The Crazy Horse Electric Game

Reader reviewed by Jon

The Crazy Horse Electric Game written by Chris Crutcher is a wonderful inspiring book for young readers. The novel is very well written about Willie Weavers teenage life. It shows and describes his life very difficult and different after the water skiing incident. The author has Willie facing problems that many teens face nowadays. The author describes how tough downtown is because Willie runs into some gang by accident and they asked for all his money.
The begging of this novel didnt really get my attention until near the climax of this book where Willies life started to become a downfall. I found the book really interesting after Willie decides to run away because he faces lots of interesting scene. The feelings in this novel is really strong because it shows how Willy feels for some people and his parents tells him how they felt when he ran away. The ending for this novel wasnt a happy ending because his parents divorced and Willie went back to Oakland.

Reader reviewed by Bookworm9

This is the story of Will Weaver, a high school baseball star whose crowning achievement is pitching in the championship game against the Crazy Horse Electric team. Will seemingly has it all-- a great girlfriend, plenty of friends, good looks, athletic ability. The only thing that's a little shakey is his home life, where his family is silently dealing with the death of his infant sister from SIDS.

Then a waterskiing accident leaves Will severely disabled and his entire world falls apart. Will can't deal with his "new" body or the way his former friends are now treating him, his girlfriend can't deal with all his boiling anger, his father is pushing him too hard, and his parents are constantly arguing.

So Will leaves. Instead of the typical teen runaway story, this is about a disabled teens quest to rediscover himself. Will's eventual immersion in a school for "last chance" kids opens him up to a whole new way for looking at others and, ultimately, himself. Although he eventually returns home, it's not for a happy reunion, but instead to consider where his life needs to go from here.

This is a unique coming of age story without the predictable happy, tie-up-all-the-lose-ends ending. In fact, those looking for a cheery read should not pick up this book. However, it is a story of affirmation and has many positive messages, as well as a compelling storyline. As usual with Crutcher books, some of the plot goes over-the-top, and this is not one of his best books (a la "Stotan!" or "Whale Talk") but it's really good.