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A review by kiwiwonder
Period.8 by Chris Crutcher
5.0
Period 8, in many ways, is not the typical type of book I'd read. For one, it has a sports-type cover - that alone is enough to usually signal that it's not my type of book. For another, it's largely about a male protagonist, and that combined with sports doesn't tend to be what I read.
However, I've read books by Chris Crutcher before, and that makes all the difference. He is one of the best young-adult writers, in my opinion, though over here at least he's largely unknown.
Although most of the books I've read by him do star a male protagonist who's also an athlete, they are by and large not sports books - that's just the details that make up the character. Instead, Crutcher writes about hard-hitting issues relevant to teens, in a realistic manner.
Period 8 is no exception. Period 8 is an informal lunch-hour meeting of friends hosted by a popular teacher at the highschool. As a highschool teacher myself, I found some of the aspects of the book a little hard to believe in terms of professionalism. However, the teacher in the story often points these things out, and is rather cavalier about the whole thing as he's retiring at the end of the school year and undoubtedly is tenured anyway. Despite that, he serves as both a sounding board and a moral compass for the group, and the issues that come up within the group. Saying anything further would be spoiling.
Well written and believable, enough intrigue and drama to keep the book moving, some aspects are predictable but not so much as to be dull - rather the type of predictability that makes you want to keep reading to see if you're right.
The year is young, but so far this is tied for my favourite read this year.
However, I've read books by Chris Crutcher before, and that makes all the difference. He is one of the best young-adult writers, in my opinion, though over here at least he's largely unknown.
Although most of the books I've read by him do star a male protagonist who's also an athlete, they are by and large not sports books - that's just the details that make up the character. Instead, Crutcher writes about hard-hitting issues relevant to teens, in a realistic manner.
Period 8 is no exception. Period 8 is an informal lunch-hour meeting of friends hosted by a popular teacher at the highschool. As a highschool teacher myself, I found some of the aspects of the book a little hard to believe in terms of professionalism. However, the teacher in the story often points these things out, and is rather cavalier about the whole thing as he's retiring at the end of the school year and undoubtedly is tenured anyway. Despite that, he serves as both a sounding board and a moral compass for the group, and the issues that come up within the group. Saying anything further would be spoiling.
Well written and believable, enough intrigue and drama to keep the book moving, some aspects are predictable but not so much as to be dull - rather the type of predictability that makes you want to keep reading to see if you're right.
The year is young, but so far this is tied for my favourite read this year.