Crunch Time

Crunch Time by Mariah Fredericks Realistic Fiction Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006, 317 pp., $15.95 ISBN: 0-689-86938-X

Following four high school juniors through the endless struggle of growing up, Crunch Time by Mariah Fredericks is a novel many students will relate to. Delving deep into the issues of friendship, relationships, failure, parents, and fear, this novel depicts the world of high-stakes testing and pressure to succeed in a refreshing, entertaining way. Crunch Time stands as a snippet of high school life, including the dramas and scandals typical in most schools today.

Fredericks creates this high-stress world by giving first-person accounts of the four very different main characters who met by skipping a SAT prep course together. The characters tell their side of the story in their own unique voices, so readers know what's going on far before the characters do. This out-of-the-ordinary perspective allows for more suspense, insight, and connection as readers sympathize and relate to each specific character's personality and situation.

Jennifer Hanni

Manhattan, KS

Copyright Assembly on Literature for Adolescents -- National Council of Teachers of English Fall 2006
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