Crash [Hardcover]

Imagine being nicknamed Crash. Now, imagine you got that name because when you were five you tackled your little cousin into a snow bank. This is the situation in Crash by Jerry Spinelli. This is a wonderful book that I greatly enjoyed. While I was reading, my favorite character had to definitely be John "Crash" Coogan. He was the reason I kept reading this book. The pranks he did as a young child were just, hilarious. For example, the time he first met Penn Webb, his Quaker neighbor, Webb had just moved from North Dakota and was wearing a button that said, "Hi, I'm a Flickertail." Webb explained how the Flickertail was the state bird in North Dakota, and Crash just ripped the button right off his shirt and buried the button. The next day, Webb was wearing another button. This time the button said, "Peace." Once again, Crash, tore the button right off his shirt and buried the button. On that same day, Crash also took Penn's turtle for a ride on his bike. Penn did not like that too, too much. Penn showed Crash his one toy-a raggedy, old Conestoga wagon. Crash thought that that was ridiculous, a kid with only one toy, and he laughed about the whole idea of having just one toy. Then, for dinner, they ate oatburgers. Being Quakers, of course, they were vegetarians. Crash didn't even know what a vegetarian was; he made fun of the whole family for being vegetarians. I find that to be the way kids really are, too. Those are just some of the events that occurred in the beginning that made me want to continue to read the book. I wanted to find out what happened to Penn and Crash as they began to grow older and go to school, where other kids might also find Penn a little weird because he was a Quaker. This was exactly what happened to Penn, especially, when Crash met his newest neighbor, Mike. Those two together treated Penn horribly, but the pranks went too far. Towards the end of the book, Mike and Crash start to veer away from each other. All the pranks pulled are another reason why I found this book to be so interesting. I never saw this coming, but Crash and Penn actually ended up as best friends because Mike took a prank too far, and Crash didn't like that idea. Those are just a few of the reasons why I felt that Crash was my favorite character, and he helped me to continue reading this wonderful book. Not only was Crash great, but I also like the way the author set up this book. He made the story very realistic with how the kids treated each other and how they grew up. I know when I was growing up, if a kid was different, like Penn Webb was, everyone made fun of him. As a matter of fact, some people my age 17 still do that. The time Crash went over Penn's house for dinner, and he basically made fun of Penn for everything he did. Which is another reason why I like the book so much. I liked the book for its realism, as much as I liked the book for its action. Although I do think Jerry Spinelli did take the book a little too far when he made Penn Webb and Crash Coogan best friends at the end. I don't think that Mike and Crash would have separated that much, to not even be friends anymore. Overall, the book Crash was very well set up and very realistic, but the book still had a lot of action. This is a wonderful book that I greatly enjoyed. I would definitely want to read other stories by Jerry Spinelli. He seems to be a great writer and knows what he is writing about. I would recommend this book to a little younger age level than I, maybe 14-15, but the story was great and could be enjoyed by anyone that wants to read the book Crash.

Crash Coogan is befriended by the new school "dweeb" and does everything he can to discourage the friendship that Penn Web so badly wants. Crash insults and humiliates Penn, but Penn keeps coming back. Only when Crash's adored grandfather, Scooter" becomes ill, does Crash find out who his real friends are, and the true meaning of friendship. I am a librarian in an elementary school in New York. I read this book to my 5th grades last year. I have had to buy mulitple copies of the book. One year later I still cannot keep it on the shelf. Jerry Spinelli's works have changed once reluctant readers into avid fans who cannot get enough of his books!

I first read Spinelli's CRASH during the sixth grade for assigned reading at Waldron Mercy Academy, my private grade school. I was pulled in from page one and couldn't help but laugh out loud at the adventures and the misadventures of Crash Coogan, who got his nickname all because of a long ago incident involving a football helmet and his cousin, Bridget, who Crash knocked down into three feet of post-blizzard snow. Crash is not an inherently bad kid - he's got his flaws just like the rest of the human population. In CRASH, Spinelli takes the archetypal bullying jock and narrates through him, making this book anything but ordinary.

Nonetheless, Crash is a bully. Enter Penn Webb, his target. Why pick on poor Penn, you ask? Why not pick on Penn? is more of the question here. Penn Webb is a skinny Quaker boy, mild-mannered and with a heart of gold. He wears used clothes that are painfully outdated, he's joined the cheerleading squad, his aging parents look like grandparents, and he officially lives in the dinkiest house in the entire universe (a former garage). So Penn, very obviously flawed with qualifications to make him an outcast, must now endure teasing from Crash and his best friend, Mike DeLuca.

Spinelli captures how spoiled and materialistic kids can be today, only they most likely don't view themselves that way. I remember it took me a long time to wake up and realize that yes, I was a spoiled child. All Crash cares about are new sneakers, football, and being the best footballer he can be. Pretty shallow, eh? Crash is a self-centered bully who only cares about himself and how he is viewed by others which, by the way, as I am sure you realize, is a natural thing and has been since the beginning of time.

Oddly enough, Penn Webb, geeky, lanky Penn, has things that Crash desires. He has his parents' full and undivided attention. He's won the affections of the class beauty and despite the fact Crash is a star footballer, he cannot win her over the way charming Penn has. So despite having some things Crash wants, expensive sneakers included, he is not happy. When Crash's grandfather, Scooter, whom Crash absolutely adores and has always had a tight-knit relationship with, comes down with a stroke, Crash is heartbroken. But this period of time is more than just an opportunity to grieve - it is an opportunity to wake up. And he does. This awakening proves to him that cruelly teasing poor and defenseless Penn Webb is totally uncalled for and - surprise - no longer fun on his part. Crash's transition from smug, self-absorbed jock to an empathetic and caring person, all the more wiser as a result of growth, is enlightening and makes this book what it is. Crash used to be so close-minded. Now he knows what is significant and what is not. New friendships blossom and old ones fade, as Crash comes to realize some of his friends and their cruel antics are not like the new him.

Spinelli is a wonderful author. I admire his abilities to construct a story so amusing yet so deep with characters, who they are, and how they grow. Plus, Spinelli evidently knows kids today - he is able to capture excellent insight into their mind, especially through this type of narration. CRASH will make you laugh but it will also make you think. Those two elements are what I often times look for in a good book, which is probably why I've loved this one for four years.