King of the Mild Frontier:
An Ill-Advised Autobiography
Biography/Autobiography
Author: Chris Crutcher
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Copyright: 2003
" 'Wanna do something neat?' are four words that strike terror in my heart to this day. My answer was always yes when the question came from my brother. Then he'd tell me what the neat thing was, and it would always seem not so neat until he explained how what seemed like something that could really get you in trouble was, in fact, neat. Then I'd get in trouble."
So goes the life of Chris Crutcher, a popular young adult literature author. At times hilarious and at other times sad, this is an honest telling of one adolescent's experiences in small town America. There were times this book made me laugh out loud, meaning I had to share what I was reading with whoever was around. It is an entertaining read, but it also makes you think about larger questions such as "why do bad things happen to good people?" While mainly about his often embarrassing teenage trials, Crutcher also discusses some of his adult experiences as a child abuse therapist and his process as a writer. This book could easily be used in history or language arts classes. The parts of the book that discuss Crutcher's writing process could be especially helpful to students.
Related Links:
- Book Profile on Goodreads.com - This social media site contains more reviews by readers and information on the author.
- Author & Loudmouth, Chris Crutcher - This is the author's official page. It has lots of different resources, including Crutcher's views on current events, teacher's guides for his books, and videos.
- YouTube - There are a variety of videos with Chris Crutcher on YouTube.
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