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 heavilyinto crack and crank. As a child he was full of rage, but now as a senior inhigh school he's pretty much overcome all that. With the help of a goodtherapist and his decent, loving, ex-hippie adoptive parents, he's not onlyfairly even-keeled, he has turned out to be smart and funny. Read more

Reviews (70)

It takes a book this good for people to want to censor it.
Chris Crutcher, Whale Talk (Dell, 2001)
The best book
Whale Talk is a very interesting book, even though it is boring in the beginning and I almost brought the book back and almost picked another book to read but I decided not to and I'm glad I didn't because this is a great book. Its about a colored boy named T.J who was adopted because his mother did drugs and he was adopted to a mother who is a lawyer and he also has a dad and they are both very nice and they always wanted a kid but never could have one. T.J likes to swim, so he gets people together to make a swim team and a reason why he is doing this is because he wants him and the other people on his team to have there own letter jackets, because in there school you cant where a letter jacket unless you earned it by doing a sport or activity. So T.J gets a swim team together and the people on his swim team are people who dot really fit in with other people at school but they all get to know each other and become friends.
Great Book.
Whale Talk is about a teenager named T.J. Jones. He has a very hard and unhappy childhood, his mother leaves him and someone adopts him. The parents that adopted him are very nice and kind. His dad looks like a crazy biker, but is actually a soft-hearted man, especially when it comes to kids. His mom is a lawyer and helps T.J. alot. The storyline is basically T.J. trying to start a swimming team. He tries to gain more members and it the end he gets a swim team filled with misfits. They work hard and get to know each other good. The book ends with a surprising chapter, and it teaches T.J. a big lesson.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Fiction    4. High schools    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. School & Education    7. Social Issues - Prejudice & Racism    8. High schools    9. Sports & Recreation - Water Sports    10. Swimming    11. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance    12. Social Situations - Physical & Emotional Abuse    13. Social Situations - Prejudice & Racism   

Reviews (19)

Athletic Shorts
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher is a collection of six short stories revolving around six different characters. More than a mere collection of sports related stories this book looks at everyday situations and problems about teen life. Weight problems, pushy parents, uncomfortable situations, racism, homosexuality and death. Packed into less than 200 pages Crutcher is able to captivate readers through this book with his humor as well as his insights into the young adult mind. My favorite story of the six is "The Other Pin" about a guy named Petey who is "volunteered" by his best friend to wrestle Chris Byers who has a habit of not just beating all opponents but humiliating them in the process. If that wasn't bad enought Chris Byers is also a girl. Though some of Crutcher's stories are emotional and heart wrenching all are worth the read.

Wonderful book
This really is a wonderful collection, one that anyone seeking to understand the mind and actions of a teenage boy or even girl should read. Chris is simple, straightforward, and always fun to read. I'd highly recommend this to any student and even some teachers.

Highly Recommended!
This book is great for introducing children to Gay and Lesbian issues through characters and themes. Athletic Shorts is a collection of stories about athletic boys facing challenges in their lives, including " A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune," about a boy with two sets of gay parents and "In the Time I Get," in which Louie, the main character of Cruther's Running Loose becomes friends with a gay man dying of AIDS. I also recommend Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence by Marion Dean Bauer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Juvenile Fiction    4. Short Stories    5. Short stories, American    6. Social Issues - General    7. Sports & Recreation - General    8. Juvenile Fiction / Short Stories   

Reviews (15)

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Washington State native and young adult literature veteran Chris Crutcher is no stranger to censorship. Many of his critically acclaimed novels have been persecuted for their content anduse of "inappropriate language," as well as the thematically taboo nature of the stories themselves. THE SLEDDING HILL, Crutcher's latest novel, deals with the issue of censorship, and the struggle students, as well as pro-literature advocates, must undergo to ensure the right to read contemporary works.
A boring dud
What started out as what I thought was a good idea quickly turned into what read like a spoiled brat spewing venom because of some imagined slight.B O R I N G !!!

strong topics but weakly written
Chris Crutcher's book, The Sledding Hill, focuses on points such as life after death, censorship, and religion. The main character Eddie goes through some hard knocks when his best friend Billy and his father die within three months of each other.
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Subjects:  1. Censorship    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - Religious    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Death    6. Elective mutism    7. Fiction    8. Future life    9. General    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Religious - Christian    12. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    13. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (118)

If you can look past the agenda . . .
I read Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes when I was taking a young adult literature class in college.I'd just finished reading Chinese Handcuffs, also by Crutcher, and even though I'm not interested in sports at all, I really enjoyed it.Feeling in the mood for some more angst, but wary of the emphasis on sports in a lot of his books, I decided swimming would be an interesting sport to read about and picked up Staying Fat.It wasn't bad.In fact, it was very similar to other books of Crutcher's I've read in that it deals with sports and angst.
Two Teen's Couragous Battles Because ofBeing VeryDifferent.
When I began the book, I felt like it was going to be just some teen complaining because life isn't perfect.However, Eric was couragous and well beyond his years because he accepted himself completely.Beyond the teasing and tormenting that his peers gave him was a growing deep confidence in himself.
Can I get an extra star?
I'm an ELA teacher. This is one of my favorite YA novels. After you get comfortable with the main character and hisrelationship with Sarah Byrnes, it's impossible to put this book down. The characters are new/strange and well defined.The issues are a bit heavy as is the language, so I'd keep it at 14 or older.
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Subjects:  1. Child abuse    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Fiction    5. Friendship    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Schools    8. Social Issues - Friendship    9. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    10. Social Issues - Violence    11. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Friendship   

Reviews (38)

Great book by Chris Crutcher
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.

Running Loose
Louie quits the football team and has to deal with it.Louie a senior in High School has it made.Until, everything goes bad.He quits the football team because of foul play.The coach of the football team wants the players to hurt the opposing team's best player (a black player).Louie one of the best players has some good friends and some bad friends.Becky his girlfriend is killed in a car wreck.Louie makes a real big deal about this.He even stands up at her funeral to say his opinions.He even goes further when he takes the plaque for her and throws it into the river.Louie must try to live on after everything he had is gone.He must survive his senior year with only one friend and many others making fun of him.See how Louie runs into conclusions at the end of this book.
Running Loose
Louie Bank's life is great, but all that changes with a blink of an eye.Louie has great friends, a fabulous girlfriend and football.He has some bad things though like a messed up football coach and a bully that wants to beat him up.Louie has been training hard all off season of football.He just wants a starting position.He trains with his best friend Carter.Carter is a big, strong, and smart guy.Louie makes a starting position on the eight man football team with Carter at quarter back.There is one more guy for mention Boomer Cowans.He is the starting running back.Boomer is big and strong, but as dumb as a log.Louie has the most popular girlfriend in the whole school.Her name is Becky Sanders.She means the world to Louie.Then something happens that will turn his life around.Will Louie ever survive what happened?
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Fiction    4. Football    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. School & Education    7. Schools    8. Social Issues - Adolescence    9. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    10. Social Issues - Prejudice & Racism    11. Sports & Recreation - Football    12. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Prejudice & Racism   

Reviews (36)

Chinese Handcuffs
The purpose of the author was to show the consequences of communicating and not communicating in life and death situation.For example, Dillon had a secret with his frind Jen, who was the girlfriend of his death brother and he wanted to be more than friends with her but he couldn't tell her because he knew that it was hard because she had been his brother girlfriend.I rate this book with a letter A because it is interresting how a young boy has kept the secret of his death brother by himself.
Chinese Handcuffs
Looking at the title Chinese Handcuffs, I never would have expected such an ongoing book of every day, life-threatening events.I would have to say that the main idea I got from this book was communication.Communication is a key to life and in this book you find out the consequences of communicating and not communicating in life and death situations.
Magnificent Must Read
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?
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Subjects:  1. Brothers    2. Child abuse    3. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Fiction    6. Social Issues - General    7. Social Situations - General    8. Suicide    9. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / General   

Reviews (42)

A glimpse into teen angst
Ironman is an insightful fictional study into what makes teens behave badly. It raises questions about parenting styles and explores the reason why some teens act up. The protaganist's quest to be an 'ironman' in a gruelling triathlon is the reason for the title in the book. It is a good read in a sometimes tongue-in-cheek style.
Ironman Review
Ages 16 and up. Bo Brewster let his anger get the best of him. He finds himself in Mr. Nak's Anger Management class filled with people who are bulleys, future American Gladiators, and people who have problems at home. Bo fits in this class well because he also has problems at home. Bo is training like crazy throughout the school year for Yukon Jack's triathlon. He meets Shelly, from his Anger Management class, and falls in love with her. She helps him train for the race. She even puts 500 dollars on Bo against Wyrack's relay team. Will Bo crack under the pressure of the race and the money or will he rise to the occasion?
Not for the literate child.
The language used by the author in my opinion is vulgar and not necessary to tell his tale. It teaches that rude and crude behavior is accepted in the struggle to succeed. Rather than encourage foul language as the norm, Crutcher should try to educate by using BIG words himself rather than resort to base and inferior words tomake his characters seem hip - cool doesn't cut it when it comes to learning proper words and how to use them.
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Subjects:  1. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    2. Children: Grades 2-3    3. Family - Parents    4. Fathers and sons    5. Fiction    6. Interpersonal relations    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Social Issues - Adolescence    9. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    10. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    11. Sports & Recreation - General    12. Triathlon    13. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Adolescence   

Reviews (37)

Great for targeting young , especially male readers
This is one book you may actually get some tough, too cool, high school kids to read.It's quite well-written and realistic, dealing with some hard-hitting issues in an engaging manner.Highly recommended.

Timeless insights about friendship and life
I bought this book when I was still in high school, read it, then forgot all about it. I liked the story well enough, because it was about swimming. But years later while I was at university, I pulled this book out again and realized that there was much more to this story than swimming -- that, in fact, if there ever was a course on friendship, this book could be a primer. This is a Young Adults book, but even now that I'm out of university, I still like to read Stotan! once in a while to remind myself of what really matters in life.

Love, Friendship, and Perseverance
Stotan by the magnificent Chris Crutcher is a story about a group of friends who are aiming to win state in the 4 X 100 meter relay. Yet on the way they must concure their minds and bodies in order to succeed.Walker Dupree the captain of the swim team must decide between the beautiful Devnee and the girl next door Elaine, while Nortie must deal with his problem at home.Lion is forced to cope with loneliness after the loss of his family and Jeff needs to overtake life's greatest terror.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Fiction    4. High schools    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Schools    7. Social Issues - Friendship    8. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    9. Sports & Recreation - Water Sports    10. Swimming    11. Training    12. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Friendship   

Reviews (17)

King Of The Mild Frontier
King Of The Mild Frontier recalls the immature and near idiotic behaviors of a youthful Mr. Crutcher. Or was that me?I had a lot of trouble (betweens fits of laughter) distinguishing his bumbling antics from my own knuckleheadedness.What I always kept private, the author lays bare for the world to see, and does so with a clear purpose. Mr. Crutcher's healthy and honest approach to what makes a youngster tick delivers a unique session of personal therapy and enlightenment to the reader - all for the bargain price of a book.There is runaway humor - but much, much more.This is NOT just a book for teens or young adults.It is also for those that want, or need, to improve their relationship with the younger generation.Read it to enjoy, read it to understand, and then pass it down to your kids.

King of the "WILD" Frontier
Chris Crutcher's King of the Mild Frontier is an autoiobiography that is fresh and funny, but also teaches his readers about life experiences and teaches people to make the right decisions. Crutcher's humorous story about his life brings you through his memories and gets you to see what it is like to be in his shoes.
Kintg of the Mild Frontier
In King of the Mild Frontier, well-known young adult fiction writer, Chris Crutcher, tells the hilarious and yet serious story of his own life as a gullible, fierce-tempered, sports-impaired crybaby growing up in a small town in Idaho.For Chris Crutcher, growing up like this is not easy.Relationships with his brother, parents, and people of the town bring out funny stories that will stick with you.Through the stories of his somewhat odd life-experiences, Crutcher teaches some important lessons of life that he has learned.Crutcher will make you laugh out loud with his stories.He concludes his stories with comparisons of his childhood to his experiences as a psychologist.His sarcastic tone will keep young adults and adults reading this comical autobiography. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Authors, American    3. Authorship    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography - Literary    6. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    7. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    8. Family - General    9. Juvenile Nonfiction    10. Juvenile literature    11. Social Issues - Adolescence    12. Young adult fiction    13. Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Literary   

Reviews (27)

QH
this book is really interesting and gets you hooked as early as the first page and doesnt let you go till the very end. i love baseball and this book has a lot of baseball content and action scenes. i hard about this book from my friend and he told me that it was just ok, but i think that its great, anybook with baseball and gangsters is good for me. i would recomend this book to anyone who likes an action based fast moving book with some baseball scenes.

Crazy Horse Electric Game
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.
The Crazy Horse Electric Game
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. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Fiction    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. People with disabilities    7. Physically handicapped    8. Runaways    9. Social Issues - Runaways    10. Social Issues - Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance    11. Social Issues - Special Needs    12. Sports & Recreation - Baseball    13. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Friendship   

Reviews (4)

The Deep End
Wilson's job as a therapist provides many opportunities to see into the lives of abused or neglected children.Sabrina is Jerry's sister and she is missing.Wilson counsels Jerry and his mother, Peggy, and with the helpof the police, tries to find Sabrina and bring her back to safety.Wilsonrealizes that there is something about the night Sabrina was taken from herhome that does not fit with the story Jerry and Peggy have told him. Wilson soon finds himself in the middle a dangerous situation that involvesthe kidnapping of the most important people is his life.This highlyintensified mystery leads Wilson through events that leave him a changedperson.His own children are in danger and Wilson will do anything toinsure their safety.Sabrina is found but at the same time, other peopleare also involved that add to the suspense of the story.A young childnamed, Craig, is introduced as a burn victim and his stepfather, Dr.Bonner, is accused.This is when the book really gets interesting. Through the eyes of Wilson, we are able to "see" the abuse withsuch clarity and realism.Chris Crutcher has the experience from his owncounseling to adequately portray these young victims. There is a heartbreaking murder that was somewhat unexpected.The story does follow theold "good guy gets the bad guy" scenario, but by the time thathappens, you are ready for it!The conclusion of the book forced me toponder the desperate situation that young children and adults face whenabuse is present.I have thought about this book many times sincefinishing it.I highly recommend this book to young adults.

An exciting book with an important message.
This is, as the subtitle to the book suggests, a novel of suspense.For me it did more than just keep my attention and entice me to keep turning the pages.The importance of what the author calls "tribal"parenting needs to be mass communicated.As Arthur Miller suggested in hisplay years before, children and even adults are "all our sons." Maybe there are a few stick figures here and there in the book, but sowhat, the story and theme make the novel very worthwhileto read.

An exciting book with an important message.
This is, as the subtitle to the book suggests, a novel of suspense.For me it did more than just keep my attention and entice me to keep turning the pages.The importance of what the author calls "tribal"parenting needs to be mass communicated.As Arthur Miller suggested in hisplay years before, children and even adults are "all our sons." Maybe there are a few stick figures here and there in the book, but sowhat, the story and theme make the novel very worthwhileto read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Psychological Suspense    3. Mystery & Detective - General    4. Psychological   

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Reviews (27)

QH
this book is really interesting and gets you hooked as early as the first page and doesnt let you go till the very end. i love baseball and this book has a lot of baseball content and action scenes. i hard about this book from my friend and he told me that it was just ok, but i think that its great, anybook with baseball and gangsters is good for me. i would recomend this book to anyone who likes an action based fast moving book with some baseball scenes.

Crazy Horse Electric Game
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.
The Crazy Horse Electric Game
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. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Afro-Americans    2. Children's Books - Young Adult    3. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Fiction    6. Handicapped    7. Runaways    8. Social Issues - General    9. Social Situations - General   

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Reviews (11)

The War At School
There is a war going on in our schools. Although many people may not see it or many people may not be aware of it the war is there I'm talking about the on going fighting between "outcasts" and the "populars". Through some tragic events, some heart warming, and some that just want to make you stand up to anyone who gets in your way you see the realities of violence and harshness of some lives which are the victims of this so called war. Through theses collections of short stories with authors such as Jack Gantos many lessons can be learned.It is a book that will make think about the kids at your school and events that have happened in your community that have taken place I this book. Maybe this book may change the way you think and make you a better person.
A Great Book for Sharing
I used selections from this collection as read-alouds for my 8th grade language arts class (I end class most days with a read-aloud, while students keep a response journal). Because of the subject matter, these stories definitely engage the students and keep their attention. Do they all "get" the message? No, but I guarantee that when you look around the room and see the eyes of those two or three students who are themselves on the fringe, you will know it was worth it.

in defense of this book
I'm writing this because I'm aghast at some of the other reviews of "On the Fringe." It's a bad book because of its length? Not necessarily. Most of its stories are shorter than the average New Yorker fiction piece, and there's no need to read them all to enjoy the book. Short story collections don't have to be read straight through like a chapter book.Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children's stories, American    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Fiction    5. High schools    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. School & Education    8. Schools    9. Short Stories    10. Social Situations - General    11. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (1)

A Heart Grabber
I was checking out a critique I did for America the Babylon on Amazonrecently and thought I would also see what kinds of books Terry has written lately. I was pleasantly surprised to find his poem Sheehanon Amazon'sbook list. I have not only read Sheehanseveral times but I also tookevery one of Terry's English classes at the community college where heteaches and have heard him read Sheehanseveral times. My copy wasdestroyed in a fire so I'm having to do this critique frommemory.Read more

Subjects:  1. Poetry   

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Subjects:  1. Audio: Juvenile    2. Juvenile Fiction    3. Social Issues - Friendship