Angry Management

September 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-Crutcher's fans will relish the reunion with some familiar characters in this collection of three stories set in the Pacific Northwest and thematically united around anger. "Kyle Manard and the Craggy Face of the Moon" takes Angus Bethune ("Athletic Shorts", 1991) and Sarah Byrnes ("Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes", 1993) on a road trip to Reno to confront the mother who abandoned her years before. In "Montana Wild," student journalist Montana West ("The Sledding Hill", 2005) defends her article on medicinal marijuana in a very public shouting match with the right-wing school-board president, who also happens to be her father. "Meet Me at the Gates, Marcus James" unexpectedly binds gay Marcus James, sole black student at his high school, with complexly devout Christian Matt Miller ("Deadline", 2007) and sympathetic teacher John Simet ("Whale Talk", 2001), when racist football players hang a pink noose on Marcus's locker. Subthemes packed into the mix include foster care, sexual awakening, body image, and hope, played out through lively plot and dialogue. Too many stereotypical characters weaken the stories' impact, including blindly bureaucratic school administrators and knee-jerk conservative Christians. The unnecessary conceit that all the characters attend an anger management course led by Mr. Nak ("Ironman", 1995, all HarperCollins) remains undeveloped, and the stories end too abruptly. Despite these flaws, readers will encounter colorful characters and thought-provoking subject matter in a quick read."Joyce Adams Burner, National Archives at Kansas City, MO"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2009
Grades 9-12 Crutcher fanatics rejoice! Your favorite characters are back. Mr. Nak from Ironman (1995) is holding Angry Management classes with other characters from the Crutcher archives. After a brief intro, each of the three stand-alone stories is preceded by Mr. Naks file notes on the teen subjects. First up, Sarah Byrnes has a new fat guy: Angus Bethune from Athletic Shorts (1991). They hook up, discover the real reason Sarahs mom abandoned her, and find comfort in their own skin. Montana West (Sledding Hill, 2005) takes on her father and the school board over a censored school newspaper story that she wrote about medical marijuana. And, finally, Marcus James, Matt Miller, and Mr. Simet, from Whale Talk (2001) respond to a pink noose left on gay, African American Marcus locker. The first novella, in which Crutchers authorial voice intrudes the least, is the strongest. Teens comfortable with Crutchers black-and-white take on controversial issues will delight in these stories, and with his best book cover yet, this may draw new fans to the fold.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2010
In this collection of three novellas, Crutcher places his own characters from previous novels and short stories in situations outside their original time and place. The book's conceit--these characters all attend the same counseling seminar--fails to bind the tales together; happily, each stands on its own. Though Crutcher's voice occasionally intrudes, the stories are tight enough to prevent message from overrunning plot.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2009
Fans of Crutcher's previous work won't be surprised to find that this collection of three novellas is peopled with young adults struggling with issues such as parental responsibility, intellectual freedom, and racial injustice. What may surprise them, however, is who is doing the struggling. Crutcher places his own characters from previous novels (Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes) and short stories ("A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune," from Athletic Shorts) in situations outside their original time and place. Both major and minor players appear and interact, not in sequels, prequels, or send-ups, but in brand-new, original stories. For example, Sarah Byrnes pairs with Angus Bethune in "Kyle Maynard and the Craggy Face of the Moon," and Matt Miller, a minor character in Deadline, plays a starring role in "Meet Me at the Gates, Marcus James." Crutcher explains this concept in his foreword, but the book's conceit -- that these characters all attend the same counseling seminar -- fails to bind the stories together; happily, each stands on its own. In much of the book Crutcher's dialogue is as authentic as ever, but he does let his own voice intrude when characters speak out on causes and define their positions. This discordance weakens their arguments, creating mouthpieces rather than assertive teens. Still, the tight stories are short enough to prevent message from overrunning plot.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)