Ironman

Rating:
Summary: I LOVE IRONMAN!
Review: "Beau" is a wonderful character with a gift for satire. I loved the way he rose above some major issues such as learing temper management, having an unloving father who deliberately snubbed him for several months when Beau was little and a misguided mother who went along with something she later regretted and told Beau was wrong to start with. Beau, despite his unfortunate name runs into some major fortune in his temper management class. Mr. "Nak" of "Nak's Pack" is a delightful man who appears to have his challenging charges under his wing. He has good insight into what makes his charges tick and later in the story reveals his own losses -- his wife and children were killed in a car accident some years prior to his teaching career at Beau's school.

This is a book that should be cast in stone (or iron) and will remain fixed in the hearts and minds of all readers. Chris Crutcher has a gift of natural expression and a delicious flair for the satirical. This is an excellent, high caliber book.

Rating:
Summary: INTENSE BUT GOOD
Review: As a high school teacher, I teach this book to my juniors. Or perhaps I should say we read and enjoy it together. Chris Crutcher uses humor and straight talk to present a variety of issues facing kids today, love, divorce, child abuse, managing anger, even finding out someone you care about is homosexual. I find I am able to discuss these issues with my students using the book as a springboard. One of my students said, "This is the best book I have ever read. The kids in the book talk like us and feel like us." Another student said she laughed out loud when reading it at home. The other reviews presented the plot, I just wanted you to know what my teens thought of the book. I will warn you there is a small amount of strong language in the book, if you are considering using it in the classroom or buying it for your teenager. I have read all of Crutcher's books, and feel he is one of the best young adult authors ever.

Rating:
Summary: Ironman=Strong Issues
Review: As a high school teacher, I teach this book to my juniors. Or perhaps I should say we read and enjoy it together. Chris Crutcher uses humor and straight talk to present a variety of issues facing kids today, love, divorce, child abuse, managing anger, even finding out someone you care about is homosexual. I find I am able to discuss these issues with my students using the book as a springboard. One of my students said, "This is the best book I have ever read. The kids in the book talk like us and feel like us." Another student said she laughed out loud when reading it at home. The other reviews presented the plot, I just wanted you to know what my teens thought of the book. I will warn you there is a small amount of strong language in the book, if you are considering using it in the classroom or buying it for your teenager. I have read all of Crutcher's books, and feel he is one of the best young adult authors ever.

Rating:
Summary: A good book
Review: Bo Brewster is an athlete. He is ex-football player. He quit after his coach put him down in front of his teammates. Now Bo solely devotes his time to the Yukon Jack, a triathalon and Mr. Nak's anger management group. He was thrown into the group by his coach. Bo then meets Shelly, a girl whose physical challenges matches his own. With the help of Lion who is his swim coach, Shelly, Mr. Nak, and his group will Bo over come odds to win the Yukon Jack?

Rating:
Summary: boy gets sent to anger management at his high school
Review: Bo is a boy in high school who has had problems with his father in the past and is trying to work them out. Also, his coach from the football team bothers him constantly because he quit, not to mention his coach is also his teacher which doesn't help. Bo,like most people, doesn't like when someone gets smart with him. Reaction he gets smart back and ends up in an anger management group. He learns he's not the only one with problems. He is competing in an ironman tourtament to top it off. This book is great for anyone who dislikes people having power over them

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book about a teenagers life
Review: Chris Crutcher does an amazing job writing the book in the point of view like a diary. I thought this book was really good and it had a happy ending. It's a great book for almost everybody.

Rating:
Summary: Recruiting a Stotan Team
Review: For a school assignment, I chose to read Ironman, by Chris Crutcher. I previously read Running Loose from the same author, and decided to read another novel similar to it. The basic story of the novel involves a high school student, Bo Brewster, who was thrown off the school's football team. As a result of his behavior causing him to lose his spot on the team, Bo was asked to attend anger management class that took place before school in the mornings. Bo was frightened about attending the meetings because he didn't feel fit to be part of the group for the fact that everyone else in it had serious family problems that needed to be taken care of. While Bo is outside of school, he is constantly keeping his body in top physical condition as part of his training for a triathlon titled "Yukon Jack's." During his training and participation in anger management, Bo runs into communication problems with his father, who is divorced from his mother. However, Bo also met his girlfriend, Shelly, who also keeps her body in great physical condition. As the story goes on, Bo seems to run into a few bumps on his road to success. Bo keeps his focus and is determined to defeat one of his rivals, Ian Wyrack, in the race. The end of the book I will leave to you to figure out, or read, which i strongly suggest you to do. I really enjoyed this book because it seemed like there was always a new conflict stirring up, and it left me anxious to see what was going to happen to Bo. Also, I enjoyed reading about his emotions as he trained and prepared himself to participate in the triathlon. One thing, however, I feel that didn't really appeal to me was how the book kept changing the view it was written from when it shifted from Bo writing letters to Larry King, to a third person view. This sometimes confused me in my reading, but for the most part, added to the thoughts of the main character. One other thing I didn't think should've happened was the transition from the third person view to the first person view when Bo was about to finish the triathlon. At the moment this transition occurs, there are many emotions going on inside Bo's head which seem to suddenly end when the view point changes. Overall, I thought this novel was adventurous, exciting, and appetizing to its readers.

Rating:
Summary: My All Time Favorite Book
Review: For the information of whomever asked how Larry King's voice got on the tape, read the book again, it says how. God, pay attention. I've read this book six times and the first time i read it was in fourth grade. Yeah, I know, a little young, but I loved it then and I love it now, four years later. Perhaps it is a little dark for many teens, but it expresses reality, no more, no less. Chris Crutcher is either praised greatly or criticized greatly. That's because you either belive in telling kids the truth or not. I for one, believe in telling them the truth. How 'bout you?

Rating:
Summary: My All Time Favorite Book
Review: For the information of whomever asked how Larry King's voicegot on the tape, read the book again, it says how. I've read this book six times and the first time i read it was in fourth grade. Yeah, I know, a little young, but I loved it then and I love it now, four years later. Perhaps it is a little dark for many teens, but it expresses reality, no more, no less. Chris Crutcher is either praised greatly or criticized greatly. That's because you either belive in telling kids the truth or not. I for one, believe in telling them the truth. How 'bout you?

Rating:
Summary: Must reading for anyone dealing with male adolescents!
Review: High-school senior Bo Breswster drops off the football team, disappointing his English teacher/coach and his father. He wants to write for the school paper and swim instead with a coach he admires. He tries to explain but ends up battling with his football coach and his father, all of which lands him in a special anger management class at school,lead by Mr. Nak. The class is a collection of troubled, hostile, angry misfits all of whom turn out to be supportive and vital to Bo as he trains for and finally participates in the triathlon (to become the Ironman of the title). Training for sports, falling in love, confronting different sexual identities, tension between fathers and sons, child abuse, and racism are all dealt with in realistic, helpful context. This is real and should be required reading especially for fathers of adolescent sons. Crutcher clearly knows teens and sports