Running Loose [Turtleback]

Chris Crutcher (Author)

Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (July 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606003878
• ISBN-13: 978-0606003872
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,499,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chris Crutcher grew up in Cascade, Idaho, and now lives in Spokane, Washington. He is the critically acclaimed author of six novels and a collection of short stories for teenagers, all chosen as ALA Best Books. In 2000, he was awarded the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award, honoring his lifetime contribution in writing for teens. Drawing on his experience as an athlete, teacher, family therapist, and child protection specialist, he unflinchingly writes about real and often-ignored issues that face teenagers today.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Running Loose, June 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Running Loose (Paperback)

The book Running Loose by Chris Crutcher is the story of Louie Banks' senior year in high school. I think that this book was very well-written. The story dealt with many of today's issues, such as racism and standing up for what you believe in.
Louie Banks lives in a small town where everyone knows each other. The story begins with Louie being on the football team, having great parents, and a perfect girlfriend. However, his near perfect live begin to unravel when he stands up for an African-American football player from another school who was purposely injured by one of Louie's teammates. Louie is thrown off the team by his coach and the school principal. This sets off a year-long feud between Louie, the coach, and principal.
The year progresses, with everything going not so good for Louie. The school principal is constantly trying to get Louie suspended, because he still holds a grudge from the football season. The saddest part of the book is when Louie's girlfriend, Becky dies unexpectedly. Louie does some surprising acts after Becky is killed, such as chopping down the oldest tree in the town's forest, yelling at her funeral, and throwing her memorial plaque into the river where she was killed. He did most of these acts out of anger because of her death or because of the way people were acting. He yelled at her funeral about the minister who said the mass, because he was saying things that were not important about Becky's life. In the spring, Louie joins the track team and does well most of the time. Being on the track team helps him relieve some of his anger and sadness that he had from the loss of Becky.
I think that the main thing that Louie learns from his last year of high school is that being the best at football or having the whole town love you because you "put on a show" are not the most important things in life. In the end, being kind to the people that you love and standing up for what is right and what you believe in is what makes you a good person. I think that Running Loose is a book that all high school students should read, because it gives a message that we all should learn.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars James, February 11, 2002

By 

James Aulner (Auburn, AL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Running Loose (Paperback)

Louie seems to have the world at his finger tips when his life suddenly changes. His fall from the varsity football team is as sudden as the death of his girlfriend. Dealing with life's difficulties with honor even when others over him don't is a major lesson of this book. Strong supporting characters help Louie deal with the "bad" situations life brings for no apparent reason. His parents are seen as strong characters. I recommend this book for students in grades 9-12. It teaches some strong lessons about standing up for what is right without being preachy.....

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book by Chris Crutcher, December 16, 2005

By 

Mid-Prairie Teen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Running Loose (Hardcover)

This book Running Loose by Chris Crutcher was a very good book. It took a short while to get into it but once you did it was hard to put down. In the book, a kid named Louie Banks has everything going his way so far in his life. Chris does a great job of bringing Louie to life in this book. Louie is a senior attending Trout High School in Trout, Idaho. He has a beautiful girlfriend that no one expected him to have; even himself, and a great spot on the eight-man football team. During one of the games, Louie explodes because one of his teammates, Boomer Cowans, purposely hits a kid and puts him out of the game. He has to put up with Boomer, the big bully of the school, constantly after that. Louie gets into a big fight with the coach and gets kicked off of the team. Carter Sampson, the quarterback of the team and Louie's best friend, helps him through his problems. Things start to go downhill from there. Louie has other big problems to face but you will have to find out for yourself what they are. I really liked the fact that this was a very realistic book and could happen to anybody in high school. Louie goes through problems that anybody could face in the real world today. I really enjoyed this book.