Overview

Nominated for the Carnegie Medal Short-listed for the Stockport Schools' Book Awards Short-listed for the North East Book Awards Nat is the lead singer in a band. He and his best mate Carl (on bass) hang out, until Kate sees them performing one night. Soon she and Nat are going out together. They get on, fall out, make up, and feel their love growing deeper, leading them on. But in one moment everything changes, and all the hopes and promises of the future are shattered. Deeply absorbing, this powerful story is told in different voices and entirely in poems. Lyrical, funny, heart-wrenching and gripping, the variety of poetic forms magically captures the panoply of emotions associated with falling in love for the first time and suffering a bereavement. The authors are a highly experienced and successful poetry- and drama-writing team with a strong reputation for knowing what works for teen readers.

Full Product Details

9780340884683

Table of Contents

Reviews

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 A powerful drama about the best and worst moments in life. -- Unknown 20060801

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 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 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 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 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

Author Information

Andrew Fusek Peter is an Anglo-Czech poet, storyteller, didgeridoo player, broadcaster, anthologist, author and creative writing tutor with an international reputation. He has worked in thousands of schools, libraries, arts centres and literary festivals, giving lively performances and running workshops for all ages and abilities. With his wife Polly Peters he has written several poetry collections, and is the author of the Ed graphic novels illustrated by Stephen Player. Polly Peters is a former drama and English teacher with wide experience as a writer and director of numerous community theatre projects. An accomplished poet, she and her husband Andrew Fusek Peters are also the authors of the powerful set of teen dramas, PLAYS WITH ATTITUDE. The pair have two young children and live in a converted chapel in rural Shropshire.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available