Post # 1-3

 Crutcher, C. (2002). Whale Talk. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf.

TJ attends a school where jocks rule and the ultimate sign of "royalty" is a letterman's jacket. TJ is a very gifted athlete,but refuses to be a part of system that honors your abilities but not your character. After intervening when a group of jocks bully a Special Needs student for wearing his dead brother's letter jacket, TJ develops a plan to help a group of guys who never would have had the chance to get a letter jacket, including Chris (the Special Needs student). This group become the Mermen, the new swim team. TJ's battle against the system continue outside of school. His family takes in Heidi, a sweet little girl being abused by her stepfather for being biracial. TJ has stood up to Rich, her stepfather before, and that just makes matters worse. Everything comes to a head at Hoopfest. TJ's team must play Rich's. TJ's team wins and during the celebration, Rich pulls a gun and attempts to kill Heidi. TJ's dad takes the bullet to protect her and make amends for a past sin.

This was my selection for a book by Chris Crutcher. My best friend who is the librarian at our high school said I had to read it. Of course, she's a tad partial to Chris Crutcher; she has a picture of him in her office! Not only was the story of TJ battling the jocks interesting, I felt myself drawn into the subplot with TJ's dad. His pain and his story was so well done that I just cried at the end when he took the bullet for Heidi and hoped that it was enough to make up for what he had done. 

Students would relate to this story as it describes a scene in most high schools; athletes are the most important. TJ's character is developing morals and values and is in a post conventional stage. He is placing Chris and the other members of his team over the system that has been in place at his school for years. His relationship with his father is changing as well (Havighurst) He's learning more about his father's failings and how he handles them. That glimpse into a parent's humanity is eye opening for teens.

Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB1xcGj0IZQ 
Teacher links - http://www.chriscrutcher.com/uploads/1/0/9/8/1098293/whale_talk_aasl_discussion_guide.pdf



Smith, A. (2014). Grasshopper jungle: A history. New York: Dutton Books.

Austin records history, and this is the history of the end of humanity. Austin, his best friend Robby, and his girlfriend Shann are among the few who survive. 

Shann's stepfather has some weird globes in his office that he inherited from his brother, the eccentric former owner of McKeon Industries. Grant Wallace and the Hoover Boys, in an attempt to break into the liquor store end up in the office instead and take one of the globes. They drop it outside where in comes in contact with Robby's blood, from an earlier encounter with Grant Wallace. The contents of the globe, Contained MI Plague Strain 421E causes those who come in contact with it to become Praying Mantis type creatures who feed on humans and reproduce rapidly. 

Refuge from the mantises is found in an underground compound built by McKeon in case this ever happened. There they learn how to stop the creatures with Robby's blood, but it is too late.

Along with the battle to survive, Austin is struggling with his sexuality. He loves Shann, but is also attracted to Robby. His confusion and frustration over the the idea of is he straight, gay, or bisexual runs throughout the entire book.

This low science fiction book, has an apocalyptic theme. It is a 2015 Printz Honor winner, which is why I chose it for my book by Andrew Smith. I usually love science fiction and the idea of killer bugs was intriguing, but all the talk about history and being horny was a bit much for me. I could see the appeal to a teenage boy. Austin, as the protagonist, would be relatable to anyone struggling with their sexuality,and their relationships with peers and the opposite sex. He is right in the midst of figuring out who he is as the world is ending. He uses his family history to guide him as he tries to learn who he is and who he is going to be. 

Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxip8mL56_g

Teacher Links - https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?a=1&tid=37723 

King, A.S. (2015). I Crawl Through It. New York: Little, Brown and Company

I'll be honest. I'm not sure I can write a summary of this book. I'm still not sure what I read! Stanzi, who is obsessed with dissection, has two friends Gustav and China. Gustav is building an invisible helicopter. China has turned herself inside out to deal with a date rape. Stanzi's family visits the sites of school shooting to deal with the death of her younger sister. Lansdale is desperate for attention so she lies and sleeps with older men. Everytime she lies, her hair grows. One of them is calling in bomb threats to the school. Stanzi ends up in a mental hospital where she faces her sister's death. Lansdale stops lying and China tells her mother about the rape. I'm still not sure what Gustav learned. 

This was the hardest book I've ever read and I've read Proust in French! If I hadn't had to read it for class, I would have abandoned it after the first few chapters. I'm not even sure of the genre. 

There are modern issues that a teen would relate to. The rape of China and the use of social media to humiliate her further is one. Lansdale's search for love and attention, and finding it in the wrong places is another. Havighurst's developmental task theories of changing relationships with peers, developing an ideology, and developing socially appropriate behavior can all be seen in this book, if I understood it correctly.  There is also this idea of having conventional morals and doing what is expected. 

Trailer - http://ew.com/article/2015/11/23/i-crawl-through-it-kings-novel-gets-bizarre-and-beautiful-trailer/

Teacher Links - https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=45432&a=1