Crash

by Jerry Spinelli

Overview

Take a look behind the bully in this modern classic from Newbery medalist Jerry Spinelli that packs a punch. And don't miss the highly anticipated new novel, Dead Wednesday.

Cocky seventh-grade super-jock Crash Coogan got his nickname the day he used his first football helmet to knock his cousin Bridget flat on her backside. And he has been running over people ever since, especially Penn Webb, the dweeby, vegetarian Quaker kid who lives down the block. Through the eyes of Crash, readers get a rare glimpse into the life of a bully in this unforgettable and beloved story about stereotypes and the surprises life can bring.

"Readers will devour this humorous glimpse of what jocks are made of." —School Library Journal, starred review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553536645
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	04/07/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	435,225
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.35(d)
Lexile:	HL560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

JERRY SPINELLI is the author of many novels for young readers, including Dead Wednesday, The Warden's Daughter; Stargirl; Love, Stargirl; Milkweed; Crash; Wringer; and Maniac Magee, winner of the Newbery Medal; along with Knots in My Yo-Yo String, the autobiography of his childhood. A graduate of Gettysburg College, he lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, poet and author Eileen Spinelli.

Read an Excerpt

My real name is John. John Coogan. But everybody calls me Crash, even my parents.
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Crash"
by .
Copyright © 2015 Jerry Spinelli.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Children's Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An IRA-CBC Children’s Choice
A Child Magazine Best Book of the Year
A New York Public Library Book for Reading and Sharing
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Winner of Ten State Children’s Choice Awards
 
“Just about everyone knows someone like Crash Coogan, a big jock since he started to move on two feet. He learns some hard lessons about bullying in an entertaining novel.” —The New York Times
 
“Readers will devour this humorous glimpse of what jocks are made of.” —School Library Journal, Starred
 
“Spinelli packs a powerful moral wallop, leaving it to the pitch-perfect narration to drive home his point.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Great fun to read.” —The Horn Book Magazine
 
“Fast-paced and funny.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

Spinelli (There's a Girl in My Hammerlock) takes the brawny, bullying jock who is the villain in so many middle-grade novels and casts him as the narrator of this agile tale. Ever since first grade "Crash" Coogan has been tormenting dweeby Penn Ward, a skinny vegetarian Quaker boy who lives in a tiny former garage with his aged parents. Now that they're in seventh grade, "chippy chirpy perky" Penn becomes an even better target: not only does Penn still wear outdated used clothes, he joins the cheerleading squad. But even though Crash becomes the school's star football player and wears the most expensive togs from the mall, he still can't get what Penn has-his parents' attention and the admiration of the most gorgeous girl in school. And when his beloved grandfather Scooter is severely disabled by a stroke, Crash no longer sees the fun in playing brutal pranks and begins to realize that there are more important things in life than wearing new sneaks and being a sports star. Without being preachy, Spinelli packs a powerful moral wallop, leaving it to the pitch-perfect narration to drive home his point. All ages. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Seventh-grader jock Crash Coogan has been tormenting his skinny Quaker neighbor for years, but when a stroke leaves Crash's beloved grandfather severely disabled, he begins to realize that there are more important things in life than being a sports star. "Spinelli packs a powerful moral wallop, leaving it to the pitch-perfect narration to drive home his point," wrote PW. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 5-8A winning story about seventh-grade Crash Coogan's transformation from smug jock to empathetic, mature young man. In a clever, breezy first-person style, Spinelli tackles gender roles, family relationships, and friendship with humor and feeling. As the novel opens, Crash feels passionately about many things: the violence of football; being in charge; the way he looks in shoulder pads; never being second in anything; and the most expensive sneakers at the mall. Although a stereotypical bully, the boy becomes more than one-dimensional in the context of his overworked, unavailable parents and the love he has for his grandfather, who comes to live with the Coogans and then suffers a stroke. It is because of his affection for Scooter that Crash comes to appreciate Penn Webb, a neighbor and classmate whom for years Crash has tormented and teased about his pacifism, vegetarianism, second-hand clothes, and social activism. Penn relentlessly offers friendship, which Crash finally accepts when he sees Penn's love for his own great-grandfather as a common bond. The story concludes as Penn, named by his great-grandfather for Philadelphia's famous Penn Relays, wins the school race while the elderly man looks on. Readers will devour this humorous glimpse at what jocks are made of while learning that life does not require crashing helmet-headed through it.Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME

School Library Journal

John "Crash" Coogan doesn't know what to make of his new dorky neighbor, Penn Webb. Penn doesn't have a television or toys, and he wears secondhand clothes and doesn't eat meat. Years later in junior high, Crash still struggles to understand why Penn is so much happier than he, the football star with the best clothes. Jeff Woodman does a credible job making Crash and Penn sound completely different. You can hear the differences in their lifestyles, priorities, and even their coping mechanisms. Woodman also makes Crash, a bully with his own insecurities, a character whom listeners can sympathize with. By making the both main characters realistic, distinct, and likable, Woodman's narration keeps the story thoughtful without being moralizing. J.M.S. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

AUG/SEP 07 - AudioFile