PERIOD 8
Reviews
Period 8 is the best of Crutcher: warmth, humor, and spot-on teen reality, but coupled with terrifying intensity and a shocking ending.”
--Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak
Suspense, heartbreak, a healthy dose of athletics—this novel has everything that Crutcher’s longtime fans have come to expect, and more.
When distance swimmer Paul “Paulie Bomb” Baum confesses to his girlfriend that he’s cheated on her, he turns to his mentor for advice. During lunch period, Mr. Logsdon—Logs—runs an open classroom where students can freely air their feelings and opinions. Paulie and Hannah’s breakup takes a back seat to the disappearance of straight-A student and Period 8 regular Mary Wells, aka the Virgin Mary. Meanwhile, semi-nemesis Arney seems a lot more manipulative than Paulie would have expected from the student body president, especially when he worms his way into Hannah’s good graces. With his signature straightforward storytelling, economy of language and credible teen voices, the author stretches into new territory here, exploring the emotional toll being coerced into sex against their wills takes on boys as well as girls. While at times plot elements seem disconnected against a backdrop of a wide array of characters and motivations, there’s a lot here that will appeal to teens, including the way that Logs, nearing retirement, plays a little fast and loose with confidential information.
Fast-paced intrigue keeps the reader hanging on as Paulie pieces together clues to the discomfiting truth behind the strange, shadowy behavior of people he trusted. (Fiction. 14 & up)
-- Kirkus Review, 2013
Logs and his mentee, 17-year-old distance swimmer Paulie Baum, slowly unravel what’s going on, leading to a high-octane finish that will keep readers furiously flipping the pages to uncover who the good guys really are.
Publisher's Weekly, 2/18/2013
A lot of my liking of this novel stems from the awesome writing. Maybe it's because I've been reading quite a few debuts lately, but halfway through this book I just took a moment to revel in how well-written it was. You could tell Chris Crutcher is a talented author. His writing sucks you in, and that makes me pretty curious to check out his other works.
I also liked the pacing of the novel. The first half focuses very much on the different characters and their relationships with each other - it's more subtle and slow-moving. However, shortly after you cross the halfway point, the mystery really kicks in. Odd things are happening to the students, and some of them are acting really weird, but why? And who is behind it? I was absorbed. I wanted the answers and really just didn't stop reading until I reached the end.
Snuggly Oranges Blog
--Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak
Suspense, heartbreak, a healthy dose of athletics—this novel has everything that Crutcher’s longtime fans have come to expect, and more.
When distance swimmer Paul “Paulie Bomb” Baum confesses to his girlfriend that he’s cheated on her, he turns to his mentor for advice. During lunch period, Mr. Logsdon—Logs—runs an open classroom where students can freely air their feelings and opinions. Paulie and Hannah’s breakup takes a back seat to the disappearance of straight-A student and Period 8 regular Mary Wells, aka the Virgin Mary. Meanwhile, semi-nemesis Arney seems a lot more manipulative than Paulie would have expected from the student body president, especially when he worms his way into Hannah’s good graces. With his signature straightforward storytelling, economy of language and credible teen voices, the author stretches into new territory here, exploring the emotional toll being coerced into sex against their wills takes on boys as well as girls. While at times plot elements seem disconnected against a backdrop of a wide array of characters and motivations, there’s a lot here that will appeal to teens, including the way that Logs, nearing retirement, plays a little fast and loose with confidential information.
Fast-paced intrigue keeps the reader hanging on as Paulie pieces together clues to the discomfiting truth behind the strange, shadowy behavior of people he trusted. (Fiction. 14 & up)
-- Kirkus Review, 2013
Logs and his mentee, 17-year-old distance swimmer Paulie Baum, slowly unravel what’s going on, leading to a high-octane finish that will keep readers furiously flipping the pages to uncover who the good guys really are.
Publisher's Weekly, 2/18/2013
A lot of my liking of this novel stems from the awesome writing. Maybe it's because I've been reading quite a few debuts lately, but halfway through this book I just took a moment to revel in how well-written it was. You could tell Chris Crutcher is a talented author. His writing sucks you in, and that makes me pretty curious to check out his other works.
I also liked the pacing of the novel. The first half focuses very much on the different characters and their relationships with each other - it's more subtle and slow-moving. However, shortly after you cross the halfway point, the mystery really kicks in. Odd things are happening to the students, and some of them are acting really weird, but why? And who is behind it? I was absorbed. I wanted the answers and really just didn't stop reading until I reached the end.
Snuggly Oranges Blog
AWARDS & HONORS
2013 YALSA BFYA Nominee
2014 Teen Choice Book of the Year Nominee
2014 PNBA Award Nominee
Mystery Master Charlie Price on PERIOD 8
It's number 8 on his top ten mystery reads list HERE. Charlie (who won the YA Edgar) says:
8. Period 8 is Chris Crutcher’s brand new total thriller that I’ve read in an early version and will buy as soon as it’s released. He’s written several books that operate like mysteries in that his characters face extremely difficult problems and the reader is never sure how the whole situation can possibly resolve.
More PERIOD 8 early buzz from two experts!
I'm still pinching myself unable to believe I scored an ARC of PERIOD 8 by Chris Crutcher. Scheduled for release in April of 2013, PERIOD 8 is an example of vintage Crutcher combined with a dash of mystery. I was almost breathless in the final 30-40 pages as the action rushed to a riveting conclusion.
Sally Kruger, ReadingJunky
To read more, CLICK HERE.
Chris Crutcher has done it again. With his latest novel, Period.8, the “King of the Boy Books” (a title not meant to gender his work but to represent his mass appeal to the male young adult audience) has “turned it up a notch,” going well beyond the type of Crutcher story that we have come to expect and love. As a reading specialist and English teacher for 17 years (working mostly with struggling secondary readers), I use Chris Crutcher as my “go to” author when I am trying to find a book that will “hook” a reluctant reader. Crutcher’s work has it all: believable characters we love, a storyline that keeps us enthralled, and a message that resounds loudly with important life lessons. Period.8 offers all of these elements and more, entrenching readers in a mystery that takes reading the entire book to solve.
Dr. Susan James, The Book Dealer
To read more, CLICK HERE.
In this full-length novel from Chris Crutcher, his first since the best-selling Deadline, the ultimate bully and the ultimate good guy tangle during Period 8.
Paul "the Bomb" Baum tells the truth. No matter what. It was something he learned at Sunday School. But telling the truth can cause problems, and not minor ones. And as Paulie discovers, finding the truth can be even more problematic. Period 8 is supposed to be that one period in high school where the truth can shine, a safe haven. Only what Paulie and Hannah (his ex-girlfriend, unfortunately) and his other classmates don't know is that the ultimate bully, the ultimate liar, is in their midst.
Terrifying, thought-provoking, and original, this novel combines all the qualities of a great thriller with the controversy, ethics, and raw emotion of a classic Crutcher story.
Literary Exploration blog
Sally Kruger, ReadingJunky
To read more, CLICK HERE.
Chris Crutcher has done it again. With his latest novel, Period.8, the “King of the Boy Books” (a title not meant to gender his work but to represent his mass appeal to the male young adult audience) has “turned it up a notch,” going well beyond the type of Crutcher story that we have come to expect and love. As a reading specialist and English teacher for 17 years (working mostly with struggling secondary readers), I use Chris Crutcher as my “go to” author when I am trying to find a book that will “hook” a reluctant reader. Crutcher’s work has it all: believable characters we love, a storyline that keeps us enthralled, and a message that resounds loudly with important life lessons. Period.8 offers all of these elements and more, entrenching readers in a mystery that takes reading the entire book to solve.
Dr. Susan James, The Book Dealer
To read more, CLICK HERE.
In this full-length novel from Chris Crutcher, his first since the best-selling Deadline, the ultimate bully and the ultimate good guy tangle during Period 8.
Paul "the Bomb" Baum tells the truth. No matter what. It was something he learned at Sunday School. But telling the truth can cause problems, and not minor ones. And as Paulie discovers, finding the truth can be even more problematic. Period 8 is supposed to be that one period in high school where the truth can shine, a safe haven. Only what Paulie and Hannah (his ex-girlfriend, unfortunately) and his other classmates don't know is that the ultimate bully, the ultimate liar, is in their midst.
Terrifying, thought-provoking, and original, this novel combines all the qualities of a great thriller with the controversy, ethics, and raw emotion of a classic Crutcher story.
Literary Exploration blog
From the Writer's Desk: Under the Greenwillow
From the Writer’s Desk Posted by Greenwillow Books on 3 February 2011, 9:00 am By Chris Crutcher
With the release of Angry Management in paperback, I thought I’d take a minute to dispel the rumors (circulated by my editors when my next manuscript once again didn’t show up anywhere near on time) of my mysterious death with a little teaser from Period 8.
Period Eight is lunch period at Heller High School. Forty-year science/social studies teacher Bruce Logsdon opened up his classroom at lunch back in the early seventies, shortly after he returned to teach in the high school from which he graduated and discovered that the teachers who didn’t like him as a student didn’t have much regard for him as a teacher. He vowed to give his students a different high school experience and has been working at it since. Period Eight is a time when all bets are off; anything can be discussed.
In this excerpt, Paul Baum—Paulie Bomb—one of Logs’s favorites, is up at the local reservoir getting ready for a long-distance swimming workout, having just informed his girlfriend that he cheated on her.
Paulie crests the knoll on the old highway leading to the landing dock on the city side of the reservoir, cuts the engine, and coasts to a stop, then sits, staring at the perfect upside-down early morning image of Smalley’s Peak in the glass-still water. First outdoor workout of the year; the water will be cold, probably mid-fifties. If he doesn’t lose the feeling in his fingers and toes, he’ll coax Logs out here this afternoon. Bruce Logsdon teaches science and social studies at Heller High, runs Period Eight at lunchtime, and swims open water with Paulie Bomb—Paul Baum. Logs requires Paulie to scout for hypothermia early each spring before immersing his own body. Paulie pops the trunk lock and hauls out his triathlete’s wetsuit. At least his nuts will be warm. Like that matters. Oh, Hannah.
He dives, involuntarily sucking air as the cold trickles in. The colder the better. He deserves this. Even so, he pees in self-defense, his only means to counter the icy watery fingers creeping around his rib cage and into his crotch. He swims easily out about a hundred yards as his body heat warms the remaining water inside the suit, turns parallel to the shore, and strokes, finding a cadence he can hold for the next two hours. Most days he plays games to allay the monotony: fifty strokes hard, fifty strokes easy; a hundred strokes hard, fifty easy; a hundred fifty hard, fifty easy; and on and on. An hour up and an hour back. He has taught himself to breathe on either side in order to keep the shore in sight and therefore swim a relatively straight line. On this morning he holds an even pace; no intervals, no monotony. Just his sweet, sweet Hannah wedged in his frontal lobe. His gone Hannah.
Later, feeling like he needs to talk, he seeks out his teacher/mentor:
“How’d she find out?” Logs asks after hearing Paulie’s story.
“I told her.”
“Did the girl—and I appreciate your not identifying her, speaking of TMI—did she threaten to tell?”
“God no,” Paulie says. “She begged me not to.”
“Did somebody catch you?”
“No.”
“Then why . . . How can I put this? It’s not exactly standard operating procedure for a young buck such as yourself to cheat, get away with it, then rat yourself out. I mean, don’t get me wrong . . . Jesus, I’m glad this is my last year.”
“You think I should have kept quiet?”
“Advice of this particular kind is far above my pay grade,” Logs says. “I’m just saying that in my experience working with adolescents . . . hell in my experience being an adolescent . . . well, like I started to say, a jury of your peers might deem you short on survival skills.”
“That’s who I want passing judgment on me,” Paulie says back, “my peers.”
“I’m just saying . . . ”
“I know. Tell me something, Mr. Logs, if I had come to you before I told her, what woulda been your advice?”
Bruce Logsdon leans back in his chair, his hands knitted behind his head. “I would have done any- and every-thing in my power not to give it.”
“How come?”
Logs shrugs. “To avoid being a hypocrite, I guess.”
Paulie frowns, waiting.
“You know, buddy, there’s this unspoken teacher’s code thing where I’m supposed to tell you the ‘moral’ thing to do.” He looks at his watch. “But it’s too close to Period Eightand too close to my retirement for that. Look, I don’t know the circumstances under which you committed this heinous act, and I’ll thank you to keep it that way, but I’m sixty-four years old. I went on my first date at age nine; took Charlotte Valare to the circus. I knew more about male-female interaction then.”
“You’re gonna have to do better than that if you want to be my guru,” Paulie says.
“If I were your guru, I’d have to share responsibility in some of the crazy shit you do, young fella. I have enough crazy shit of my own, thank you.”
Paulie’s gaze drifts to a high corner of the ceiling.
“Kidding aside,” Logs says. “There’s not a good reason to lie to anyone about the important things, particularly to people we love or care about. And we should honor our commitments. In a perfect world, right? I’m assuming you and Hannah were supposed to be exclusive.”
Paulie nods.
“So if you had come to me beforehand I probably should have told you to tell her, but I probably would have asked if you thought it might happen again, or if you believed you could keep those impulses under control from now on.” He grimaces. “It’s real likely I would have told you to give yourself another chance. Most guys would.”
Paulie looks down. “Yeah, well, ‘most guys’ are exactly who I don’t want to be.”
(A note from the editors: We have absolutely no idea when we will publish Period Eight. Please join us in harassing the author to deliver the manuscript.)
Chris Crutcher is the author of many critically acclaimed books for teens, including Angry Management, which we will release in paperback this month! He has won three lifetime achievement awards for the body of his work: the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Outstanding Literature for Young Adults, the ALAN Award for a Significant Contribution to Adolescent Literature, and the NCTE National Intellectual Freedom Award.
From Dr. Susan James
The King Still Reigns: Chris Crutcher’s Period.8
Chris Crutcher has done it again. With his latest novel, Period.8, the “King of the Boy Books” (a title not meant to gender his work but to represent his mass appeal to the male young adult audience) has “turned it up a notch,” going well beyond the type of Crutcher story that we have come to expect and love. As a reading specialist and English teacher for 17 years (working mostly with struggling secondary readers), I use Chris Crutcher as my “go to” author when I am trying to find a book that will “hook” a reluctant reader. Crutcher’s work has it all: believable characters we love, a storyline that keeps us enthralled, and a message that resounds loudly with important life lessons. Period.8 offers all of these elements and more, entrenching readers in a mystery that takes reading the entire book to solve.
Period.8 introduces us to complex, realistic, and skillfully woven characters with whom readers can identify. Bruce Logsdon is the kind of teacher every kid wants and needs. His classroom is an open forum to a wide array of students during their lunch period. It is his hope, as it is for all truly passionate teachers, to have a safe haven for kids to discuss issues in their lives and hopefully influence these students in a positive way. This exceptional educator knows the reality of the issues that get in the way of learning. His classroom is filled with a diverse student body that realistically mirrors students in today’s high school classroom. The school nerd, the jocks, the varying types of girls (from aggressive to demure), the leaders, and the bully are all represented accurately and honestly. The dialogue Crutcher creates could have been taken verbatim from any local high school. By depicting his characters in a realistic way, Crutcher creates a story that resonates with young adults and adults alike.
Paulie Bomb, the lead teen character, and Logsdon bond in another way: their love for swimming. As these two train together, Crutcher weaves vivid scenes of swimming with the development of a friendship that benefits both characters. When Paulie makes a bad choice, it is Logsdon whom Paulie turns to, as his parents are struggling through issues in their marriage that Bomb feels might be passed on to him in his own relationships.
As the plot thickens and the Period. 8 students deal with the disappearance of one of their own members, Crutcher spins a story that leaves the reader unable to stop reading until the end. The harsh realities of life are boldly portrayed as the topics of struggling through teen drug use, dating, intimacy issues, parental influence and control, and controlling one’s own destiny are all concerns that Crutcher successfully has the reader thoughtfully contemplate in a way that will, no doubt, open up the minds and hearts of readers.
What this book dealer appreciates most is the novel’s message that we all must learn from our mistakes to avoid repeating them again. All readers (especially those in the lower 25%) can expect to learn from his stories and find hope in the message that there are people who care. As Logsdon accurately states, “If we raise our kids so they can’t think then sooner or later, your kids will be in trouble.” The relationship between this amazing teacher and his students rings true. With so many issues in our society that our teens now face, in addition to a lack of role models, Crutcher’s novels provide our students with food for thought that can positively influence them for a lifetime and will even affect the choices they make in a positive manner. His books are what I term “hybrid.” Not only are they books that young adults find highly appealing, but they are also crossover novels that adults enjoy reading. I know that an author has really left a lasting impression on me when a text prompts me to think in a new way. The King reigns with Period. 8, a triumph that is not to be missed.
About Dr. James
This review of Period.8, Chris Crutcher’s upcoming novel, is by The Book Dealer, Dr. Susan Densmore-James. Her work in the area of literacy led to Dr. James being dubbed “The Book Dealer” by one of her struggling high school students, a dealer himself (unfortunately of illegal substances).
While at first a bit taken aback by the possible negative connotation of this name, Dr. James now knows the importance of “dealing” books. All it takes is one person who can inspire a love for literacy for students, administrators, content teachers, and community members. A passion for literacy, a great set of books of various levels and genres, dime store notebooks, and a STRONG connection with students make for the best of Book Dealers!
Chris Crutcher has done it again. With his latest novel, Period.8, the “King of the Boy Books” (a title not meant to gender his work but to represent his mass appeal to the male young adult audience) has “turned it up a notch,” going well beyond the type of Crutcher story that we have come to expect and love. As a reading specialist and English teacher for 17 years (working mostly with struggling secondary readers), I use Chris Crutcher as my “go to” author when I am trying to find a book that will “hook” a reluctant reader. Crutcher’s work has it all: believable characters we love, a storyline that keeps us enthralled, and a message that resounds loudly with important life lessons. Period.8 offers all of these elements and more, entrenching readers in a mystery that takes reading the entire book to solve.
Period.8 introduces us to complex, realistic, and skillfully woven characters with whom readers can identify. Bruce Logsdon is the kind of teacher every kid wants and needs. His classroom is an open forum to a wide array of students during their lunch period. It is his hope, as it is for all truly passionate teachers, to have a safe haven for kids to discuss issues in their lives and hopefully influence these students in a positive way. This exceptional educator knows the reality of the issues that get in the way of learning. His classroom is filled with a diverse student body that realistically mirrors students in today’s high school classroom. The school nerd, the jocks, the varying types of girls (from aggressive to demure), the leaders, and the bully are all represented accurately and honestly. The dialogue Crutcher creates could have been taken verbatim from any local high school. By depicting his characters in a realistic way, Crutcher creates a story that resonates with young adults and adults alike.
Paulie Bomb, the lead teen character, and Logsdon bond in another way: their love for swimming. As these two train together, Crutcher weaves vivid scenes of swimming with the development of a friendship that benefits both characters. When Paulie makes a bad choice, it is Logsdon whom Paulie turns to, as his parents are struggling through issues in their marriage that Bomb feels might be passed on to him in his own relationships.
As the plot thickens and the Period. 8 students deal with the disappearance of one of their own members, Crutcher spins a story that leaves the reader unable to stop reading until the end. The harsh realities of life are boldly portrayed as the topics of struggling through teen drug use, dating, intimacy issues, parental influence and control, and controlling one’s own destiny are all concerns that Crutcher successfully has the reader thoughtfully contemplate in a way that will, no doubt, open up the minds and hearts of readers.
What this book dealer appreciates most is the novel’s message that we all must learn from our mistakes to avoid repeating them again. All readers (especially those in the lower 25%) can expect to learn from his stories and find hope in the message that there are people who care. As Logsdon accurately states, “If we raise our kids so they can’t think then sooner or later, your kids will be in trouble.” The relationship between this amazing teacher and his students rings true. With so many issues in our society that our teens now face, in addition to a lack of role models, Crutcher’s novels provide our students with food for thought that can positively influence them for a lifetime and will even affect the choices they make in a positive manner. His books are what I term “hybrid.” Not only are they books that young adults find highly appealing, but they are also crossover novels that adults enjoy reading. I know that an author has really left a lasting impression on me when a text prompts me to think in a new way. The King reigns with Period. 8, a triumph that is not to be missed.
About Dr. James
This review of Period.8, Chris Crutcher’s upcoming novel, is by The Book Dealer, Dr. Susan Densmore-James. Her work in the area of literacy led to Dr. James being dubbed “The Book Dealer” by one of her struggling high school students, a dealer himself (unfortunately of illegal substances).
While at first a bit taken aback by the possible negative connotation of this name, Dr. James now knows the importance of “dealing” books. All it takes is one person who can inspire a love for literacy for students, administrators, content teachers, and community members. A passion for literacy, a great set of books of various levels and genres, dime store notebooks, and a STRONG connection with students make for the best of Book Dealers!
