Stotan!

by Chris Crutcher

This is not the first time I've read Stotan! I'm using it for the first time this year in my classroom, so I reread it so I can write a test, create projects, blah, blah, blah. When I decided to use Stotan! with some of my juniors, I was just thinking that it's a good boy book, Chris Crutcher is an awesome writer, I've always wanted to use a Chris Crutcher book with my kids, and this seemed like a good enough time. (I got to meet Crutcher once at the FHSU Fall English Workshop, and he's not only an incredible writer, he's also a really cool guy.) After rereading Stotan!, I'm glad I picked it. It contains more social commentary than I remembered it did, which is really good for the projects the kids will do. Here's what I like about it:

• It's a sports book that's not dumb. It makes me wish I were athletic. It makes me wish I were disciplined.
• The characters are interesting. If they were real, I probably wouldn't want to hang with all of them, but this book lets me see where they're coming from. I like that in a book.
• There's closure at the ending but still room for the characters to grow.
• It's a good read. Chris Crutcher books are always hard to put down.

The book was published in 1986, and there are few things that I think probably were perfectly normal back then, but seem funny now. First, the narrator (a high school junior) drives a school vehicle when his coach gets tired, and it's no big deal. Second, a student teacher takes a junior to a school dance, and the administration is torn about whether or not it's inappropriate. Eventually they tell him to cool it, but it takes a while. These aren't criticisms, just comments on how quickly things can change.

Anyway, I liked Stotan! the first time I read it, and I still like it today. I hope my kiddos like it, too.