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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So, honestly not what I was expecting at first, but I really liked this story. I think my favorite character(s) were Heidi(Felicia), John Paul Jones, and Chris. It was kinda weird/funny how it would be about family trauma at one point and then about swimming at another. I just really liked how this was all put together. Each one of the elements connects with another. It was a bit of the curveball at the end for John to have a book son but it was still cool. This book did not shy away from salty language lol. But all in all, I enjoyed reading. Also, I think the idea of "whale talk" is very cool. How all whales could hear other whales from how their voices project. And how it would be different if we could hear all that people are/were going through
Always a book to give to unimpressed readers. A group of misfits start a swim team and a movement. It's a tough book to swallow: lots of talk about childhood trauma, death, racism. But, oh, it offers so much hope and characters that you can't help but love.
I had to read this book for my gender constructs in children's literature grad level class. I read it in 3 days, hence a relatively quick read. The issues around race in a small town were interesting and the author did a good job of not making the book too preachy. While this may not be in my top five boys that look at masculinity in YA literature, it is a valuable book when looking at racial issues in high school.
I loved this book. I'm starting to think that Chris Crutcher just can't write a bad book. It's also weird to think of his books as comfort reads, but I do. When I read one of his books, I feel like I'm in the mind of someone who actually gets it. His books are also realistic. Nothing ever wraps up in a tidy little bow, and I respect him for that. Plus, I love how he humanizes his villains. You never like them, but you understand them.
As someone who will be starting an internship working with survivors of domestic violence, a lot of the themes resonated strongly with me, and I think this book expresses the mindset of both survivors and perpeetrators in a way that feels genuine. Like I said, I get the sense that Chris Crutcher really gets it.
As someone who will be starting an internship working with survivors of domestic violence, a lot of the themes resonated strongly with me, and I think this book expresses the mindset of both survivors and perpeetrators in a way that feels genuine. Like I said, I get the sense that Chris Crutcher really gets it.
I was drawn to the cute new cover and its tale of a misfit swim team who want to earn letter jackets. The book feels a bit dated, but I can’t resist an underdog sport story and the ending is a heartbreaking punch in the gut.
Read this in my undergrad YA lit course. Liked a lot, very moving boy centered story. Good for topics of bullying and standing up to adversity. But... I remember our class having a discussion about the MC's girlfriend how much of a flat 2D character she was and how it bugged us. Reading some of Crutcher's other work I've felt the same reaction at times.
An interesting cast of characters and some memorable lines. However, I felt like the ending was a little melodramtic.
I liked this book beginning to end, though I did tear up when the end hit. I wish now that I had more copies because this is a book that has literature circle potential - great character development, hard but real situations, and writing that students can understand.
I tend to really enjoy YA novels, but Crutcher's leave me with the feeling that really good literature does: that the book is pure entertainment, and at the same time something far more universal than that.
This is the second of his books that I've enjoyed. He draws you in with wit and humor, and then moves into more important territory, and you're caught by the feeling that he has Something Important to Say. And he does. He says it plainly and beautifully and the wisdom he has gained about life shines through his characters.
His favorite theme seems to be how people can begin to accept the ways that good and evil are interacting and existing in the world. How they are so thoroughly interdependent that evil begets good and good sometimes begets evil until they both begin to lose the black and white contrasts of their identity. But at the same time they don't.
He also uses sports as a catalyst for camraderie and discipline and goodness, but doesn't take them too seriously.
I think his characters tend to be almost too articulate and awesome to be real teenagers, but you know what? Not all teenagers are average.
This is the second of his books that I've enjoyed. He draws you in with wit and humor, and then moves into more important territory, and you're caught by the feeling that he has Something Important to Say. And he does. He says it plainly and beautifully and the wisdom he has gained about life shines through his characters.
His favorite theme seems to be how people can begin to accept the ways that good and evil are interacting and existing in the world. How they are so thoroughly interdependent that evil begets good and good sometimes begets evil until they both begin to lose the black and white contrasts of their identity. But at the same time they don't.
He also uses sports as a catalyst for camraderie and discipline and goodness, but doesn't take them too seriously.
I think his characters tend to be almost too articulate and awesome to be real teenagers, but you know what? Not all teenagers are average.