin for wearing his dead brother's letter jacket, T.J. hatches a scheme for revenge. He assembles a swim team (in a school with no pool) made up of the most outrageous outsiders and misfits he can find and extracts a conditional promise of those sacred letter jackets from the coach. After weeks of dedicated practice at the All Night Fitness pool, the seven mermen get good enough not to embarrass themselves in competition. The really important thing, though, turns out to be the long bus rides to meets, a safe place to share the hurts that have made them who they are. Meanwhile, T.J.'s father, who has taken in a battered little girl to ease his lifelong guilt over his role in the accidental death of a baby, tangles with another bully--her stepfather--and his growing murderous rage.

Chris Crutcher, therapist and author of seven prize-winning young adult books, here gives his many fans another wise and compassionate story full of the intensity of athletic competition and hair-raising incidents of child abuse. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell

Ironman

Chris Crutcher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 53 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Ironman 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Beauregard Brewster, nicknamed Bo, is a 17-year-old, angry, trouble-maker. Bo was forced to choose between either having an in-home tutor or attending an anger management class, taught by Mr. Nakatani. In the class Bo met and fell in love with Shelly, a tough young woman training to be an American Gladiator. Bo's self-training to become an ironman, for the Yukon Jack challenge, was a major part of the book. Mr. Lionel Serbousek, one of Bo's teachers, allowed Bo to be on the college swim team he coached. Chris Crutcher tackles serious social issues such as anger management and relationships effectively through his use of format. Ironman is written through narration and letters, which Bo wrote to Larry King, a talk show icon. Crutcher gives an outsider's view of what is happening in the story as well as letting the reader hear Bo's thoughts. These letters reveal the honest struggle of Bo frustrated by his anger, his father, teachers, threats by Ian and thoughts, both nonsexual and sexual, of Shelly. As all of these are thoughts and issues which teenagers face, Crutcher uses language that is used by teenagers which adds to the book's authenticity. Consequently, an accurate description of a teenager's life is depicted.

Editorial Review:

Bo has been at war with his father for as long as he can remember. The rage he feels gives him the energy as a triathlete to press his body to the limit, but it also translates into angry outbursts toward his teachers.

Now dangerously close to expulsion from school, Bo has been assigned to Anger Management sessions with the school "truants." With an eclectic mix of hard-edged students, Bo may finally have to deal with his long-brewing hatred for his father -- before it eats away at him completely.

Athletic Shorts: Six Short Stories

Chris Crutcher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Courtesy of Teens Read Too 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

In ATHLETIC SHORTS, Chris Crutcher presents original short stories involving characters from his previous novels. In the book's forward, Crutcher explains, "In my travels around the country and in letters from readers, I am constantly asked what happens to certain characters in my books. So once in a while I check in" (pp. ix-x).

Each of these short stories involves a central character from a previous novel, but, while Crutcher may have intended a particular story to be a prequel or an afterward, the stories remain independent. So a person who has not read RUNNING LOOSE will still be able to understand the storyline behind IN THE TIME I GET, in which Louie Banks looks into the eyes of a friend dying of AIDS and realizes the value of time. Additionally, after getting a taste of Crutcher's novels through his short stories, readers may well be inspired to go out and acquire the novels themselves.

Athletics are the uniting theme throughout these stories, but they also give Crutcher a medium to introduce physical, mental, and emotional challenges for his characters. Sports allow a safe setting for conflict and failure, while also providing a site for characters to achieve and excel.

Thumbs Up! Award Winner, 1992

Reviewed by: Mechele R. Dillard

Editorial Review:

In six tense, exciting short stories, athletes face up to more than sports in tales of love and death, of bigotry and heroism, of real people doing the best that they can, even when that best is not enough.

These stories feature new voices as well as characters from Chris Crutcher's acclaimed popular novels, including Stotan!, Running Loose, and The Crazy Horse Electric Game. Here are the moments that change lives forever.

Running Loose

Chris Crutcher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great book by Chris Crutcher 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This book Running Loose by Chris Crutcher was a very good book. It took a short while to get into it but once you did it was hard to put down. In the book, a kid named Louie Banks has everything going his way so far in his life. Chris does a great job of bringing Louie to life in this book. Louie is a senior attending Trout High School in Trout, Idaho. He has a beautiful girlfriend that no one expected him to have; even himself, and a great spot on the eight-man football team. During one of the games, Louie explodes because one of his teammates, Boomer Cowans, purposely hits a kid and puts him out of the game. He has to put up with Boomer, the big bully of the school, constantly after that. Louie gets into a big fight with the coach and gets kicked off of the team. Carter Sampson, the quarterback of the team and Louie's best friend, helps him through his problems. Things start to go downhill from there. Louie has other big problems to face but you will have to find out for yourself what they are. I really liked the fact that this was a very realistic book and could happen to anybody in high school. Louie goes through problems that anybody could face in the real world today. I really enjoyed this book.

Editorial Review:

Louie Banks has it made.

He's got a starting spot on the football team, good friends, and a smart, beautiful girlfriend who loves him as much as he loves her.

Early in the fall, he sees all his ideas of fair play go up in smoke; by spring, what he cares about most has been destroyed. How can Louie keep going when he's lost everything?

Stotan!

Chris Crutcher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Stotan! 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The book Stotan! by Chris Crutcher, is aimed toward young adults. The book is about four high school students who are on the swim team together. Their coach, Max, has them go through a rigorous week of training known as Stotan week, which will push them to the edge of their physical capabilities. But being a Stotan becomes more than just being a tough swimmer. A Stotan is a cross between a Stoic and a Spartan, and he shows no pain. During the Stotan week, Max says that everyone at on time will have to face "the dragon" at some point in the season. For the main character, Walker, his dragon is to go to make top twelve at state, and to break up with his girlfriend which is very difficult for him to do. Max says that you cannot take the dragon head on, but you must go with it, and then you can beat it. As the book progresses, each character meets their own dragon, which will bring about their innermost Stotan, and the dragon becomes more than just swimming. They face aspects of their inner Stotan which they thought that they would never have to do.

Stotan! is full of enjoyable and realistic characters. There is humor and sadness in every corner of the book. The book will leave you inspired, and ready to take on the "dragon".

Editorial Review:

Stotan: A cross between a Stoic and a Spartin

It's the last swimming season for Walker, Nortie, Lion, and Jeff, and their coach is building their self-discipline in a grueling four-hour-a-day test of stamina designed to bring them to the outer edge of their capabilities.

As it turns out, Stotan Week is also the week in which secrets are revealed, and the four friends must draw upon their new strengths for an endurance they never knew they'd need.

The Sledding Hill

Chris Crutcher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Unique Well Written Teen Novel 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is the first Chris Crutcher novel I have read and I am eager to read his others. THE SLEDDING HILL is probably best enjoyed by thoughtful readers who have strong opinions in regard to the need for free thought and the dangers of censorship. This unusual thought provoking book is readable and accessible to those of average reading ability. The book is obviously aimed at the teen market but like many of today's children/young adult books can be equally enjoyed by those well beyond high school.

Absolutely, blatantly controversial: bible bashing and book banning 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I love banned books. I remember reading The Satanic Verses when it was first published (of course, at the time I didn't understand the book or the controversy) and a slew of other banned titles. But controversy strictly for controversy's sake is silly. Case in point: this book. It starts out pretty good-The Lovely Bones-like, narrated by a dead teen named Billy Bartholomew, who dies in a freak accident involving quadruple-stacked sheetrock (note-gyp board comes in four foot by eight foot panels, which would logically be leaned in the short direction, which makes his cause of death monumentally unlikely-but don't get me started) but hangs around (21 grams worth at least) to help his fourteen-year-old best friend, Eddie Proffit, deal with the death of his friend and father (in an almost as unlikely accident three weeks prior). Turns out that Eddie seems substellar in the academic realm, but is, in fact, exceedingly smart. Unfortunately, only Billy and his father, smart guy turned school janitor, know it. Eddie, trying to come to terms with loss in his own way, is thrust into the limelight when thrown (by his mom) to the sharks-the Christian church (cue Jaws music), by way of a pushy, meddling, bible-thumping minister with a religiously-twisted past (in one of the most ridiculous scenes of the book-p166-Mom admonishes him for playing with matches by holding a lighter near his fingers and screaming for him to `PRAY TO JESUS!' to avoid having them burned) named Reverend, (p 68) "African Americans wear the marks of Cain" Tarter. Of course, in an entirely white, small northern Idaho town (population 3,065), church and state are hopelessly intertwined and so the Reverend happens to also be a Bear Creek High School English. Eddie's interactions with Reverend Tarter as a youth, in the form of his questioning the logistics of (and logic behind) certain bible stories including that of Jonah and the Whale and Moses parting the Red Sea, are among the more tolerable parts of the story. But instead of just pushing the envelope, Crutcher feels compelled to rip it to shreds, going so far as to insert HIMSELF in the story as (drum roll please)...a controversial author of books often banned (what a shocker), specifically, one entitled Warren Peece, which covers the very things that The Sledding Hill tackles, primarily religion and homosexuality. It is assigned as mandatory reading but promptly withdrawn after protests are filed about its content. The students are able to finish reading the story in spite of being forced to return the books. Things come to a head when Eddie (under the pretext of reciting the testimony required for him to be baptized into the church) surprises everyone with a speech outing himself as a spy for the anti-banners and Reverend Tarter as the mastermind behind the banners. Chris Crutcher even shows up in the flesh to help save the day!
Whatever happened to the art of subtlety?
Although Crutcher's writing (ultra-controversy aside) occasionally verges on pretty good, he seems a bit too focused on his self-promotion as Highly Ban-able Author. And there is no excuse for misspelling the name of (p 150) Stephen Hawking. Skip this one in favor of the hundreds of better-written books, which can be found at, among other places, the American Library Association site.

Editorial Review:

Eddie hasn't had an easy year

First his father dies. Then his best friend Billy accidentally kicks a stack of Sheetrock over on himself, breaking his neck and effectively hitting tilt on his Earthgame. Eddie and Billy were inseparable. Still are. Billy isn't going to let a little thing like death stop him from hanging in there with his friend. And when Eddie faces an epic struggle with the powers that be, Billy will remain right there beside him.

Chinese Handcuffs

Chris Crutcher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Magnificent Must Read 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Chinese Handcuffs consists of content that is meant for ages 14 and up. Dillon and Jen are juniors in high school and only friends. Jen is not only a basketball star and does excellent in school but she is beautiful. Dillon wants to be more than just friends but he can tell Jen is hiding something about her personal life at home. With Dillon's brother dead and his mother gone with his sister, he can understand why she wouldn't want to talk. When Jen reveals her horrifying home life, Can Dillon get involved without making things worse?
Chinese Handcuffs takes you through Dillon's finding of himself while he gets over the terrifying death of his brother. The book is an excellent page turner for boys and girls. It is an easy read, with unforgettable events. Dillon's thrilling adventures keep your eyes glued to every page. The author did an outstanding job with this book! There will be no regrets about reading this marvelous and meaningful work. With its components in drama, romance, and mystery there is never a dreary moment.

Editorial Review:

Dillon is living with the painful memory of his brother's suicide -- and the role he played in it. To keep his mind and body occupied, he trains intensely for the Ironman triathlon. But outside of practice, his life seems to be falling apart.

Then Dillon finds a confidante in Jennifer, a star high school basketball player who's hiding her own set of destructive secrets. Together, they must find the courage to confront their demons -- before it's too late.

The Crazy Horse Electric Game

Chris Crutcher

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Crazy Horse Electric Game 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Willie Weaver was an all star athlete before he was in a terrible boating accident. After the accident everything seemed to go bad for Willie, he lost his girlfriend, his parents started fighting, and he cant play sports. Willie tries to get help from counclers and theripests, but he keeps on getting worse. Willie runs away to California, where he is taught many valuable lessons. Willie strugles, but with help Willie tries to get over his accident.

Crazy Horse Electric Game 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Page turning! The Crazy Horse Electric Game, by Chris Crutcher is a great book that teaches the reader a life long lesson: you may only get one chance to do something and if you fail to fulfill that opportunity, it may be gone forever. If you let that chance pass by you may regret it because you could have let something keep you from going through with it.
When seventeen year old Willie Weaver, gets injured in a water skiing accident, he begins to have problems physically, with his friends, family, and also with his emotions. Willie's was an average boy, who was also the all-star baseball champion back at his hometown in Coho. Willie thinks that all of his problems would become non- existent if he runs away, so decides to do just that, but when he returns his problems are still there but in a different twist.
Chris Crutcher writes The Crazy Horse Electric Game so that the reader can easily understand the whole morale of the story, and it is attention drawing and is able to keep you interested from beginning to end. The language and book itself, is more for seventh to tenth grade students, because of the character, language and it's also something they can easily relate to. I think that this book will attract this age group to stay intoned with The Crazy Horse Electric Game, easily understand the morale, and will keep reading until the book is finished because they will want to know everything that happens from beginning to end.

Editorial Review:

Willie Weaver used to be a hero.
Now he's nothing.

Willie is a top athlete, the star of the legendary game against Crazy Horse Electric. Then a freak accident robs him of his once-amazing physical talents.

Betrayed by his family, his girlfriend, and his own body, Willie's on the run, penniless and terrified on the streets, where he must fight to rebuild both his body and his life.