Claws [Hardcover]

Will Weaver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 2003 | Age Level: 10 and up

"Life will sooner or later show its claws." --Anton Chekov

For sixteen -year-old Jed Berg, life couldn't be sweeter. He's gotten his driver's license, landed a major girlfriend, and made number one singles in varsity tennis. His dad has even begun to let him drive his 1969 Chevy Camaro -- he's the envy of every guy at school. Then Jed meets his nemesis, a strange punk chick who seems to know everything about Jed -- and about his family. She has a secret to share, a secret so unsettling it triggers a chain of dreadful events.

From the streets of Duluth to the treacherous wilderness of northern Minnesota, acclaimed author Will Weaver spins a mesmerizing story of two unforgettable teenagers caught in a web of love, betrayal, and survival.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-Jed Berg's life is perfect. A junior in high school, he is an honors student, and has a senior as a girlfriend and the top singles position on the varsity tennis team. All of his friends are in awe of his close relationship with his architect father and his attorney mother. Then he receives an e-mail from a girl who demands that he confront his father about the affair he is having with her mother, and Jed's perfect world starts to disintegrate. Weaver's wonderful use of language ably reflects the teen's turmoil as his anger and hurt about his father's behavior spills over into his daily life, and he soon finds himself in detention for punching out his locker. This is just the start of Jed's troubles. His friends and family are shocked and it takes a girl in detention to put his situation in perspective when she quips, "preppies in a downward spiral are fun to watch." The novel, a character study of Jed, follows him through his spiral as events spin out of his control. The other characters aren't as strongly developed but that is to be expected since it is his reactions that are at the center of the book. This is a good choice for fans of more serious realistic fiction, such as Alex Flinn's Breaking Point (HarperCollins, 2002) or Laurie Halse Anderson's Catalyst (Viking, 2002).
Betsy Fraser, Calgary Public Library, Canada
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. Sixteen-year-old Jed Berg is pretty much living a perfect life: good grades, good girlfriend, nice family. Then he gets an e-mail with an attachment--a picture of his father kissing another woman. It is from the woman's teenage daughter, Laura, who wants Jed to break up the relationship. If he doesn't do it, she will. The first half of this book is terrific. Jed's first-person narrative catches the normality and sweetness of his life and then the horror of the disintegration as everything falls apart. But Jed's life isn't the only thing that falls apart; so does the book's second half, which descends into soap opera. Death and destruction (literal and metaphysical) are served up in full measure. So why recommend this? Frankly, some kids won't mind the overwrought happenings (think fans of Lurlene McDaniel), but even when the plot is out of control, the writing and the characterizations are very good. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperTempest; 1St Edition edition (March 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060094737
• ISBN-13: 978-0060094737
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,692,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Will Weaver grew up in northern Minnesota on a dairy farm. The landscape of farm and small town life figures strongly in much of his writing. He has gained a national audience for his unflinching realism, and for what one reviewer called ". . . the humanity and decency that runs through all of Weaver's work" ( St. Paul Pioneer Press).

His short story collection A GRAVESTONE MADE OF WHEAT was a New York Times "notable book." His newest book is a memoir, THE LAST HUNTER: AN AMERICAN FAMILY ALBUM, which one reviewer wrote "...should have been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize."

Several of his works have been adapted for radio, stage and film. SWEET LAND, an independent feature film adaptation of his story "Gravestone Made of Wheat", and starring Ned Beatty, premiered in October of 2006. His first adult novel, RED EARTH, WHITE EARTH was made into a CBS television movie.

Also known for his young adult fiction, Weaver's THE SURVIVORS is just out from HarperCollins. His STRIKING OUT, FARM TEAM and HARD BALL has a lasting place in school libraries across the country. MEMORY BOY, a post-apocalyptic novel based on environmental collapse, is widely used across the curriculum in junior and senior high schools, and is the prequel to THE SURVIVORS.

Other young adult novels include CLAWS, set in northeastern Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and featuring outdoor survival with a strong family back-story. His FULL SERVICE won starred reviews from Kirkus and Horn Books for its focus on a young man struggling with matters of religious faith and doubt. DEFECT is a novel about a teenager born with a miraculous birth abnormality, and his struggle to fit in (or not).

As an author, Mr. Weaver is particularly concerned with youth literacy and young men in particular. His new Motornovel Series is pitched toward teens who love motorsports but are not wild about English classes. SATURDAY NIGHT DIRT and its sequel, SUPER STOCK ROOKIE (2009) focus on dirt track stock car racing. The series starts with a close focus on a small town speedway and a diverse cast characters who come there, for different reasons, on Saturday nights. CHECKERED FLAG CHEATER is the latest in this popular series. Reviewed on "Good Morning America," the Motornovels were described as "great teen reads, and not just for boys."

An avid outdoorsman and a would-be piano player, Will Weaver lives with his wife on the Mississippi River in northern Minnesota.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars claws is great, April 19, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Claws (Hardcover)

The book claws by will weaver is a great book with lots of unexpected twists and turns like him meeting a "punk chick that seems to know everything about me and my family". Jed is a 16 year old kid who is falling into a downward spiral going deeper and deeper destroying his life. Like something they find in his locker that is a big drop but almost everything else that happens is so much worse.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Truthfully, February 10, 2006

By 

Tigers#1 (Versailles, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Claws (Paperback)

Jed has the perfect life for a teenager; he is great at sports and has a girlfriend. Than again nobody's perfect. Things began to go wrong for Jed right after he finds out his dad's secrets. He misses practice and messes up his grades. The problem is his dad doesn't know that he knows his secrets, so who does he talk to.
One thing I liked about this book is all the action going on at once that leaves you holding the book for hours. Also, I liked the middle of the book because of all the sudden romance. One of my dislikes would be the ending because everything falls apart.
I think that if you enjoy books that pull you into all the drama, as if you were there than this book is perfect for you. Also, if you haven't ever read one of Will Weaver's books than this is a great one to start with.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, December 31, 2005

By 

siva "siva" (singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Claws (Hardcover)

This book will deeply touch anyone who reads this book. As you read the book you become the characters and feel their same feelings. By the time you come to the ending you will be amazed at your feelings.

I recommend this book to anyone.
To find out more about this book read the other reviews, this is truly an ideal book.