| Whale Talk Contributor(s): Crutcher, Chris (Author) |
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ISBN: 0688180191 ISBN-13: 9780688180195 Publisher: Greenwillow Books OUR PRICE: $16.19 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: April 2001 Annotation: There's bad news and good news about the Cutter High School swim team. The bad news is that they don't have a pool. The good news is that only one of them can swim anyway. A group of misfits brought together by T.J. Jones (the J is redundant) to find their places in a school that has no place for them, the Cutter All Night Mermen struggle to carve out their own turf. T. J. is convinced that a varsity letter jacket -- unattainable for most, exclusive, revered, the symbol (as far as T.J. is concerned) of all that is screwed up at Cutter High -- will be an effective carving tool. He's right. He's also wrong. Still, it's always the quest that counts. And the bus on which the Mermen travel to swim meets -- piloted by Icko, the permanent resident of All Night Fitness -- soon becomes the cocoon inside which they gradually allow themselves to talk, to fit, to bloom. Chris Crutcher is in top form with a cast of characters -- adults, children, and teenagers -- fighting for dignity in a world where tragedy and comedy dance side by side, where a moment's inattention can bring lifelong heartache, and where true acceptance is the only prescription for what ails us. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Young Adult Fiction | Social Themes - Emotions & Feelings - Young Adult Fiction | Sports & Recreation - Water Sports - Young Adult Fiction | Social Themes - Physical & Emotional Abuse (see Also Social Themes - Sexual |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 00059292 |
| Lexile Measure: 1000 |
| Physical Information: 0.87" H x 6.27" W x 9.23" (0.87 lbs) 224 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - Multicultural |
| Accelerated Reader Info |
| Quiz #: 49654 Reading Level: 6.1 Interest Level: Upper Grades Point Value: 10.0 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: "A truly exceptional book."--Washington Post There's bad news and good news about the Cutter High School swim team. The bad news is that they don't have a pool. The good news is that only one of them can swim anyway. Bestselling author Chris Crutcher's controversial and acclaimed novel follows a group of outcasts as they take on inequality and injustice in their high school. Crutcher's superior gifts as a storyteller and his background as a working therapist combine to make magic in Whale Talk. The thread of truth in his fiction reminds us that heroes can come in any shape, color, ability or size, and friendship can bridge nearly any divide."--Washington Post T.J. Jones hates the blatant preferential treatment jocks receive at his high school, and the reverence paid to the varsity lettermen. When he sees a member of the wrestling team threatening an underclassman, T.J. decides he's had enough. He recruits some of the biggest misfits at Cutter High to form a swim team. They may not have very much talent, but the All-Night Mermen prove to be way more than T.J. anticipated. As the unlikely athletes move closer to their goal, these new friends might learn that the journey is worth more than the reward. For fans of Andrew Smith and Marieke Nijkamp. Crutcher offers an unusual yet resonant mixture of black comedy and tragedy that lays bare the superficiality of the high-school scene. The book's shocking climax will force readers to re-examine their own values and may cause them to alter their perception of individuals pegged as 'losers.'--Publishers Weekly An American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults |
Contributor Bio(s): Crutcher, Chris: - Chris Crutcher has written nine critically acclaimed novels, an autobiography, and two collections of short stories. Drawing on his experience as a family therapist and child protection specialist, Crutcher writes honestly about real issues facing teenagers today: making it through school, competing in sports, handling rejection and failure, and dealing with parents. He has won three lifetime achievement awards for the body of his work: the Margaret A. Edwards Award, the ALAN Award, and the NCTE National Intellectual Freedom Award. Chris Crutcher lives in Spokane, Washington. |