Customer Reviews

King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-advised Autobiography

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

" 'Wanna do something neat?' are four words that strike terror in my heart to this day. My answer was always yes when the question came from my brother. Then he'd tell me what the neat thing was, and it would always seem not so neat until he explained how what seemed like something that could really get you in trouble was, in fact, neat. Then I'd get in trouble."

Chris Crutcher's outrageous tales of being a little brother, a young scholar, a doomed outdoorsman, and an athlete of questionable repute caused me to convulse with laughter to the point where my head started to hurt, and I began figuring that just one more story like the last one and I'd surely pee my pants.

And lying just below the surface of this wacky World According to Young Master Crutcher is a sparkling mine full of poignant vignettes and profound-yet-simple truths about a youngster coming to terms with God, with death, with family, with intolerance, and with his place in the world.

In KING OF THE MILD FRONTIER, Chris Crutcher goes on to talk from the heart about his idea of real heroes and reveals several brief (and heartbreaking) glimpses of his work as a child and family therapist. He gives us a look at his path to becoming a writer. By the time he's done, readers have a sense of how the experiences and revelations have melded together into those honest and gritty novels that we know and love him for, and which earned him the 2000 Margaret A. Edwards Award, honoring lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Chris Crutcher is a consummate storyteller. He's also a guy who knows how to slice through the crap that authority figures often try feeding to kids. Those two hundred plus pages of KING OF THE MILD FRONTIER: AN ILL-ADVISED AUTOBIOGRAPHY passed by much too quickly for me. Teens will be certain to eat this book up in a hurry and rush out to meet all of those characters he's brought to life over the past two decades.

This is guaranteed to be on my Best of 2003 list!

Richie Partington

Wow, what a book. This book is hilarious. The author, Chris Crutcher, is writing about his life growing up in the small town of Cascade, Idaho. I'm from Idaho and let me tell you it is one small town. He talks about all of the times his older brother John would play would play tricks on him to get him in trouble. I like this book because it reminds me of all the family dinners we've had where my mom's brothers would tell similar stories like Chris'.
I like how the author shares his emotions with the readers. The way he writes, the language he uses, is verry real to the language that his target audiance speaks. All in All it was an ok book I think I would recomend it to an older audiance though because I think that they can relate to it more.

Chris Crutcher really brings Cascade, Idaho to life in his book King of the Mild Frontier. He explores what it's really like to grow up in a small logging town with a large imagination. Everyone views of his family as "perfect", but Chris takes you behind the scenes of his life and shows you what "perfect"really is.

I learned a lot of valuable advice in this book and had a ton of laughs. I highly recommend this book to teenagers because they can really relate, from growing up or being grown up and looking back. This book captures the funny side of life and the no worry attitude of a teenager, and also manages to capture the serious, complicated side of life that everyone has to deal with somehow.

King of the Mild Frontier is hilarious. Chris Crutcher takes the reader back to Cascade, Idaho in his childhood, filled with humorous mishaps, tears, confusion and mischief. From being a Boy Scout Bawlbaby to losing the fourth of July bike race and giving the commentator a one finger salute... What does Chris have to say for himself? I like cookies.

Whether or not you've read any of his other books (if you have, this will give interesting perspective on his characters and the man behind them), you'll enjoy this. I guarantee it.

I'm giving it to my Mom and Dad to read next, it's not just for young adults.

Chris Crutcher's King of the Mild Frontier is an autoiobiography that is fresh and funny, but also teaches his readers about life experiences and teaches people to make the right decisions. Crutcher's humorous story about his life brings you through his memories and gets you to see what it is like to be in his shoes.

It starts as funny, through the middle it gets hilarious, and goes down a slope from humor to astonishing heart pounding memories. From his strange family to his wakcy image, to his wannabe sports dreams, Crutcher brings you through a story of his life, that is heart filled and makes readers turn page after page. Pages of happiness, laughter, and drama that will inspire you to read more of Chris Crutcher's stories.

This book is one of those that you'll look around to see with whom you can share the hilarious incident you just read because it's just too funny to keep to yourself! And then 3 pages later, you need to share again. Or if you tell a friend one part of the book, you'll find yourself saying, "Oh, and THEN he ..." with another and another! A fun read for any age from middle schoolers to their grandparents!

If you're a fan of Chris Crutcher's novels and have ever wondered where he got the ideas for some of the crazier things that happen in his books (a seat belt on a toilet seat? getting rid of a zit with a Coke bottle?), as well as his characters' quick wit and colorful language, take a look at King of the Mild Frontier. Crutcher's "ill-advised autobiography" describes his life growing up in a small Idaho town as the gullible, hell-bent for destruction middle son who never seems to come out on top of anything he gets involved with. In addition to relating some of the hilarious escapades of his youth, he also includes his reflections on more serious aspects of life, many of which come out in his various novels for teens. He discusses the fairness of life, religion, heroes, death, and making connections with people. This book will be most appreciated by adults, but older teens will also enjoy the humor and insight he brings to difficult situations. Crutcher has written a very readable, entertaining, and enlightening story of his life.

King of The Mild Frontier
by Chris Crutcher
published by Green willow

KING OF THE MILD FRONTIER

If you want to read a funny, hilarious, light book, King of The Mild Frontier is the book for you. King of The Mild Frontier is an autobiography written by Chris Crutcher. This book is about 250 pages long and almost every chapter is a story of his life (except for 2). One of my favorite ( and the funniest) stories took place on a rainy day when Chris was trying to win a bike race, (key word is trying) read to find out. A few chapters ahead is a story when he was around 7 years old and his brother accidentally shot him with a bb gun in the temple! Again read to find out. But one of my favorite stories is when he was in tenth grade and he never did his homework. He went into Language Arts class early, (big mistake) and his teacher asked if he had finished his book review or not, of corse he didn't. He quickly made up a story, time was down to the last minute until it was due. Who could be the author? Chris thought. Who? It finally came to him...His plumber. Read to find out the details. All through the book you will find out what awful (but funny) tricks John played on him. All his life, Chris was a cry baby often referred to as a "bawl baby", and a kid who got made fun of all the time. All through the book you're looking back at Chris's younger years. This is one of my all time favorite books.

The characters in the book are Chris, his brother John, Johns "gangster" friends, his mom and dad, and some of Chris's various friends. As I said before, the book takes place during Chris's younger years (6-12), and some of his high school years. As you read the book you will soon find that Chris gets made fun of all the time for being a crybaby. He's one of those kids that has constant tantrums. For example at the beginning of the book, you will find that one time when he got mad he started hitting his head really hard on the bath tub repetitively. Read to find out. Chris's brother John, a couple years older than Chris, is very smart in a bad way, and sometimes mean kid. He's smart in a bad way because all through the book he tells lies to Chris to cover up what mistakes he made. For example, when he accidentally broke Chris's trophy that said JESUS (received trophy for going to church for a period of a year or so straight) and broke the J, so it turned into ESUS. Read to find out what happened. Their mom and dad are a little strict, but they are not mentioned a lot in the book.
Their dad is ofton referred to as Crutch and he works at a popular gas station.

Overall King of the Mild Frontier is number 2 in my top three books. I would encourage anyone who wants to read a light funny book to red King of the Mild Frontier. The book exceeds excellence because it is a book of many feelings. The book is not all funny, it's also mysterious, sad, and it really gets you thinking. I would give the book 4 out of five stars. I would give it that because it could be a big page turner. Overall, the book was great. One of the main reasons I like it so much is that because when you do something stupid or are worried about doing something stupid, the book says to you, it cant be anywhere as bad as Chris Cruthers mistakes.

By: Sam Bacharach

"Esus Saves," says Chris Crutcher in his absolutely hilarious book King of the Mild Frontier. Crutcher takes on an adventure through Cascade, Idaho and into elementry, high and into college. He shows us that the only way to get through hard times is to laugh. His rage and his obediance shows us that their is grass greener on the other side.

Chris Crutcher was raised in Cascade, Idaho. This autobiography tells us many stories of Chris Crutcher. He had begun his life as a "bawlbaby" telling us that your not the only one that is or has a little brother that cries with or without an absolute problem.

Chris had sit through 52 weeks of church at the Red Brick Church to get what he thought would be some action figure that blew up in you face doll. He got a glow in the dark plaque that read," Jesus Saves" He liked it just as much, his older brother John Crutcher, was messing with the plaque and accidentily broke the "J" of the plaque. It had now read, "Esus Saves" Chris now begun to cry stating that he was going to tell mom. This his said he had a secret to tell him. That Jesus had an older and wiser brother that thought up all the wise stuff. "No way," Chris had said.

"Yeah, his name is Esus," John said. Next Sunday he had told everyone that Jesus had an older wiser brother named Esus.

That was one of the many, many, many incindens he had with his brother and other people he had run amock with. This book is great for everyone who can enjoy laughing. This book got tied for the review of being"just a Young Authour" book. If your anybody, and I know there are some anybodies out there, read this book. It'll make your heart warm and yourself laugh.

"Esus Saves," says Chris Crutcher in his absolutely hilarious book King of the Mild Frontier. Crutcher takes on an adventure through Cascade, Idaho and into elementry, high and into college. He shows us that the only way to get through hard times is to laugh. His rage and his obediance shows us that their is grass greener on the other side.

Chris Crutcher was raised in Cascade, Idaho. This autobiography tells us many stories of Chris Crutcher. He had begun his life as a "bawlbaby" telling us that your not the only one that is or has a little brother that cries with or without an absolute problem.

Chris had sit through 52 weeks of church at the Red Brick Church to get what he thought would be some action figure that blew up in you face doll. He got a glow in the dark plaque that read," Jesus Saves" He liked it just as much, his older brother John Crutcher, was messing with the plaque and accidentily broke the "J" of the plaque. It had now read, "Esus Saves" Chris now begun to cry stating that he was going to tell mom. This his said he had a secret to tell him. That Jesus had an older and wiser brother that thought up all the wise stuff. "No way," Chris had said.

"Yeah, his name is Esus," John said. Next Sunday he had told everyone that Jesus had an older wiser brother named Esus.

That was one of the many, many, many incindens he had with his brother and other people he had run amock with. This book is great for everyone who can enjoy laughing. This book got tied for the review of being"just a Young Authour" book. If your anybody, and I know there are some anybodies out there, read this book. It'll make your heart warm and yourself laugh.