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Title details for Crash by Jerry Spinelli - Available

Crash

by Jerry Spinelli
Jeff Woodman
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Crash Coogan is a big jock. As long as he can remember, he has crashed through life, running over anyone or anything that stands in his way. So when the geeky pacifist kid Penn Webb moves onto his block, Crash immediately ridicules everything about him-including his friendship. Now a burly seventh grader, Crash scores spectacular touchdowns in each football game while Penn becomes a cheerleader. Crash saves money to buy the coolest pair of sneakers in the mall while Penn pickets a construction site to protest all shopping malls. How can Crash bully Penn when he seems oblivious to the derision and pranks Crash heaps on him? Jerry Spinelli has written more than 15 books for young readers. He won a Newbery Medal, and has played sports all his life. Skillfully, he brings us into Crash's world and lets us see through the eyes of a young bully struggling to develop ways of dealing with life other than brute force.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    December 14, 2015

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781490670836
      • File size: 112372 KB
      • Duration: 03:54:06

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 560
    • Text Difficulty: 2-3

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      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. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 31, 2004
      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.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 4, 1996
      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.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:560
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

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