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Searching... Branch | Book | YA CRUTCHER | 2 | Juvenile Collection | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Searching... Branch | Juvenile Book | YA CRUTCHER | 1 | Juvenile Collection | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Central | Juvenile Book | YA CRU | 1 | Juvenile Collection | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Searching... Central | Juvenile Book | YA CRUTCHER | 2 | Juvenile Collection | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Central | Juvenile Book | YA CRUTCHER C. | 3 | Juvenile Collection | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Science | Juvenile Book | J 813.54 C889ST, 1993 | 1 | Juvenile Collection | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Searching... South | Book | TA-F C-889 | 1 | Juvenile Fiction | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
Called a "masterpiece" in a starred review from School Library Journal, award-winning author Chris Crutcher's acclaimed Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is an enduring classic.
This bestselling novel is about love, loyalty, and friendship in the face of adversity. "Superb plotting, extraordinary characters, and cracking narrative make this novel unforgettable."--Publishers Weekly
Sarah Byrnes and Eric Calhoune have been friends for years. When they were children, his weight and her scars made them both outcasts. Now Sarah Byrnes--the smartest, toughest person Eric has ever known--sits silent in a hospital. Eric must uncover the terrible secret she's hiding before its dark current pulls them both under. Will appeal to fans of Marieke Nijkamp, Andrew Smith, and John Corey Whaley.
"Once again, Chris Crutcher plunges his readers into life's tough issues within a compelling story filled with human compassion . . . with his characteristic intelligence, humor, and empathy."--ALAN Review
An American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a boxed review, PW lauded this ``unforgettable'' novel about two beleaguered high school students; its ``mordant humor, poignancy and suspense pack a breathtaking wallop.'' Ages 12-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Eighteen-year-old Eric's success on the swimming team and the weight loss that is the by-product of his strict physical regimen are so threatening to his longstanding friendship with Sarah Byrnes -- who, at the age of three was severely burned on the face and hands when her father pushed her into a wood stove -- that he forces himself into gluttony in order not to jeopardize it. Eric's attempts to help his friend find her way back into the world after she is institutionalized make up the bulk of the narrative. The characters are real and believable. From HORN BOOK 1993, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 7-12. Overweight high school student Eric Calhoun, nicknamed Moby, is Sarah Byrnes' only friend. At the age of three, Sarah's face and hands were severely burned in a domestic "accident." Her father, Virgil, refused to let her have any reconstructive surgery, and Sarah has lived her life behind a mask of scars and fury. Now, Sarah is in the hospital, in what appears to be a catatonic state. Eric goes to see her every day, talking to her and trying to get a response. When she finally answers him, it is to tell him that she has been "aware" all along. Knowing her father is dangerously unbalanced, she plans to escape from him. Eric brings in Lemry, a sympathetic teacher, as an adult ally, and the teacher and Sarah search for Sarah's mother. Virgil threatens to kill Eric unless he reveals Sarah's location, and in a climactic chase scene, he stabs Eric, who is lucky to escape with his life. Crutcher ties up loose ends and subplots a little too rosily for real life, but his book is satisfying all the same. It's strong on relationships, long on plot, and has enough humor and suspense to make it an easy booktalk with appeal across gender lines. ~--Janice Del Negro
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 UpAn obese boy and a disfigured girl suffer the emotional scars of years of mockery at the hands of their peers. They share a hard-boiled view of the world until events in their senior year hurl them in very different directions. A story about a friendship with staying power, written with pathos and pointed humor. (Mar. 1993) (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Once again, Crutcher assembles a crew of misfits to tackle the Big Issues. Sarah Byrnes, her face hideously scarred from what she calls a childhood accident, sits silent and withdrawn in the psychiatric ward; her friend Eric (``Moby''), who has admired her since grade school as the toughest person he knows, wonders what could have finally pushed her over the edge. Between trenchant classroom confrontations over abortion and other religious controversies, exhausting swim team workouts, and a sudden relationship with a classmate, Eric loyally finds time to visit Sarah. Enter Virgil, her psychotic father, who speaks only in threats; in a terrifying passage, he stalks and stabs Eric in order to learn where Sarah (who has escaped) is hiding. Though Crutcher doesn't always play fair in developing his themes--all the conservative Christians here are humorless dupes or hypocrites, and one tries to commit suicide after it comes out that his girlfriend had an abortion--his language, characters, and situations are vivid and often hilarious. In the end, he deals out just deserts all around: Eric gets a stepfather he can respect; Virgil, a vicious mauling plus 20 years in stir; Sarah, a new and loving set of parents. Readers may find the storybook ending a welcome relief, though it does seem forced after the pain that precedes it. Pulse-pounding, on both visceral and intellectual levels--a wild, brutal ride. (Fiction. YA)