Crash [Paperback]

A remarkably accessible verse novel ,,, The pages throng with a variety of verse forms, voices and emotions. The tone changes from tender and funny to morally thoughtful and very sad, yet there is also hope and recovery. -- The Bookseller 20040618 The Peters have produced a moving collection of poems dealing with the issue of road accidents... The form and the changing perspectives pull you rapidly into this 'novel'. CRASH is a good, deceptively quick and easy read, that winds you emotionally into the lives of these three teenagers and the drama that is unfolding. -- Books for Keeps 20041101 The voices ... are very recognisably those of a certain kind of raw-edged teenage experience ... There is no denying [the verses'] strong emotional force; from a set of fairly conventional circumstances the authors succeed in creating a story which many teenagers should find genuinely relevant. -- The Irish Times 20041218 A totally innovative new form of teen novel ... This heart-wrenching tale of road abuse is brought vividly alive through the poems. It is a rich thought provoking read. -- Northern Echo 20050501 The authors have imagined a story ... with force, tenderness, eloquence and economy ... The story not only captures tragedy, but also the agony of not knowing how to be, the helpless and ecstatic obsession of new love, and healing power of friendship. It is original to its core in both telling and the tale - it should be read and discussed in classrooms and student common rooms up and down the land. -- The Times Educational Supplement 20041126 What makes this book distinctive is that the whole story of first love and loss is told in verse with a variety of narrative voices and poetic styles. The pace is fast, the emotions raw and the narrative voices ring true ... The pace and tone of the novel serve to grab the attention of the reader. The use of text messages, song lyrics and dialogue make the poems accessible to the intended audience of older teenagers. -- School Librarian 20041101 A novel in verse is novel, and in this instance it is successful. ... 'The Heart's Haiku' ... is a triumph of brevity and compressed feeling that pierces the reader's armoury. ... This book is bound to be a success with young teens who might normally resist the charms of poetry. -- Inis 20041101 A dramatic narrative in verse novel form ... with brilliantly varied perspectives. -- The School Librarian 20050501 Powerful and arresting medium of blank verse. Immediate and involving ... sympathetically and realistically drawn teenagers... the chilling climax is as visual on the page as it is emotional ... gritty and emotionally-impacting stuff and rightly so. The sparse telling and varied poetic forms superbly emphasise the bleakness of the issue, leaving more than enough room for the imagination of the reader to fill in the feelings of the strongly sketched characters. -- Riveting Reads 12-16 20050501 Creates a brilliant sense of atmosphere especially towards the end ... Covers great issues too, like death and realtionships. It is a powerful drama about the best and worst moments in life. - Elizabeth Vjestica Absolutely fantastic. A whirlwind of poetry, love and death. An extremely deep and strong book. A short and sweet book. I hope there are many more like CRASH in the future. This book will definitely be one of my favourites. - Amelia James It was powerful, sad and sometimes funny. The story worked well through poetic voices. It was interesting to read and hard to put down. - Charlotte Dewdney -- Unknown 20060801