Crutches

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Translated from the German by Elizabeth D. Crawford. Based on the author's own wartime experiences, a gripping and affecting novel of friendship between twelve-year-old Thomas and a man who has lost his leg and asks to be called Crutches. "Has the intensity of an adventure story; it is equally remarkable for its development of theme without sacrificing believability of sense of story....Poignant."--Horn Book.

A young boy, searching vainly for his mother in post-war ...

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0688079911 0688079911 Former library book with the usual markings and stickers, otherwise clean inside and out

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Purchasing this item supports the North Central Regional Library of Wenatchee, WA. Thriftbooks and NCRL have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. ... Ex-Library book - will contain library markings. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. Read more Show Less

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1988-10-19 Hardcover Us ed. Good in good dust jacket. Good, In good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 160 p. Previous Owner's Inscription. Ex-Library expected ... imperfections. Read more Show Less

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1988-10-19 Hardcover Us ed. Very good in very good dust jacket. Very Good, In very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 160 p.

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More About This Book

Overview

Translated from the German by Elizabeth D. Crawford. Based on the author's own wartime experiences, a gripping and affecting novel of friendship between twelve-year-old Thomas and a man who has lost his leg and asks to be called Crutches. "Has the intensity of an adventure story; it is equally remarkable for its development of theme without sacrificing believability of sense of story....Poignant."--Horn Book.

A young boy, searching vainly for his mother in post-war Vienna, is befriended by a man on crutches and together they find hope for the future.

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
In the early days of peacetime following World War II, refugees like Thomas, 12, wander across Europe searching for food, families, connections of any kind. In Vienna, Thomas is sheltered by a one-legged man known as Crutchesa former German officer who, unlike Thomas, despises Nazism. Together they make their way back to Germany, a trip that both deepens their attachment to one another yet signals a painful and inevitable parting. The German author, who lost his parents in the war when he was approximately Thomas's age, says his story ``is about the struggle to begin again when all seems to be lost.'' In this translation, it has an austere, elliptical style that matches the reluctance of the characters to be openly emotional. But its poignancy mounts; and by the end, when the question of whether Thomas will find his mother aliveleaving Crutches for heris answered, it achieves an overwhelming power. Ages 10-up. (Oct.)
School Library Journal
Gr 5-8 In traveling to Vienna to find his Aunt Wanda after World War II, Thomas is separated from his mother. Lost and alone, he latches on to Crutches, a former German soldier who gained his nickname by losing his leg. They go through the regular channels to try to find Tom's mother and aunt, but time drags on with no word. Gradually, Tom comes to view Crutches as his family, along with black marketeers and some other characters that Crutches knows. They decide to make their way into Germany, where they stay for almost a year. In the end, Tom's mother is found. Tom has to leave Crutches, but there is the promise of future visits. This is translated from German, and there are occasional jarring phrasesnot grammatically incorrect, but stiff and awkward. Tom, Crutches, and Bronka (a Jewish woman who shelters them for a time) are pleasant enough people, but they never really come to life. However, the book does give a good illustration of the chaos that engulfed Europe after the war and the near-impossibility of finding a missing person. Susan M. Harding, Mesquite Public Library, Tex.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780688079918
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 10/28/1988
  • Edition description: 1st U.S. ed
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 160
  • Age range: 9 - 12 Years
  • Lexile: 630L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 5.65 (w) x 8.42 (h) x 0.75 (d)

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