Whale Talk

Bibliography: Crutcher, C. (2001) Whale talk. New York: Greenwillow.

Genre: Literary Fiction

Reading Level/Interest Age: 14-17

Reader's Annotation: T.J.'s swim team is not exactly what the high school was hoping for when they agreed to let him create it. He's got "a representative from each extreme of the educational spectrum, a muscle man, a giant, a chameleon, and a psychopath," but these kids will challenge everyone's expectations, including T.J.'s own.

Author: Born July 17, 1946, Crutcher has a B.A. in psychology and sociology as well as a teaching credential. Before becoming a writer, Crutcher taught primary and secondary school in Washington State and California, including nearly a decade as director of Lakeside School, a K-12 alternative school in Oakland, CA. Crutcher also worked as a full-time therapist for years and still works as a part-time therapist and child advocate. His novels are among the most commonly challenged titles each year, but Crutcher is a staunch opponent of censorship and defender of intellectual freedom.

Plot Summary: "There'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.

A group of misfits brought together by T. J. Jones (the J is redundant) to find their places in a school that has no place for them, the Cutter All Night Mermen struggle to carve out their own turf. T. J. is convinced that a varsity letter jacket--unattainable for most, exclusive, revered, the symbol (as far as T. J. is concerned) of all that is screwed up at Cutter High--will be an effective carving tool. He's right. He's also wrong.

Still, it's always the quest that counts. And the bus on which the Mermen travel to swim meets--piloted by Icko, the permanent resident of All, Night Fitness--soon becomes the cocoon inside which they gradually allow themselves to talk, to fit, to bloom." (Synopsis, ChrisCrutcher.com)

Critical Evaluation: I've never met anyone like T.J., but I'd like to. He's a little too good to be true, but that doesn't stop me from liking him. His desire to put the high school jocks in their place and simultaneously uplift a group of school misfits appeals strongly to the part of me that longs for justice and cheered at the end of movies like Revenge of the Nerds. Additionally, Crutcher's skillful use of realistic language and scenarios keep the novel from moving too far into the realm of feel-good fluff fiction. He gives us subplots that explore serious issues, like racism and child abuse, in a way that is both thought-provoking and heart-rending. The book is fast-paced and is sure to appeal to reluctant readers, especially boys, without pandering to them or assuming they can't or won't read anything that doesn't have pictures.

Curriculum Ties:

Book Talk Ideas:
• focus on the bus rides to the swim meets
• describe the swim team
• describe T.J.
• read a bit of the encounter with Mike Barbour or Mr. Simet's talk with T.J.

Challenge Issues: cursing, violence, abuse, drugs, etc. This one has them all.

Challenge Defense:
• Be familiar with the context of the issues
• Explain library selection policies
• Provide reviews of the book from reputable sources
• Explain library challenge procedures
• Offer challenge form

Why was this text included in this project? Crutcher offers materials that appeal to reluctant readers, primarily boys who do not see themselves as “bookish.” He uses realistic language and characters and scenarios that teens can identify with. I’ve wanted to read Crutcher for a long time and used this project as a reason to do so. Now I want to read even more of his work.