Get a Life: (Clearwater Crossing, #1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Laura Peyton Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 1998 | Series: Clearwater Crossing (Book 1)

Jenna Conrad, Peter Altmann, Melanie Andrews, Jesse Jones, Nicole Brewster, Miguel del Rios, Leah Rosenthal, and Ben Pipkin form a very close group when they are brought together by tragedy.  But they couldn't be more different from each other!  Two devout Christians, a cheerleader, a dark, brooding type, a football player, and a nerd, not to mention the others, make up this diverse group.  Join them as they grow together in friendship and in faith.  Readers will delight in the first two titles in this inspirational new series:

Get a Life: Clearwater Crossing #1

Kurt Englbehrt, a linebacker on the Clearwater Crossing High football team, has been diagnosed with leukemia.  To help raise money for medical bills, the students at CCHS are putting on a carnival.  Jenna Conrad and her best friend, Peter Altmann, form an unexpectedly tight group with the other volunteers and the carnival is a wonderful success.  But just when everything seems to be going so well, Kurt dies.  The tragedy devastates Jenna, Peter, and their friends, and they struggle with the question of why the Lord must take away.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What if the students at Sweet Valley High went to church and took the sermons to heart? The result may be something like the Clearwater Crossings series, which is being launched with this mildly spicy but essentially wholesome page-turner. Eight students at Clearwater Crossings High are thrown together when they operate a booth at a school-wide fund-raiser for a classmate with leukemia. Cheerleader Melanie has as much poise as beauty?but tragedy mars her home; football player Jesse is determined to date her, never mind that impressionable Nicole (who reads magazines for tips on popularity) is trying to catch his eye. Other familiar types are also on board (a brainy, outspoken girl; a handsome youth with an air of secret sorrow; an outright geek) and the romantic complications are equally well worn. The twist comes with protagonists Peter and Jenna, nicknamed the God Squad because of their genuine religiosity. Being devout here has more to do with acts of charity and basic decency than with theology; Jenna and Peter's denomination, for example, remains unspecified, and no one, including the author, proselytizes. Other characters profess atheism, and while it's a good bet that at least one will become a believer by the end of the series, there's enough of a spectrum and a sufficiently light hand with the religious theme to engage a variety of readers. Primarily soapish, this offers a little substance along with the suds. The next installment, Reality Check, is also due in April. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up-While there may not be much plot here, there's a lot of character development. A group of teenagers meet when they volunteer to work at a high-school carnival in order to raise money for Kurt, a fellow student suffering from cancer. Beautiful Melanie is sought after by the rather egotistical Jesse. Melanie's secret is that her mother died in a car crash and her grief-stricken father has become an alcoholic. Nicole is starving herself to the point of anorexia in order to attract Jesse, but he is not interested in her. Peter and Jenna, best friends, are active in their church. Peter works with a group of disadvantaged children on Saturdays. Jenna secretly has a passion for Miguel, who is aloof. Leah, smart and confident, breaks Miguel's shell and discovers that his father died of cancer a year ago. Finally, there's Ben, a guy anxious to make friends, funny and nice, but definitely not on anyone's list of cool people. After Kurt tragically dies in an automobile accident, the group decides to raise money in his name. As the first of a series, the characters seem genuine and teens will enjoy them. The book just reads like the start of a new TV soap.
Jo-Anne Weinberg, Greenburgh Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books for Young Readers (March 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553571184
• ISBN-13: 978-0553571189
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,264,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Peyton Roberts is the author of numerous books for teens and tweens, including the Clearwater Crossing series, Ghost of a Chance, The Queen of Second Place, Queen B, and Green. Laura has degrees in both geology and English, and worked as a geologist before becoming a full-time writer. She and her husband live in San Diego, California.

www.LauraPeytonRoberts.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laura-Peyton-Roberts/150644311617501

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Author, January 25, 2005

By 

Lucy Lo "Reviewer for Teenlit.com" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Get a Life: (Clearwater Crossing, #1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I started reading this series because I read an Alias book by Laura Peyton Roberts, A Secret Life, and thought it was one of the best Alias books ever written. Although this doesn't have the exciting adventures Sydney Bristow has, it is right on target for what real teenage life is like. After a while, I got into this book and actually began caring for the characters - Jenna, Jesse, Nicole, Peter, and everyone. What I like most is how it seems close to what my high school friends and I go through. Why this is a 5? I got drawn into the story and now feel compelled to read the other books.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, great series, February 24, 2000

By 

Angie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Get a Life: (Clearwater Crossing, #1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have to say-beware reader! You don't know what you're getting yourself into! You'll be up all night reading this book/series if you start! Trust me. This is a great book to start off a wonderful series. When you read this series, you put yourself in the positions of Jenna, Peter, Leah, Miguel, Ben, and Melanie. You can relate to all of them. So anyways-beware! (If you don't want to have a great time reading!)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ADDICTIVE!, December 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Get a Life: (Clearwater Crossing, #1) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was awesome and TOTALLY addictive! It was wonderfully written and I could not put it down. Peter, Jenna, Miguel, Nicole, Jesse, Melanie, Ben, and Leah come together to work at a carnival to benefit a friend with leukemia. They are all very different and all go their seperate ways, but then a tradgedy brings them together once again. Will this friendship last? Read "Get a Life" and find out!