Crash: Novel-Ties Study Guide

Book was a summer reading requirement for my son, who started 6th grade this year. It was a great success! He loves the book. I overheard him speaking with several of his friends and they were all loving it. Highly recommend for the pre-teen age.

John “Crash” Coogan is a seventh-grade football star, and I’ll go out on a limb and call him kind of a bully as well. Crash enjoys the fast-paced, macho world of sports, and he lives every other part of his life with the same intense passion. His head-long behavior continues when he meets a new neighbor, Penn Webb, who’s basically the exact opposite. Penn is a quiet, thoughtful boy whose Quaker family doesn’t condone violence, eat meat, or seek out material things. When Crash strikes up a reluctant friendship with Penn, he’s forced to re-think many of his own behaviors.

I loves the way that this book unfolded over the course of the entire school year, so it gives the reader a chance to get to know Crash while organizes his life priorities. The year holds a lot of surprises for Crash, including changes in his parents’ employment, his little sister’s growing social activism, and new friends at school. The most serious concern is his grandfather Scooter’s sudden illness, which serves to remind Crash that having a healthy family and supportive friends is much more important than having nice clothes, toys, or even being popular. At the end of the book, I really appreciated the way that Mr. Spinelli intentionally left the conclusion kind of open and unresolved, almost as if he realized that Crash wasn’t a perfect person but he still wanted to give him more time to improve. It was a very cool and thought-provoking way to close out a fun book!

This book would hold a lot of appeal with any upper-middle-grade readers, especially young men who consider themselves to be sports fans. The hilarious circumstances and quick pacing make “Crash” a fast read, even though it’s not necessarily a short book. Pass a copy along to the jock in your life and I guarantee, this is one book that they won’t be embarrassed to be seen reading in public!

As a veteran teacher and author of, Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom, building relationships with kids is my stock-in-trade. It is how I survive out here on the fringe of puberty with the coming-of-age crew. I have used this book over and over for close to twenty years as a gateway into a relationship with a kid. Second and third graders loved its humor and pitch-perfect insights. Fourth and fifth graders loved its tone as I took it from read aloud to independent reading book. And to this day, struggling sixth and seventh grade readers find it on my book shelf and sneak it home. For a few, it becomes the book that brings them back to the written word. It is quite simply a perfectly written kid's book. Thank you Mr. Spinelli.

Crash

By: Jerry Spinelli

Crash, the book that I read, was written by Jerry Spinelli in 1996. The main conflict in the story was should Crash, a thirteen year old boy, stay best friends with Mike. Mike and Crash pulled harmless pranks together for years. Now, Mike is pulling some pretty big and bad pranks. Crash doesn't think the pranks are so funny anymore, especially because Crash has real problems to deal with and is growing up. He is dealing with his grandfather being in the hospital with amnesia and his mother making sacrifices to take care of her father. Crash needs to decide if he wants to continue to be friends with Mike or if it is time to find a new best friend.

At the beginning of the book it was a little boring, but at the end of the book it got really exciting and I couldn't stop turning the pages because many exciting situations developed. Such as, the big Pen Relay race, where Crash let someone else win because he felt the other boy needed the win more than Crash did, even though Crash trained very hard. Also, I couldn't wait to find out if Crash would actually stop Mike from pulling a prank on his neighbor, knowing that if he did stop Mike, he would be very angry. It felt like I was in the book. When Spinelli described the house, I thought I was there because of the way Spinelli described the paintings that Crash's mother made that were hanging on the second floor of the small house. The conflict was pretty exciting because I cared about the characters. The characters were very realistic because a lot of things happened to them that happen to me. Such as, last night I went to the 6th grade firehouse dance, which was just like the dance that Crash went to. I loved the ending of the book because Crash got a good new best friend and the girlfriend that he really liked.

The author's voice was definitely compassionate because he described the characters very well and you felt for the characters. His vocabulary was simple and easy to read. This was interesting because it actually made the story very understandable and enjoyable for me to read. One unique characteristic was his very realistic descriptions of people and places. The description of his grandpa as a very tall, skinny, man with wrinkles and glasses drew a clear mental picture for me. The author's ability to write with dialogue was ok, because sometimes he would answer my questions in the net chapter. I thought the author's description was fantastic because he described every little detail possible. The tone was slow paced so you could understand the book very well. The author used very short paragraphs and short chapters. Most chapters were only 2 or 3 pages and the longest was probably only 5 pages.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. If I were to rate this book compared to other books that I have read, I'd put it near the top of my favorites-list. I consider the book a favorite because I really got into the characters and it had a happy ending.

I first read Spinelli's CRASH during the sixth grade for assigned reading at Waldron Mercy Academy, my private grade school. I was pulled in from page one and couldn't help but laugh out loud at the adventures and the misadventures of Crash Coogan, who got his nickname all because of a long ago incident involving a football helmet and his cousin, Bridget, who Crash knocked down into three feet of post-blizzard snow. Crash is not an inherently bad kid - he's got his flaws just like the rest of the human population. In CRASH, Spinelli takes the archetypal bullying jock and narrates through him, making this book anything but ordinary.
Nonetheless, Crash is a bully. Enter Penn Webb, his target. Why pick on poor Penn, you ask? Why not pick on Penn? is more of the question here. Penn Webb is a skinny Quaker boy, mild-mannered and with a heart of gold. He wears used clothes that are painfully outdated, he's joined the cheerleading squad, his aging parents look like grandparents, and he officially lives in the dinkiest house in the entire universe (a former garage). So Penn, very obviously flawed with qualifications to make him an outcast, must now endure teasing from Crash and his best friend, Mike DeLuca.
Spinelli captures how spoiled and materialistic kids can be today, only they most likely don't view themselves that way. I remember it took me a long time to wake up and realize that yes, I was a spoiled child. All Crash cares about are new sneakers, football, and being the best footballer he can be. Pretty shallow, eh? Crash is a self-centered bully who only cares about himself and how he is viewed by others which, by the way, as I am sure you realize, is a natural thing and has been since the beginning of time.
Oddly enough, Penn Webb, geeky, lanky Penn, has things that Crash desires. He has his parents' full and undivided attention. He's won the affections of the class beauty and despite the fact Crash is a star footballer, he cannot win her over the way charming Penn has. So despite having some things Crash wants, expensive sneakers included, he is not happy. When Crash's grandfather, Scooter, whom Crash absolutely adores and has always had a tight-knit relationship with, comes down with a stroke, Crash is heartbroken. But this period of time is more than just an opportunity to grieve - it is an opportunity to wake up. And he does. This awakening proves to him that cruelly teasing poor and defenseless Penn Webb is totally uncalled for and - surprise - no longer fun on his part. Crash's transition from smug, self-absorbed jock to an empathetic and caring person, all the more wiser as a result of growth, is enlightening and makes this book what it is. Crash used to be so close-minded. Now he knows what is significant and what is not. New friendships blossom and old ones fade, as Crash comes to realize some of his friends and their cruel antics are not like the new him.
Spinelli is a wonderful author. I admire his abilities to construct a story so amusing yet so deep with characters, who they are, and how they grow. Plus, Spinelli evidently knows kids today - he is able to capture excellent insight into their mind, especially through this type of narration. CRASH will make you laugh but it will also make you think. Those two elements are what I often times look for in a good book, which is probably why I've loved this one for four years.

Crash

By: Jerry Spinelli

Crash, the book that I read was written by Jerry Spinelli in 1996. The main conflict in the story was should Crash, a thirteen year old boy, stay best friends with Mike. Mike and Crash pulled harmless pranks together for years. Now, Mike is pulling some pretty big and bad pranks. Crash doesn't think the pranks are so funny anymore, especially because Crash has real problems to deal with and is growing up. He is dealing with his grandfather being in the hospital with amnesia and his mother making sacrifices to take care of her father. Crash needs to decide if he wants to continue to be friends with Mike or if it is time to find a new best friend.

At the beginning of the book it was a little boring but at the end of the book it got really exciting and I couldn't stop turning the pages because many exciting situations developed. Such as, the big Pen Relay race, where Crash let someone else win because he felt the other boy needed the win more, even though Crash trained very hard. Also, I couldn't wait to find out if Crash would actually stop Mike from pulling a prank on his neighbor, knowing that if he did stop Mike, he would be very angry. It felt like I was in the book. When Spinelli described the house, I thought I was there because of the way Spinelli described the painting that Crash's mother made that were hanging on the second floor of the small house. The conflict was pretty exciting because I cared about the characters. The characters were very realistic because a lot of things happened to them that happen to me. Such as, last night I went to the 6th grade firehouse dance, which was just like the danced that Crash went to. I loved the ending of the book because Crash got a good new best friend and the girlfriend that he really liked.

The author's voice was definitely compassionate because he described the characters very well and you felt for the characters. His vocabulary was simple and easy to read. This was interesting because it actually made the story very understandable and enjoyable for me to read. One unique characteristic was his very realistic descriptions of people and place. The description of his grandpa as a very tall, skinny, man with wrinkles and glasses drew a clear mental picture for me. The author's ability to write with dialogue was ok, because sometimes he would answer my questions in the net chapter. I thought the author's description was fantastic because he described every little detail possible. The tone was slow paced so you could understand the book very well. The author used very short paragraphs and short chapters. Most chapters were only 2 or 3 pages and the longest was probably only 5 pages.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I were to rate this book compared to other books that I have read, I'd put it near the top of my favorites-list. I consider the book a favorite because I really got into the characters and it had a happy ending.

This book is about a sensational football player named Crash Coogan. Well actually that's his nickname, and is what most people call him, but his real name is John. He got his nickname when he was very little, about three or so, but I don't want to give that part of the story away! So anyway back to the story. About seven years ago a kid named Penn Webb moved next door to Crash, and that is where the whole story begins! Crash thinks that Penn is bad news and ... Mars, but this kid won't give up! They go to the same school and live on the same block, but some how they just can't get along! Crash has known him since the very start of elementary school, when Crash thought of himself as the tuffest guy around. Now he is in 7th grade and so is his best bud Mike. Mike and Crash have been friends almost... Since forever! Penn was just too nice for Crash, and they were so different. So Crash and Mike torment him. Will Crash judge this nice boy or will he realize what he is doing?
Jerry Spinelli has also written Stargirl, Wringer, and Maniac Magee.
This book is very funny and good for readers about nine and up. I think it is good for readers nine and up because it might be hard for someone a bit younger to understand why Crash doesn't like Penn. Or because Crash is in 7th grade and they might not always understand how he feels about his social life. I think that Jerry Spinelli did a great job on this book because it has just the right amount of laughs as thoughts, and makes you think and wonder. One thing I do not like about this book is I don't always like the ends of the chapters. Sometimes it makes you wonder but also some times it just stops ... And then the next chapter begins.
The book has a very good moral and it is " You can NOT judge someone who you don't already know". I think that moral says a lot because it is very true and is a very good thought!

I am a fifth grade student at Waldron Mercy Acadamy.(TMD). The book I read was called Crash by Jerry Spinelli. What a wonderful book! Even when I had just started reading it I knew that Crash was going to be one great book. The name of the main character in story is "Crash" Cogan. Crash isn't his real name, thats just the name he got from something that happened when he was little. How he got his name shall be revealed in the story. He lives with his mom, his dad, and a little sister named Abby. In the book someone else moves in. He is in seventh grade. Crash is probably the most popular kid in his grade, and maybe even in his school, and the best football player in the grade, maybe even in his school. In the beginning of the book, he starts in the first grade just to show you how he met a kid named Penn Webb who was new around the neighborhood. He hated Webb. When he was little, this was how he described Webb: A dweeby, vegetable eating neighbor. It turns out that Webb goes to the same school as Crash. Unlike Crash, Webb thinks that the two of them are good friends. There not. Later, while Crash is trying out for football, he sees Webb trying out for someone else. Not for long though. During the summer before seventh grade, another kid moves in. Mike Deluca. Oh boy. Heres when the fun begins. There is one thing they both have in common. They absolutely love to torture Webb. Although, one day, Mike takes a prank to far. Way to far. After that, Crash has to make a desision that will not be good for him either way. I recomend this book for any fourth to eighth grader. This is definitly the best book I have EVER read.

Brandon Cesaroni 2-27-07
Crash, Jerry Spinelli

Click, click boom

With just 20 yards left John Coogan has just one guy left in front of him and he has to score a touchdown. This book is called Crash and it is non-fiction. John Coogan is the main character and is the best football player ever. He lives in a neighborhood and goes to a local middle school. This book took place back in the 80's. John is one of the fastest and strongest kids in [...]. He is also out for track with a competitor.

I liked the book because it kept interested all the time. It was very exciting. The age range is about [...] to about [...]. This book was a page-turner because you didn't know what was going to happen next. It kept me interested throughout the whole book. There was one surprise that really caught me off guard. John is one of those people that have to win everything. So in track season there is this one guy named Penn and he is also fast. The school is going to Penn Relays and there is one spot left to get in. So all the 7th graders race to get the spot. John and Penn get off to a fast start and John is ahead. John slows down at the end and lets Penn win. Someone who would enjoy this book would be somebody who likes football and track. It has a little of both in the book and are both very exciting.

Crash Coogan is a really good 7th grade football player. He was always good at football since he was old enough to play. This book is called CRASH by Jerry Spinelli. Crash's real name is John. John Coogan. Every one calls him Crash because he is really big and when ever he gets the ball he Plows people over. This book is about a kid named Crash and he gets a new neighbor named Penn Webb. Penn webb is from North dakota. Penn invites Crash over for dinner one night and Crash realized that Penns family was poor. They had their first day of school and Crash Met his best friend names Mike Deluca. Mike is also really good at football. Penn Webb went out for cheerleading. Crash had Six touchdowns and set a school record. Mike and Crash one day set a prank on Penn Webb and they put mustard on his shoes. They did that because they thought that he was a girl and weird because he went out for cheerleading. Penn thought that mike and Crash didn't like him much anymore. Crash had to choose which side he was on. Penns or Mikes . Crash realized that Penn was nicer and Penn Webb became Crashes Best friend.

This story took place in Pennsylvania. I thought that this book was Okay. I would give it three out of five stars. I would recommend this book to someone who really liked football like I do . I thought that it was Okay because sometimes they really didn't talk about football in it the Story was usually taking place in the school.

Crash is a powerful look at a relationship between a teenager and grandparent. In the book Crash's grandfather has a stroke. This saddens crash. The makes him rethink his relationship with his nerdy neighbor also his relationship with his best friend.
The book Cash is a fast and easy read. The plot is about the life of two thirteen year old boys. It's really funny because you see life through young teenagers. You see the tricks they do to each other, the fights and the crushes. Jerry Spenelli the author knows how to keep you hanging on. He explores friendship, fitting in and family love.
I like this book because it was interesting to read about kids my age. It was funny because of the language the author used. It caught my attention with the action in it. I recommended this book.
I think people who like relationship stories and sports stories should read this book. The author makes the book easy to read because something sad or funny is always happening. You shouldn't read this book this book if you like a lot of detail when the author explains something.
When Crashes grandfather has a stroke Crash was felling really down. His grandfather had to stay in the hospital during Christmas crash thought Christmas without grandfather was like pizza without pepperoni. It was during these hard times that crash realized who his true friends were. It was his nerdy friend who came with gifts and comforted him.

In this book the main charatcer is John Patrick Coogan. His nickname is Crash. Crash is a good football player, outspoken, cocky, popular, and he thinks he is so cool. In first grade, Penn Webb moves to town from North Dakota. According to Crash, Penn's personality is dorky because he is a Quaker, a cheerleader and is nice to everyone. The very first day that Penn moves in Crash immediately starts to pick on him. In sixth grade Mike Deluca moves in across the street from Crash. In a few weeks Mike joins Crash and starts to torment Webb. In seventh grade, Mike and Crash do the meanest thing to Penn. They put mustard in his shoes. To Crash, seventh grade is the biggest year because Crash's grandfather moves in to live with Crash and his family. Crash is psyched because he spends quality time with Scooter. Then something drastic happens and Scooter ends up in the hospital. This is the turning point of the story and we see Crash reflect on many points in his life and he begins to change. You will never believe who becomes best friends? Surprise, Surprise!
I liked the way the author wrote the story. The author, Jerry Spinelli, put a lot of time and hard work in it. Crash was funny and had a lot exaggeration. The part that you will probably like is when Scooter moves in. This book is extraordinary and you will not be able to put it down!

I thought that the novel Crash was an amazing book. I really liked the parts of the book when Crash was playing football. I thought that it had had a great plot and interesting themes. Crash takes place in Pennsylvania, mostly at Crash's house and school. It probably takes place near Norristown, PA because the author grew up there and has written other books about that area.

The characters include Crash who is a star football player. Also there is Penn who is vegetarian and Quaker, who is picked on by many. There is finally Mike, who is on Crash's football team, best friend and partner in crime against Penn.

The book starts when Penn Webb moves into Crash's neighborhood from North Dakota and Crash finds that Penn is easy to pick on because he falls for every thing. Then, years later Penn tries out for the cheerleaders and makes it. Next, Crash's grandfather, Scooter, comes to live with him. After that Crash's sister, Abby, starts' doing what Penn dose, like becoming a vegetarian, protesting, against the mall, and other things. Then Crash breaks the school TD record by 3. Next, Crash gets mad at Mike and stops bothering Penn. In the end Crash starts being nice and becomes friends with Penn.

Andrew G.

Reviewer: an 11 year old reader
May 2,2002
Crash, by Jerry Spinelli is a good book. The publisher is by Scholastic Inc, copyright date is 1996.
Crash, in my opinion, is one of the best books by Jerry Spinelli. This book is one of the coolest and funniest book I have ever read. On a scale of one to ten, I would give it a nine and a half. You know that old saying, don't judge a book by the cover. Well, don't judge this book before you read it. I didn't want to read this book because it had a baby with a mustach on the cover, and it didn't look good to me. I ended up having to read it for school, and I'm glad I read it. Now about the book: Everyone knows the seventh grade football player Crash Coogan. (Crash is his nickname that everyone calls him.) He has been mowing down every one in his path since he could first walk. Penn Webb is his nerdy neighbor but his favorite target. Penn is the only person who calls him his real name. John. Penn is not only a nerdy neighbor, but a cheerleader too. After his buddy Mike goes too far on a prank, Crash has to decide whose side he is on. This book will have you devouring humor. Jerry Spinelli writes this book so it is easy for kids to read. I highly recommend this book to kids who like football and a good laugh.

Crash

Jerry Spinelli

In the story Crash, by Jerry Spinelli, John Coogan got his very first football helmet seconds after he plowed his cousin right over. Ever since the incident, he got the nickname Crash from his Grandpa Scooter. When Crash was younger his Grandpa Scooter would visit. He and his sister, Abbey, loved it. Soon Scooter decided to move in with the family. The worst thing happened Scooter had a stroke! Soon he is fine!

The story is based in Pennsylvania so the Penn Relays are very important. The Penn Relays are big races and you have to be really good at running to be in them. So when the nerdy, vegetarian Penn Webb moves in down the street from Crash, the Penn Relays mean everything to him because he was named after them.

If you liked the award-winning book Maniac Magee and others such as There's A Girl In My Hammerlock, and Who Put The Hair In My Toothbrush?, you will just love Crash. This book would be great for people who love humorous and sport related books. Intended audience age is grades 6-8. I loved this book. Jerry Spinelli is a great author, and I love the way he explains everything so you don't get confused.

By: Maggie D.

I liked the book Crash by Jerry Spinelli mainly because it was a comedic story. I enjoyed reading of Crash Coogan's antics as a young child and a teenager. Another reason i really enjoyed this book was because it talked alot about sports, mainly football. I liked the character Crash because he is a real joker who likes to play pranks. Although some of his actions present him as a noisy, disrespectful punk, he's still likeable.
I tought that the worst parts of this novel occurred when Crash and his friend Mike picked on or put down a boy named Penn Webb. They constantly do this throughout the story, but i do like how Crash finally starts to accept Penn and becomes a to him. I liked how the book portrayed a modern family lifestyle in Crash's family.
I always remember this book by the very beginning. In the first few paragraphs Crash tells the story of recieving his first football helmet one Christmas morning. He places the helmet on his head and breaks down in a "four point" position. He then runs acrossed his living room and tackles his cousin, sending her out the door and into the snow! That stands out in my mind as a funny point at the very start of the book which kept me reading it. I found Crash to be an overall good book.

This book is about a dude, named Crash, telling his life story, and how he meets a strange boy named Penn Web. Crash told us about his sister and his favorite grandpa, Scooter. His sister became Web's friend and wanted to be a vegetarian just like him. Web was a very strange boy who wore dorky clothes and didn't play with water guns or other war toys. And Crash did not like him. In fact Crash wanted to beat him up. He didn't know why; he just did.

My favorite part of the book was the school dance. It was so funny because Crash thinks he is so cool, and he thinks everyone likes him. He makes a fool of himself in the end, which is really funny. He tries to get the girl he likes to dance with him, and it did not go very well.

Crash's big problem was when something happens to Scooter and they don't think he will live. During this crisis Crash's parents realize that working and having nice things isn't as important as their children. Crash also has a change of heart and learns to accept Web for who he is.