{"product_id":"whale-talk-9780062687753","title":"Whale Talk","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A truly exceptional book.\"\u003cem\u003e--Washington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere's bad news and good news about the Cutter High School swim team. The bad news is that they don't have a pool. The good news is that only one of them can swim anyway. Bestselling author Chris Crutcher's controversial and acclaimed novel follows a group of outcasts as they take on inequality and injustice in their high school. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Crutcher's superior gifts as a storyteller and his background as a working therapist combine to make magic in \u003cem\u003eWhale Talk\u003c\/em\u003e. The thread of truth in his fiction reminds us that heroes can come in any shape, color, ability or size, and friendship can bridge nearly any divide.\"--\u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eT.J. Jones hates the blatant preferential treatment jocks receive at his high school, and the reverence paid to the varsity lettermen. When he sees a member of the wrestling team threatening an underclassman, T.J. decides he's had enough. He recruits some of the biggest misfits at Cutter High to form a swim team. They may not have very much talent, but the All-Night Mermen prove to be way more than T.J. anticipated. As the unlikely athletes move closer to their goal, these new friends might learn that the journey is worth more than the reward. For fans of Andrew Smith and Marieke Nijkamp.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Crutcher offers an unusual yet resonant mixture of black comedy and tragedy that lays bare the superficiality of the high-school scene. The book's shocking climax will force readers to re-examine their own values and may cause them to alter their perception of individuals pegged as 'losers.'\"--\u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults\u003cbr\u003eNew York Public Library Books for the Teen Age\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFeatures a new afterword by Chris Crutcher.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Greenwillow Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/30\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780062687753\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 5.30w x 1.00d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAccelerated Reader Quiz #\/Name: \u003c\/b\u003e49654 \/ Whale Talk\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReading Level:\u003c\/b\u003e 6.1 \/ \u003cb\u003eInterest Level:\u003c\/b\u003e Upper Grade \/ \u003cb\u003ePoint Value:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Chris Crutcher","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42916775723189,"sku":"9780062687753","price":10.19,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_e455d2ca-e4c9-4bbf-9302-7d092ada8014.jpg?v=1687270705","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/whale-talk-9780062687753","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}