Crush: Stories by Ellen Conford (Harper Trophy Books) [Paperback]

Ellen Conford (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Harper Trophy Books

"Tickets for the Sweetheart Stomp are still available at the student government office, Room 114, during lunch hours or half an hour after school."

B.J. Green though, not for the first time, what a dumb name Sweetheart Stomp was for a Valentine's Day dance. Not that she wouldn't want to go to it, but it sounded like an event where you stomped your sweetheart unconscious.

But the social bigwigs at Cutter's Forge High were heavy into alliteration this year. They'd called the Halloween dance the Halloween Hoedown. The Thanksgiving dance was the Turkey Trot. For Christmas they'd had the Holiday Hop. And now for Valentine's Day the dance committee had come up with the Sweetheart Stomp.

B.J. sighed and looked around at her classmates. The room was buzzing with the excited whispers of predance planning. The event was a week and a day away. There would be get-togethers before the dance and parties afterward, which would prolong the festivities into the early hours of February 15.

B.J. wouldn't be attending any of them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

PW found these 10 "affectionately wrought and cunningly overlapped" romantic stories to be "featherweight but pleasurable." Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8?A cast of high school friends links together these 10 mini-romances. The stories follow separate couples as they prepare for and fret over the upcoming Valentine's Day dance. The scene at the "Sweetheart Stomp" is the final story. The stories strive to capture genuine teen voices but come off sounding strained and artificial. The characters are one-dimensional, and their nicknames, such as "Lady Di," "Bugbear," and "Batso," make them appear ludicrous. A few stories have creative touches, but most of them are just too silly. "The Gifts of the Mangy" is a take-off on O'Henry's "Gift of the Magi." Amy has spent years getting over her nail-biting habit. Finally, she has grown glorious long, painted, and manicured nails. They are her pride and joy, but her boyfriend, "Batso," hates them. She dislikes his long hair. Meeting before the Valentine's dance, they present each other with six-month anniversary gifts: a manicure set for her, a hair dryer for him. They've compromised, they've sacrificed, yet this story remains a pallid rendition of the original tale. Managing to hit a decent stride, "Lucky Break" tells the story of two nonconformists who are attracted to one another because of their differences. It has a plot, interesting characters, and a romantic conclusion. All in all, though, these mini-stories are not worth the money, reading time, or shelf space.?Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (January 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064407780
• ISBN-13: 978-0064407786
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,672,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crush, November 13, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Crush: Stories by Ellen Conford (Harper Trophy Books) (Paperback)

If you are looking for a good book to read, then read Crush, by Ellen Conford. Crush is about a girl named B.J and her school is having a Sweet Heart Stomp , and she hasn't found a date yet. B.J is mad because the boy that she likes is going to the dance with a girl that she doesn't like. B.J tries to find a date to the dance, but she can't find anybody to go with. One day B.J finds a wishing well and wishes for a date to the Sweet Heart Stomp. A few minutes later a boy shows up and asks her to the dance. That afternoon B.J goes home and tries to figure out what she is going to wear. Right that instant B.J goes into the den and gets her clothes, then trips over her brother's weights and breaks her ankle. B.J started crying and her mom came in and asked her what was wrong. B.J. said, "I think I broke my ankle," and right then her mother rushes her to the hospital and waits for the doctor. B.J started to worry about the dance, because she thought she wasn't going to get to go. After all B.J desides to go and hang out with her friends.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Ellen Conford's Crush won't crush you.", December 20, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Crush: Stories by Ellen Conford (Harper Trophy Books) (Paperback)

I like the book titled "Crush" written by author Ellen Conford. It's a book full of short stories, that are in a series, so it's a story collection. The whole entire book is set around a Valetine's Day dance at Cutter's Forge High School called the Sweetheart Stomp. There are ten stories in all. In order, the titles of these stories are: 'Room 202', 'The Gifts of the Mangy', 'Have a Heart', 'Metamorphosis', 'Two Coins in the Fountian', 'Russian Overture', 'Call Waiting', 'Cross Out Where Not Applicable', 'Lucky Break', and 'At the Stomp'. In 'Room 202', it's really just an introducton to the whole thing, where you get to meet each of the characters and learn something about them. In 'The Gifts of the Mangy', Amy Porter and her boyfriend "Batso" are trying to figure out what Valentine's Day gifts to give each other. Amy has long fingernails that are constantly covered in manicures, while Batso (which isn't his real name) has long hair. In 'Have a Heart', it takes a little while for Will Moffet to find out how his girlfriend Linda Sherman is a con artist. In 'Metamophosis', a group of girlfriends decide to send Valentine's Day cards to a dweeb guy they dislike just so he won't feel too bad about not being liked, but something shocking happens. In 'Two Coins in the Fountain', B.J. Greene makes two wishes about going to the dance that turn true; this story is sort of weird. In 'Russian Overture', Janushka Farrentino (Jamie) interviews foreign exchange student Alexei Grigorov (who pretends to be dumb) for the school newspaper; the interview turns into something surprising. In 'Call Waiting', Di Callahan tries to talk on the telephone with a girlfriend but instead some guys call to ask her out to the upcoming dance. In 'Cross Out Where Not Applicable', Doug Meyers writes a letter to B.J Greene, basically telling her how he likes her and such. In 'Lucky Break', Laurel Baker breaks her ankle and can't go to the dance,
but yet, at the hospital, something happens which makes her ankle almost worth breaking. And then, 'At the Stomp' takes place at the waited-for Sweetheart Stomp and just tells what happens there and who ended up dating who and what the couples do. Each of these stories are simple, small, and short. But the book itself is worth reading; except for a few bad phrases of swearing. I think teen girls, ages 12 and above, would like or enjoy this book for a (quick or so) fun read. Whether you read it on Valentine's Day (which I didn't, it's December, afterall) or not. This book is a little different then what the author usually writes (but maybe not, this is only my opinion), but you can telling this is her work by her humourous/humourness and wit.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crush, November 13, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Crush: Stories by Ellen Conford (Harper Trophy Books) (Paperback)

If you are looking for a good book to read, then read Crush, by Ellen Conford. Crush is about a girl named B.J and her school is having a Sweet Heart Stomp , and she hasn't found a date yet. B.J is mad because the boy that she likes is going to the dance with a girl that she doesn't like. B.J tries to find a date to the dance, but she can't find anybody to go with. One day B.J finds a wishing well and wishes for a date to the Sweet Heart Stomp. A few minutes later a boy shows up and asks her to the dance. That afternoon B.J goes home and tries to figure out what she is going to wear. Right that instant B.J goes into the den and gets her clothes, then trips over her brother's weights and breaks her ankle. B.J started crying and her mom came in and asked her what was wrong. B.J. said, "I think I broke my ankle," and right then her mother rushes her to the hospital and waits for the doctor. B.J started to worry about the dance, because she thought she wasn't going to get to go. After all B.J desides to go and hang out with her friends.