Stotan!

I bought this book when I was still in high school, read it, then forgot all about it. I liked the story well enough, because it was about swimming. But years later while I was at university, I pulled this book out again and realized that there was much more to this story than swimming -- that, in fact, if there ever was a course on friendship, this book could be a primer. This is a Young Adults book, but even now that I'm out of university, I still like to read Stotan! once in a while to remind myself of what really matters in life.

This book was required for me to read in a college literature class and I was not looking forward to it because I do not enjoy reading sports books but I was surprisingly wrong. This book is a very fast read and is very poignant. There are 5 very relatable characters that each have unique stories that draw the reader in. Even though the parts about the swimming were a little foreign to me, they were not too confusing to throw you off. I could find people that I know that are in each of these characters and I am female so it is not just a boy book. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a good book and a wonderful story.

I think that this book is a fantastic book for young teens. It deals with the everyday problems teenagers have in real life. It is also a very touching story on how much these kids will be abused, threatened, teased, and pushed around before they take revenge. Walker, Nortie, Lion, and Jeff are best friends. They take the challenge of Stotan week- a series of grueling physical and emotional tests of endurance. They do race after race to test there ability, but is that the only way to become a Stotan? According to one of the guys its not. Hes been keeping a Stotanic story a secret for a long time. This is a great action book and a sad story at the same time. So are you a true Stotan?

Chris Crutcher has a gift for breathing life and believability into his characters and this book is no exception. The characters are vintage Crutcher -- they face tragic deaths, there are gay characters and even characters with less, although readily recognizable issues.Chris Crutcher is a gifted writer and many folks will find a literary friend in Lion. This book is a treat.

In STOTAN!, Chris Crutcher accurately captures the nuances of modern day high school life. He touches upon emotions that all of us encounter in high school, allowing every reader to identify stongly with at least one of the characters. His mixture of humor and tragedy make this novel an emotional roller coaster. This would be a great book for both parents and teens to read, then discuss around the dinner table!