Crusader (Hardcover)

by Edward Bloor (Author) "I don't usually look in mirrors because I don't need to..." (more)
Key Phrases: dubbing board, family arcade, mall newsletter, Ray Lyons, West End Mall, Stephen Cross (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
A steamy, swampy Florida setting and the threat of a repressed memory are two of the elements in Edward Bloor's first young adult novel, Tangerine, that made it an instant suburban gothic classic. His follow-up, Crusader, delves even deeper into the dark side of suburbia, exposing racism, virtual violence, and even murder behind the sunny facade of a Florida strip mall.

Fifteen-year-old Roberta works hard every afternoon and weekend in the family business, a virtual reality arcade in the West End Mall. She keeps her mind off the fact that the arcade is slowly going under and that her father ignores her existence, but she cannot ignore the fact of her mother's brutal murder seven years ago. Roberta's quest to find her mother's killer weaves together several skillfully constructed subplots, including a shady political scheme to ruin the mall, real and imagined hate crimes against an Arab store owner, and how the Crusader itself, a virtual reality game, serves as the catalyst that ignites and unites these seemingly unrelated factors in Roberta's life. Bloor's brooding, densely plotted page turner is an incredibly original novel that will engage teens on several levels. Though it is almost 400 pages long, the nonstop action and many startling revelations will keep teens transfixed until the very last sentence. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly
Although the jacket and flap copy play to readers interested in virtual reality, cyber-adventure is only a very small component of this ambitious second novel from the author of the acclaimed Tangerine. Fifteen-year-old Roberta spends her time at a mall, working for her alcoholic Uncle Frank in a virtual reality arcade that features "experiences" for xenophobic violence-mongers: in the war game Crusader, for example, players kill Arab "Infidels." Everything around Roberta is skewed, from the misfits who work at the arcade for no pay (just getting to play the games is enough) to the mall, where the businesses are struggling and the management is corrupt. Home is even stranger. Her mother is dead and her father neglects her, spending all his time with the horrible Suzie, the mall manager. Roberta herself is an oddball, often mistaken for a boy and slow to emerge as a strong characterAreaders will have to be patient to see her personality take shape. The story is long and packed with subplots, veering from local politics (hate crimes and environmentalism) to teenage suicide, the inner workings of a TV studio and Roberta's quest to uncover the truth about her mother's death. A scheme to expose a dishonest politician is baroque and anticlimactic. Nonetheless, the characters are sharply drawn (racist Hawg is not an entirely bad guy; shallow teen beauty Nina helps out in a pinch), and Roberta is full of surprises. While flawed, this novel is deeper, denser and more complex than most YA fare, and serious readers will appreciate it. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (October 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152019448
• ISBN-13: 978-0152019440
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #905,861 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW, March 14, 2004

By	Jerry D. Smith (Marietta, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Crusader (Paperback)

Okay, first of all, don't be turned off by the name. When I first saw the book, i was like Crusader? I hate fantasy books, but this one was by the author of tangerine, and i needed a good read. I READ THIS BOOK IN JUST ONE DAY! If you have seen it or read it you know that this comes close to the harry potter books in length! I just couldnt put it down! I thought that Roberta was a really intriguing character. This long book kept me hooked by MORE and MORE surprises i couldnt get over. Read this book! And take your time with it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "In a world without heros, you make your own.", December 1, 2002

By	Trindajae - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crusader (Paperback)

That sentence is on the cover of the book. I cannot think of any better way to describe the plot of this absorbing story. The main character is a 15-yearl-old girl named Roberta. Roberta is frequently mistaken for a boy because she hasn't quite gotten out of puberty yet, her father is an ego-centric looser whose idea of parenting consists entirely of leaving a bag of rental videos by the door and frozen dinners in the freezer, and her only "friends" are the people who work in her family's arcade in a run-down mall on the not-so-nice side of town. The only person who seems to take an active interest in Roberta's life is Mrs. Weiss, the elderly owner of the greeting card shop across from the arcade. Mrs. Weiss is the only person who cares enough to ask if Roberta had breakfast or if she has seen her father for more than five minutes in the past couple of days. Mrs. Weiss also does her best to teach Roberta the one lesson she feels will help her the most as she tries to play the hand she has been dealt: No matter how bad life gets, you have got to survive. Never just lay down and die.

Some parts of this book are very dark and very few are extremely light-hearted, yet the overall message is an encouraging one. It's not the Disney kind of encouraging, where if you only believe long enough then all of your dreams will come true. It's the Real Life kind of encouraging. If you keep trying to succeed, life will be better than if you give up. Roberta doesn't get to live Happily Ever After, but she has hope that she will live Happily Enough.

This is possibly one of the most well-written books for young adults that I have found in a very long time. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys the more introspective styles of storytelling.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best book of all time., March 29, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Crusader (Paperback)

I'm serious. I am an avid reader, and I think this book sits right up in the ranks of Gone With the Wind and The Outsiders. Set in a steamy and perilous urban area of Florida, Crusader starts very slow (like Tangerine) and then roars to a final, shocking, and horribly ironic climax. I nearly cried when it was over, because I wanted to keep reading it all the time. The characters are sharply drawn, and you are forced to form your own opinions about them, they are not simply given to you.

Perhaps the most beautifully crafted character is Roberta Ritter, the main protagonist in the story. When you first begin, Roberta is very indifferent to the complex world around her. However, as the story moves on, you begin to see that nothing is as it appears, another characteristic of Tangerine.
The final, terrifying, shocking ending will take your breath away as Roberta confronts the demon in her life. Also: Don't be surprised if someone whom you've never suspected turns out to be a killer. You have to read this book.