Citation:
Crutcher, C. (2013). Period 8. New York, NY: Greenwillow
Books.
Summary:
Paulie’s life is
thrown out of whack after a bad decision leads to his girlfriend, Hannah,
dumping him. He knows he got what he deserved, but it still upset that she
wouldn’t listen to his side of the story. Paulie is part of a group called
Period 8, a group that gathers during lunchtime and is run by a teacher who
everyone calls Logs. Logs is a mentor for Paulie both in and out of school, as
the two share the uncommon passion of open-water swimming. When another student
from Period 8, Mary Wells, goes missing, and his ex-girlfriend Hannah starts
hanging out with his so-called-friend Arney, Paulie starts to suspect foul
play. As this story unfolds, Paulie and Logs both learn that things are not as
they appear and find themselves in imminent danger as they try to figure out
what is going on with the people they know from Period 8.
Response:
This books starts out
seemingly ordinary, but unravels to be a thriller/mystery that will keep
readers turning the pages to figure out what is going on in the story. Crutcher
does a great job of revealing small pieces of information so that the reader
knows what Paulie knows, and can guess what might be happening, which adds to
the suspense of this novel. This book is meant for an older high school
audience since there is a lot of cursing as well as references to drugs, sex,
and even prostitution. The book starts off a little slowly as Crutcher develops
the characters of students in Period 8, but the importance of all of these
characters is revealed as the plot moves along. Though the plot of this story
is the meat-and-potatoes of this book, it also touches on some topics that are
relevant to teenagers, including the struggle of having parents who are
separated or who do not have a good relationship, dealing with break ups, and
discovering that friends are not who you think they are. This also explores a
deep theme about being around people every day, yet not really knowing who they
are because people are capable of hiding their true selves living double lives.
Textbook Connections:
Genre: fiction
Subgenre: mystery
This book is great
for students who are interested in thriller mysteries.
The plot carries this
book along. Because of the way Crutcher reveals facts slowly, the reader feels
as if they are in the story trying to figure out the truth right along with
Paulie. I believe this is what makes the book such a page-turner.
The author, Chris
Crutcher, was a family therapist and child-protection specialist. His
experiences in this field shape his writing, which is very evident in this
novel, which has a couple of students who are hiding the truth about themselves.
The secrets are weighing down on them in different ways. Although some of his
characters have severe issues, their characterization is pretty realistic based
on how people with these issues behave.
Other Resources:
Teenreads Review
Author’s website http://www.chriscrutcher.com/period-8-2013.html
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