2012 Puddly Awards
 
 
Follow us on TwitterFollow us on FacebookFollow us on TumblrSubscribe to RSS

Recently Viewed clear list

Interviews | February 14, 2012

Jill Owens: IMG Stephen Dau: The Powells.com Interview

0 comments By Jill Owens

Stephen DauStephen Dau's The Book of Jonas is a marvelous, lyrical debut that examines the effects of war on everyone involved. Dau weaves together the stories... Continue »
  1. $17.47 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    The Book of Jonas

    Stephen Dau 9780399158452
spacer
Free Shipping!

Ships free on qualified orders.
$17.99
New Hardcover
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
Qty Store Section
22 Local Warehouse Children's Young Adult- Social Issue Fiction
25 Remote Warehouse Children's Young Adult- Social Issue Fiction

eBook editions

The Big Crunch

by Pete Hautman

The Big Crunch Cover

ISBN13: 9780545240758
ISBN10: 0545240751
All Product Details

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A funny, clear-eyed view of the realities of teenage love from National Book Award winner Pete Hautman.

Jen and Wes do not "meet cute." They do not fall in love at first sight. They do not swoon with scorching desire. They do not believe that they are instant soul mates destined to be together forever.

This is not that kind of love story.

Instead, they just hang around in each other's orbits...until eventually they collide. And even after that happens, they're still not sure where it will go. Especially when Jen starts to pity-date one of Wes's friends, and Wes makes some choices that he immediately regrets.

From National Book Award winner Pete Hautman, this is a love story for people not particularly biased toward romance. But it is romantic, in the same way that truth can be romantic and uncertainty can be the biggest certainty of all.

Review:

"Showing his range, Hautman (How to Steal a Car) writes a love story that's affecting despite, or perhaps because of, its ordinariness. Wes and June know each other, vaguely, from high school, but become better acquainted when he accidentally gives her a black eye. Both teens are prone to introspection. June is constantly on guard because her father's job requires the family to move often; Wes cleans out the garage when too much thinking leads to insomnia. When the two overcome obstacles to become a couple, they fall hard. Hautman's depiction of this is both sensitive and realistic — 'I can't breathe when I look at you,' Wes tells June — and the use of scientific imagery adds metaphorical heft to an otherwise run-of-the-mill romance (to everybody but Wes and June, of course). As she expected, June's father pulls up stakes again, and the lovers try to carry on with texting and telephone calls, leading to frustration and bad decisions. Readers who need nonstop action must look elsewhere, but those who make it to June's final declaration will arrive with a lump firmly lodged in their throats. Ages 13 — up. (Jan.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC)

Synopsis:

From the National Book Award winner for "Godless." Jen and Wes do not "meet cute." They do not fall in love at first sight. They do not swoon with scorching desire. They do not believe that they are instant soul mates. This is not that kind of love story.
back to top

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club com, April 1, 2011 (view all comments by Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club com)
June’s dad fixes things for companies in trouble, but once he’s done, he moves on to the next job. That’s why June has spent so much of her life moving from place to place and learning not to let friends get too close. Her dad’s mantra is to never look back, but she can’t help wishing for a place to settle down and stay for a while.

Minnesota would never be her first pick for that place, until she meets Wes. Wes has recently broken up with his girlfriend, and he doesn’t really want to get involved with someone new. He’s enjoying being his own person again, and not having to worry about how his girlfriend judged what he did. But he keeps running into June, and he can’t stop thinking about her.

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman tells the story of June and Wes as they go through the ups and downs of a high school relationship. It’s full of issues that kids who date in high school have to deal with, such as, how do I relate to my friends once I start dating someone, and how do I interact with my girlfriend’s/boyfriend’s parents. Hautman is good at turning even mundane questions, like will a car be available for a date, into something that’s revealing about Wes and June’s relationship.

It shows the two teens as both thoughtful and impulsive, concerned about what their parents think, but also willing to break the rules to be together. It should provide lots of topics to discuss for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 14 and up. I recommend it.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
report this comment
back to top

Product Details

ISBN:
9780545240758
Author:
Hautman, Pete
Publisher:
Scholastic Press
Subject:
Social Issues - Adolescence
Subject:
Love & Romance
Subject:
Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General
Subject:
Situations / Adolescence
Subject:
Children s Young Adult-Social Issue Fiction-Adolescence
Subject:
Children s Young Adult-Social Issue Fiction
Edition Description:
Hardcover
Publication Date:
20110131
Binding:
HARDCOVER
Grade Level:
8
Language:
English
Pages:
288
Dimensions:
8.25 x 5.5 in
Age Level:
13-13
back to top

Other books you might like

  1. $3.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    How Angel Peterson Got His Name: And Other Outrageous Tales about Extreme Sports

    Gary Paulsen 9780440229353
  2. $2.50 Used Mass Market add to wish list

    The Transall Saga

    Gary Paulsen 9780440219767
  3. $10.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    Fallen

    Lauren Kate 9780385738934
  4. $9.99 Google eBooks add to wish list

    Sapphique

    Catherine Fisher 9781101537107
  5. $9.99 Google eBooks add to wish list

    Vampire Kisses 2: Kissing Coffins

    Ellen Schreiber 9780061975646
  6. $4.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Vampire Kisses #04: Dance with a Vampire

    Ellen Schreiber 9780061778988
back to top

Related Aisles

The Big Crunch New Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$17.99 In Stock
Product details 288 pages Scholastic Press - English 9780545240758 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "Showing his range, Hautman (How to Steal a Car) writes a love story that's affecting despite, or perhaps because of, its ordinariness. Wes and June know each other, vaguely, from high school, but become better acquainted when he accidentally gives her a black eye. Both teens are prone to introspection. June is constantly on guard because her father's job requires the family to move often; Wes cleans out the garage when too much thinking leads to insomnia. When the two overcome obstacles to become a couple, they fall hard. Hautman's depiction of this is both sensitive and realistic — 'I can't breathe when I look at you,' Wes tells June — and the use of scientific imagery adds metaphorical heft to an otherwise run-of-the-mill romance (to everybody but Wes and June, of course). As she expected, June's father pulls up stakes again, and the lovers try to carry on with texting and telephone calls, leading to frustration and bad decisions. Readers who need nonstop action must look elsewhere, but those who make it to June's final declaration will arrive with a lump firmly lodged in their throats. Ages 13 — up. (Jan.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC)
"Synopsis" by , From the National Book Award winner for "Godless." Jen and Wes do not "meet cute." They do not fall in love at first sight. They do not swoon with scorching desire. They do not believe that they are instant soul mates. This is not that kind of love story.
spacer
spacer
  • back to top
Follow us on...


Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.