Status and belonging
The varsity jacket is presented as exclusive and revered, while T. J. wants an unlikely team to earn one.
Book details
Chris Crutcher - Author
A determined teenager builds an unconventional team around a shared goal, challenging the status attached to school sports. Expect group conflict, struggles over dignity and a story that treats the journey as potentially more important than recognition.
A varsity letter jacket: it's exclusive, nearly unattainable, revered . . . and everything that's screwed up about Cutter High, as far as T. J. Jones is concerned. That's why T. J. is determined to have the Cutter All Night Mermen-the unlikeliest swim team a high school has ever seen-earn letter jackets of their own.It won't be easy. For one thing, they don't even have a pool. They will fight for their dignity, they will fight with each other, and sometimes they will just fight. And then they will realize that a single moment can bring lifelong heartache or lifelong friendship. For T. J. and his crew of misfits, the quest may be far more valuable than the reward.
Book Brief
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Sign in for personalised guidanceA determined teenager builds an unconventional team around a shared goal, challenging the status attached to school sports. Expect group conflict, struggles over dignity and a story that treats the journey as potentially more important than recognition.
The varsity jacket is presented as exclusive and revered, while T. J. wants an unlikely team to earn one.
The team pursues letter jackets despite lacking a pool, and the quest may prove more valuable than the reward.
Some readers may want to know that the team sometimes fights, and that the story refers to possible lifelong heartache as well as friendship.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: the current material supports only a cautious reading; another book-specific source is still needed.
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