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The Sledding Hill
Eddie hasn't had an easy year
First his father dies. Then his best friend Billy accidentally kicks a stack of Sheetrock over on himself, breaking his neck and effectively hitting tilt on his Earthgame. Eddie and Billy were inseparable. Still are. Billy isn't going to let a little thing like death stop him from hanging in there with his friend. And when Eddie faces an epic struggle with the powers that be, Billy will remain right there beside him.
First his father dies. Then his best friend Billy accidentally kicks a stack of Sheetrock over on himself, breaking his neck and effectively hitting tilt on his Earthgame. Eddie and Billy were inseparable. Still are. Billy isn't going to let a little thing like death stop him from hanging in there with his friend. And when Eddie faces an epic struggle with the powers that be, Billy will remain right there beside him.
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 10, 2005
40 people are currently reading
1009 people want to read
About the author
Chris Crutcher
35 books808 followersChris Crutcher's writing is controversial, and has been frequently challenged and even banned by individuals who want to censor his books by removing them from libraries and classrooms. Running Loose and Athletic Shorts were on the ALA's top 100 list of most frequently challenged books for 1990-2000. His books generally feature teens coping with serious problems, including abusive parents, racial and religious prejudice, mental and physical disability, and poverty; these themes are viewed as too mature for children. Other cited reasons for censorship include strong language and depictions of homosexuality. Despite this controversy, Crutcher's writing has received many awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
January 25, 2009
Meet Billy B, recently deceased, due to an unfortunate incident with a stack of sheetrock, who has stayed about to try to help console his best friend, Eddie Proffit, who was unfortunate enough to find Billy, within months of also finding his own father dead due to a similarly freakish accident. And get ready to laugh.
As grim as the underpinnings of this story may be, you'll likely be cracking up by the end of the excerpt on the cover. I was. Nine pages into it I was saying "It's hysterical." Which is probably not what you would expect from a book being told by a dead kid, but...so it is. And nothing about it is typical, or "expected."
Through Billy and Eddie, Crutcher tells a tale that takes on censorship, control, school issues, religious issues, certain familial issues....and he does it all using himself as an example, creating issue over a fictitious book he supposedly wrote. This only adds to the humor, which still abounds, for all that this is one of the more thought-provoking books I've read in awhile. That being said, while there's plenty I could say about it, I'd rather not alienate or upset any readers of this page, and so will keep most of my opinions to myself on all the touchy subjects. I will say though, that I loved this book, and plan to pass it on, and to read it again.
I also fully expect to see it challenged, and as long as that includes some debate, I'm all for it. But I also give kudos to Crutcher for continuing to confront the world and trying to change the way we look at things, as the world itself lends itself towards continuous fluidity.
As grim as the underpinnings of this story may be, you'll likely be cracking up by the end of the excerpt on the cover. I was. Nine pages into it I was saying "It's hysterical." Which is probably not what you would expect from a book being told by a dead kid, but...so it is. And nothing about it is typical, or "expected."
Through Billy and Eddie, Crutcher tells a tale that takes on censorship, control, school issues, religious issues, certain familial issues....and he does it all using himself as an example, creating issue over a fictitious book he supposedly wrote. This only adds to the humor, which still abounds, for all that this is one of the more thought-provoking books I've read in awhile. That being said, while there's plenty I could say about it, I'd rather not alienate or upset any readers of this page, and so will keep most of my opinions to myself on all the touchy subjects. I will say though, that I loved this book, and plan to pass it on, and to read it again.
I also fully expect to see it challenged, and as long as that includes some debate, I'm all for it. But I also give kudos to Crutcher for continuing to confront the world and trying to change the way we look at things, as the world itself lends itself towards continuous fluidity.
November 8, 2012
Reviewed by Long Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
Washington State native and young adult literature veteran Chris Crutcher is no stranger to censorship. Many of his critically acclaimed novels have been persecuted for their content and use of "inappropriate language," as well as the thematically taboo nature of the stories themselves. THE SLEDDING HILL, Crutcher's latest novel, deals with the issue of censorship, and the struggle students, as well as pro-literature advocates, must undergo to ensure the right to read contemporary works.
Narrated by the "spirit" of the recently deceased Billy Bartholomew, Billy tells the tale of his best friend Eddie Proffit, who in the course of three months was the first to discover the dead bodies of both his father as well as Billy. Dealing with the trauma of what happened, Eddie decides to stop speaking altogether, sheltering himself from communication with the people around him. With both his father and Billy gone, Eddie is soon pressured by a local church figure to take the plunge into 'salvation' and join the church. But alas! Billy isn't going to let something as trivial as death come between him and his best friend. With the help of Billy (or rather, his spirit?), Eddie is able to cope and come to terms with, in his eyes, what the right thing to do is.
In each of Crutcher's novels, it is nearly guaranteed that at least some kind of issue is directly put into discussion and, indeed, THE SLEDDING HILL is a story of the censorship of books read by students in schools. Cleverly written, Crutcher manages to poke fun with his writing by instilling himself as the author of the controversial pseudo-novel Warren Peece (pun very much intended). Full to the absolute brim with important questions and thought-provoking answers, what else would one expect from a Chris Crutcher novel?
I personally find any and all of Chris Crutcher's novels incredibly well-written, and very entertaining for the likes of a teenage attention span. The issues tackled are strongly influenced and make good discussion topics as well as a progressive voice for young ears to hear. Anyone who found the heated debates between the uber-conservative Christians and the liberal-minded protagonists from STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES (an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, and highly recommended by yours truly) is sure to appreciate Crutcher's whole-hearted commitment towards all human being's rights to certain freedoms, including the right to read contemporary literature containing modern ideas, no matter how verboten they may sound.
Washington State native and young adult literature veteran Chris Crutcher is no stranger to censorship. Many of his critically acclaimed novels have been persecuted for their content and use of "inappropriate language," as well as the thematically taboo nature of the stories themselves. THE SLEDDING HILL, Crutcher's latest novel, deals with the issue of censorship, and the struggle students, as well as pro-literature advocates, must undergo to ensure the right to read contemporary works.
Narrated by the "spirit" of the recently deceased Billy Bartholomew, Billy tells the tale of his best friend Eddie Proffit, who in the course of three months was the first to discover the dead bodies of both his father as well as Billy. Dealing with the trauma of what happened, Eddie decides to stop speaking altogether, sheltering himself from communication with the people around him. With both his father and Billy gone, Eddie is soon pressured by a local church figure to take the plunge into 'salvation' and join the church. But alas! Billy isn't going to let something as trivial as death come between him and his best friend. With the help of Billy (or rather, his spirit?), Eddie is able to cope and come to terms with, in his eyes, what the right thing to do is.
In each of Crutcher's novels, it is nearly guaranteed that at least some kind of issue is directly put into discussion and, indeed, THE SLEDDING HILL is a story of the censorship of books read by students in schools. Cleverly written, Crutcher manages to poke fun with his writing by instilling himself as the author of the controversial pseudo-novel Warren Peece (pun very much intended). Full to the absolute brim with important questions and thought-provoking answers, what else would one expect from a Chris Crutcher novel?
I personally find any and all of Chris Crutcher's novels incredibly well-written, and very entertaining for the likes of a teenage attention span. The issues tackled are strongly influenced and make good discussion topics as well as a progressive voice for young ears to hear. Anyone who found the heated debates between the uber-conservative Christians and the liberal-minded protagonists from STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES (an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, and highly recommended by yours truly) is sure to appreciate Crutcher's whole-hearted commitment towards all human being's rights to certain freedoms, including the right to read contemporary literature containing modern ideas, no matter how verboten they may sound.
November 6, 2016
Oh, Chris Crutcher. You put yourself in a book. And a dead narrator. And zero cuss words.
And you made it work.
And you made it work.
March 19, 2018
Personal Response:
I read the book, The Sledding Hill, by Chris Crutcher. I thought it was a very exciting book and well written. I enjoyed reading it because it was very relatable and interesting to hear a story from a dead person's perspective.
Plot:
There were a lot of different events that happened in the plot. The book takes place in third person with Billy, one of the main characters, as the narrator. In the beginning of the book, he tells about him and his best friend Eddie in elementary school. Billy had always been one of the smartest kids in his grade. They both took an IQ test in fifth grade and Billy did great but Eddie did terrible. The principal was going to place him into special education until Billy’s dad, the schools janitor, explained what happened. Eddie had extreme ADHD and he was not able to concentrate on anything for more than a second. He decided to just fill in the circles so they made a neat pattern instead of reading the questions. Billy’s dad helped him retake it and he did phenomenal. Throughout middle school, Billy and Eddie did everything together. Teachers hated Eddie because of the million questions he would ask always trying to prove the teacher wrong. Billy decided to attach a shock color to Eddies ankle and shock him when he started to make the teacher mad. They also went out for Cross Country. They realized the more Eddie ran the more he could control his ADHD. He began to run everywhere he went. One day Eddie and Billy went to Eddie’s dad’s gas station and maintenance shop. Eddie went in the back to look for his dad and he found him dead on the floor. A tire exploded and killed him because he forgot to take the air out before he took it off the wheel. Eddie was devastated, but he was okay with the help and support from Billy. One day Eddie went to school to find Billy and he found him dead. Billy was upset and kicked a stack of sheet rock and it fell onto the base of his skull. This devastated Eddie so much he went mute. Eddie’s Mom went to the Red Brick Church for help. She went to mass every sunday and soon the Reverend, Tarter, was coming over for supper. Eddie and his dad hated Reverend Tarter because of the way he preached and the things he said. Eddie felt his mom was betraying his dad by having Reverend Tarter over. Besides being a preacher, Reverend Tarter also was an english teacher at Eddie’s high school. Eddie and Billy heard stories that Tarter would punish kids by making them hold books straight out like a cross. He was a very mean teacher and Billy and Eddie planned on getting back at him. One day Eddie started seeing Billy’s dead body everywhere. Billy was trying to talk to him but Eddie was too scared. Eddie decided to sign up for baptism classes because he thought it would stop the terrors. One day Eddie let Billy in and after that Billy was able to help Eddie whenever needed. During one class, Reverend Tarter told the class the mark of Cain was to be black and that made Eddie incredibly angry. When high school started for Eddie, everyone left him alone because they felt bad about his dad and best friend dying. He was in a modern literature class and the teacher assigned a book called Warren Peece. This book was highly controversial because of all the swearing and inappropriate events. Tarter found out about this book and told the church board that someone had to make a movement to ban the book. Someone did and the books were confiscated until the next school board meeting could decide. Eddie related to the book alot because it was about kids going through hard times like him. Many other kids in the class felt the same way. They decided to read it anyway and that caused lots of problems. Billy’s Dad, the school janitor, was fired for reading the book to kids who could not read well. Eddie wanted to get back at Tarter so he came up with a plan. He gathered all the kids who enjoyed the book and they decided to go to the school board meeting to protest the decision. The sunday before the meeting Eddie was supposed to be baptized. In order to be baptized he had to give a testimony on why he wanted to at church. Billy helped him stay on track when he was speaking. He told about how awful the church was and that everyone should be more accepting. He said that he might be Jesus because he was standing up for what was right. He was put in the mental hospital for an evaluation during the time of the school board meeting. There were a lot of people at the school board meeting. Some people said why the book shouldn’t be banned and others stated why they think it should. At the end of the meeting, the board voted to ban the book and others like it even though the majority of the town wanted to keep them. All of the kids decided to go to the public library instead of the school library to read the books they wanted to.
Characterization:
There are two main characters in this book, Eddie Profit and Billy Bartholomew. Eddie was very smart, but he could not stay concentrated on anything for longer than a second. This attribute would make his teachers very mad because of the countless questions he would ask. He learned a lot throughout this book with the help of his friend: Billy. He stood up for what he believed in and became a much better student. Billy was a very smart boy. He ended up killing himself on accident because he knocked over sheetrock onto himself. While he was a spirit, he would contact Eddie between thoughts. He helped him stand up to the Reverend Tarter and helped Eddie move on without his dad and bestfriend.
Setting:
This book takes place in present day Bear Creek, Idaho. It is very important to the book because it allows the book to be very relatable. It's relatable to anyone who grew up in a small town in America. Since it is a small town, everyone knows each other and the church has a lot of power over the school board.
Thematic Connection:
The major theme of this book is everyone has the freedom to read or write what they want too. It is shown when the Red Brick Church group tries to ban the book Warren Peece simply because of its bad words and morals. They are successful, but all of the students who related to the book continued to read it and others like it.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to high school aged males or females who like to read about real world problems. It is very relatable to either gender because the problems the book covers can be identified by anyone. I believe they should be high school aged so they can comprehend and be mature enough to handle the book.
I read the book, The Sledding Hill, by Chris Crutcher. I thought it was a very exciting book and well written. I enjoyed reading it because it was very relatable and interesting to hear a story from a dead person's perspective.
Plot:
There were a lot of different events that happened in the plot. The book takes place in third person with Billy, one of the main characters, as the narrator. In the beginning of the book, he tells about him and his best friend Eddie in elementary school. Billy had always been one of the smartest kids in his grade. They both took an IQ test in fifth grade and Billy did great but Eddie did terrible. The principal was going to place him into special education until Billy’s dad, the schools janitor, explained what happened. Eddie had extreme ADHD and he was not able to concentrate on anything for more than a second. He decided to just fill in the circles so they made a neat pattern instead of reading the questions. Billy’s dad helped him retake it and he did phenomenal. Throughout middle school, Billy and Eddie did everything together. Teachers hated Eddie because of the million questions he would ask always trying to prove the teacher wrong. Billy decided to attach a shock color to Eddies ankle and shock him when he started to make the teacher mad. They also went out for Cross Country. They realized the more Eddie ran the more he could control his ADHD. He began to run everywhere he went. One day Eddie and Billy went to Eddie’s dad’s gas station and maintenance shop. Eddie went in the back to look for his dad and he found him dead on the floor. A tire exploded and killed him because he forgot to take the air out before he took it off the wheel. Eddie was devastated, but he was okay with the help and support from Billy. One day Eddie went to school to find Billy and he found him dead. Billy was upset and kicked a stack of sheet rock and it fell onto the base of his skull. This devastated Eddie so much he went mute. Eddie’s Mom went to the Red Brick Church for help. She went to mass every sunday and soon the Reverend, Tarter, was coming over for supper. Eddie and his dad hated Reverend Tarter because of the way he preached and the things he said. Eddie felt his mom was betraying his dad by having Reverend Tarter over. Besides being a preacher, Reverend Tarter also was an english teacher at Eddie’s high school. Eddie and Billy heard stories that Tarter would punish kids by making them hold books straight out like a cross. He was a very mean teacher and Billy and Eddie planned on getting back at him. One day Eddie started seeing Billy’s dead body everywhere. Billy was trying to talk to him but Eddie was too scared. Eddie decided to sign up for baptism classes because he thought it would stop the terrors. One day Eddie let Billy in and after that Billy was able to help Eddie whenever needed. During one class, Reverend Tarter told the class the mark of Cain was to be black and that made Eddie incredibly angry. When high school started for Eddie, everyone left him alone because they felt bad about his dad and best friend dying. He was in a modern literature class and the teacher assigned a book called Warren Peece. This book was highly controversial because of all the swearing and inappropriate events. Tarter found out about this book and told the church board that someone had to make a movement to ban the book. Someone did and the books were confiscated until the next school board meeting could decide. Eddie related to the book alot because it was about kids going through hard times like him. Many other kids in the class felt the same way. They decided to read it anyway and that caused lots of problems. Billy’s Dad, the school janitor, was fired for reading the book to kids who could not read well. Eddie wanted to get back at Tarter so he came up with a plan. He gathered all the kids who enjoyed the book and they decided to go to the school board meeting to protest the decision. The sunday before the meeting Eddie was supposed to be baptized. In order to be baptized he had to give a testimony on why he wanted to at church. Billy helped him stay on track when he was speaking. He told about how awful the church was and that everyone should be more accepting. He said that he might be Jesus because he was standing up for what was right. He was put in the mental hospital for an evaluation during the time of the school board meeting. There were a lot of people at the school board meeting. Some people said why the book shouldn’t be banned and others stated why they think it should. At the end of the meeting, the board voted to ban the book and others like it even though the majority of the town wanted to keep them. All of the kids decided to go to the public library instead of the school library to read the books they wanted to.
Characterization:
There are two main characters in this book, Eddie Profit and Billy Bartholomew. Eddie was very smart, but he could not stay concentrated on anything for longer than a second. This attribute would make his teachers very mad because of the countless questions he would ask. He learned a lot throughout this book with the help of his friend: Billy. He stood up for what he believed in and became a much better student. Billy was a very smart boy. He ended up killing himself on accident because he knocked over sheetrock onto himself. While he was a spirit, he would contact Eddie between thoughts. He helped him stand up to the Reverend Tarter and helped Eddie move on without his dad and bestfriend.
Setting:
This book takes place in present day Bear Creek, Idaho. It is very important to the book because it allows the book to be very relatable. It's relatable to anyone who grew up in a small town in America. Since it is a small town, everyone knows each other and the church has a lot of power over the school board.
Thematic Connection:
The major theme of this book is everyone has the freedom to read or write what they want too. It is shown when the Red Brick Church group tries to ban the book Warren Peece simply because of its bad words and morals. They are successful, but all of the students who related to the book continued to read it and others like it.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to high school aged males or females who like to read about real world problems. It is very relatable to either gender because the problems the book covers can be identified by anyone. I believe they should be high school aged so they can comprehend and be mature enough to handle the book.
October 1, 2015
Personal Response
I thought this was one of the most interesting books that I have read. The point of view is from a dead person and I've never read a book with that kind of perspective. I thought that the author had quite a few twists to the plot and that he changed up the story a lot.
Plot Summary
In the beginning, Eddie has some very rough times. First of all, his father and his best friend both die in freak accidents and is not talked to by classmates. Then the book is seen from Eddie's best friend who is dead, Bily. Eddie really likes this book called Warren Peece, that his literature teacher handed out. It had some bad content that many YFC members didn't like and wanted it banned from the school education. Eddie is fighting to keep this book because he believes that everything in the book was perfectly fine and he is defending the book while the priest of the Church is protesting the book. Then the author of his own book shows up and encourages kids to read his book and why it's an okay book to read and the school board listens and keeps the book with help from his dead friend Billy.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to younger teens and young adults. I think that the point of view is one of a kind and that anyone who likes heartwarming stories will love this book. If you also like happy endings this is a book for you and I would say it would be appropriate for anyone over the age of 12 because there are not any bad words in it.
I thought this was one of the most interesting books that I have read. The point of view is from a dead person and I've never read a book with that kind of perspective. I thought that the author had quite a few twists to the plot and that he changed up the story a lot.
Plot Summary
In the beginning, Eddie has some very rough times. First of all, his father and his best friend both die in freak accidents and is not talked to by classmates. Then the book is seen from Eddie's best friend who is dead, Bily. Eddie really likes this book called Warren Peece, that his literature teacher handed out. It had some bad content that many YFC members didn't like and wanted it banned from the school education. Eddie is fighting to keep this book because he believes that everything in the book was perfectly fine and he is defending the book while the priest of the Church is protesting the book. Then the author of his own book shows up and encourages kids to read his book and why it's an okay book to read and the school board listens and keeps the book with help from his dead friend Billy.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to younger teens and young adults. I think that the point of view is one of a kind and that anyone who likes heartwarming stories will love this book. If you also like happy endings this is a book for you and I would say it would be appropriate for anyone over the age of 12 because there are not any bad words in it.
January 6, 2014
(Jan) This was ok. I liked the other books I've read by CC better. This almost seems like he wrote it to pat himself on the back for being so controversial. I don't know that I've read a book where the author inserts himself in the book, name and all. An interesting ploy, but maybe that's why I feel like he wrote this so those who read this will think "hey, cool guy, maybe I should read his other books since he's so controversial." This book is all about the controversy of a pretend book by him that is assigned in a school that is subversively run by the local Christian Conservative Church. The principal and Minister of the church (who happens to be a somewhat abusive teacher at the school) are horrified by the content of this book (called Warren Peece - loved that name!). The story is told to us by Billy Bartholomew, who dies in the first chapter but his "21 grams" of self that is left hangs around to look over and out for his bff Eddie. Could have been better, but not bad. The overriding message, though - that banning books is a bad, bad thing to do, is one that should be shouted from the rooftops.
One side note - the recently deceased (yet supposedly brilliant) BB's writing often says "could of" instead of "could have." Not sure why CC chose to do this, but that is one of my biggest grammar pet peeves and every time I saw it it made me crazy!
One side note - the recently deceased (yet supposedly brilliant) BB's writing often says "could of" instead of "could have." Not sure why CC chose to do this, but that is one of my biggest grammar pet peeves and every time I saw it it made me crazy!
January 5, 2008
A (librarian) friend of mine gave this to me for my birthday. I blew through it in about a day and quite enjoyed it. The story is narrated by the deceased Billy, who could be zooming about the universe, but chooses to stay with Eddie until he's better able to deal with his loss. I thought Crutcher had a very good blend of humor while dealing with difficult issues. It would be easy for Eddie (and the reader) to sink into a deep depression, but the presence of Billy and his tongue-in-cheek omniscient style of narration saved everyone from wallowing in grief. Also, there are a lot of issues about conservative beliefs and their effect on children and adults alike. While I must say that the minister and his followers come off worse in the story, I admire Crutcher for making it a point that they are not bad people, though their beliefs and ideas are not particularly appealing. Though their Gestapo tactics are hurtful to other characters, they are doing what they believe is right and best for everyone. They're wrong, but they mean well. I think it's an important distinction, especially in a time when hatred and persecution are still so prevalent, despite countless lessons from history.
September 26, 2017
I loved this book. Couldn't put it down. From the wry voice of the dead narrator to the set up of the non-antagonists, this book moves quickly and cleverly through its plot. I also love the fact that it's based on a fight over banning one of Crutcher's own books from a school district. If you enjoy an underdog story and enjoyable characters, you'll enjoy this.
June 17, 2015
Kind of weird of the author to create a story that has a book hw wrote centered around the story. Eddie though was quite the character and Billy's perspective was quite interesting. It's always fascinating to how other people see life and death. This one made me think.
(Longer review to come)
(Longer review to come)
December 25, 2020
Chris Crutcher was the first author that really made me think about my values and beliefs, and reconsider the things I'd been taught. Whale Talk remains one of my favorite books of all time. As a t(w)een reading Crutcher's works, I didn't always agree with what he had to say, but I always appreciated it. He doesn't talk down to the young adults he writes for; he recognizes that "tough issues" aren't just a YA subject matter, they're a fact of life for too many teens. Crutcher writes about real problems that kids go through and he writes about them in a matter-of-fact way that destigmatizes those issues and relates them in their "native tongue" (which means a lot of slang and explicit language). Which is why he is no stranger to being censored.
In The Sledding Hill, Crutcher addresses the issue of censoring books in a tongue-in-cheek manner. The narrator is Billy B., a recently deceased fourteen-year-old boy who hangs around as a spirit to help guide the best friend he left behind, Eddie. Eddie is a poor, neurodivergent teen growing up in small-town Idaho, who just lost his father and his best friend in the same month. Since their deaths, Eddie hasn't said a word. But when the whole town gets swept up into a divisive book challenge at the high school--a crusade led by the powerful local church--Eddie finds himself in the unique position to make his voice heard. Billy B. is there every step of the way, giving the reader glimpses not only into Eddie's POV, but also the perspectives of the charismatic pastor spearheading the book-banning charge, the school librarian defending the title, and many other side characters.
Though it's clear that Crutcher cares deeply about intellectual freedom, the overall tone of the book is humorous, even verging on flippant. This informal style makes The Sledding Hill an incredibly quick read. While some of the characters' speeches feel a little afterschool special-y, they definitely accomplish the goal of summing up the arguments quickly and moving the story along. Crutcher specifically avoids any trace of explicit or obscene language in this book, as that is usually his hallmark and what censors primarily use to justify banning his works. In fact, Crutcher inserts himself into the story as the author of the fictional book being challenged (which could come across as narcissistic, but is mostly just funny), and trots out all the familiar arguments censors use against his books (obscenity, blasphemy, normalizing homosexuality, racial themes, etc.) and shoots them down.
Overall, the message of The Sledding Hill definitely takes precedence over the characters, which isn't usually my experience with Crutcher's works. There are some technical issues that indicate another round of edits could have been helpful (for example, "would of" instead of "would have" is used throughout the book). The humor-laden writing style makes this a quick read, but does detract from the seriousness of the subject somewhat. But when I read this as a kid, I didn't notice any of those critiques-- I just noticed that this was a book that made me think and didn't treat me like I was stupid.
TW: death and themes of grief, homophobia, religious bigotry, racist beliefs, mentions of disordered eating, abuse, self-harm (cutting), and abortion
In The Sledding Hill, Crutcher addresses the issue of censoring books in a tongue-in-cheek manner. The narrator is Billy B., a recently deceased fourteen-year-old boy who hangs around as a spirit to help guide the best friend he left behind, Eddie. Eddie is a poor, neurodivergent teen growing up in small-town Idaho, who just lost his father and his best friend in the same month. Since their deaths, Eddie hasn't said a word. But when the whole town gets swept up into a divisive book challenge at the high school--a crusade led by the powerful local church--Eddie finds himself in the unique position to make his voice heard. Billy B. is there every step of the way, giving the reader glimpses not only into Eddie's POV, but also the perspectives of the charismatic pastor spearheading the book-banning charge, the school librarian defending the title, and many other side characters.
Though it's clear that Crutcher cares deeply about intellectual freedom, the overall tone of the book is humorous, even verging on flippant. This informal style makes The Sledding Hill an incredibly quick read. While some of the characters' speeches feel a little afterschool special-y, they definitely accomplish the goal of summing up the arguments quickly and moving the story along. Crutcher specifically avoids any trace of explicit or obscene language in this book, as that is usually his hallmark and what censors primarily use to justify banning his works. In fact, Crutcher inserts himself into the story as the author of the fictional book being challenged (which could come across as narcissistic, but is mostly just funny), and trots out all the familiar arguments censors use against his books (obscenity, blasphemy, normalizing homosexuality, racial themes, etc.) and shoots them down.
Overall, the message of The Sledding Hill definitely takes precedence over the characters, which isn't usually my experience with Crutcher's works. There are some technical issues that indicate another round of edits could have been helpful (for example, "would of" instead of "would have" is used throughout the book). The humor-laden writing style makes this a quick read, but does detract from the seriousness of the subject somewhat. But when I read this as a kid, I didn't notice any of those critiques-- I just noticed that this was a book that made me think and didn't treat me like I was stupid.
TW: death and themes of grief, homophobia, religious bigotry, racist beliefs, mentions of disordered eating, abuse, self-harm (cutting), and abortion
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March 20, 2018Personal Response:
I thought the book, Sledding Hill , by Chris Crutcher was a very good book. I could relate to the storyline, because the boy in the book was my age. The book was also shorter, so I tried to finish it as fast as I could. I could relate to Sledding Hill , because I had a friend that went through the same daily struggles.
Plot:
Eddie Proffitt had a pretty good life. He had a girlfriend and he had a good best friend. Then, Eddie’s life started to go downhill. Eddie’s dad had died and then Eddie’s best friend died. After they both died, Eddie went into major depression. To make things worse, Eddie’s mom started to see Reverend Tartar. Eddie and Reverend Tartar never got along, because they didn’t think of God in the same way. Eddie had problems with depression since he had lost his dad and best friend. Reverend Tartar knew Eddie was going through major depression. Reverend told Eddie that he needed to join the youth group and also that he needed to get baptised. Eddie started to read a book that had a lot of explicit words and material in it. Reverend had known about this book and had thought bad about it. The school had just started reading that book. Eddie was getting frustrated and that meant that his mom had been mad at him because she had been with Reverend. Reverend and his church had a goal to try and ban the book from the school. Reverend ends up winning the fight and the school has to get rid of the book.
Characterization:
Eddie Proffitt was the main character. Eddie was a emotional character. He had depression because he had lost his dad and his best friend. Also, Eddie had ADHD and that really got to him because he could not focus. Overall, Eddie was a bold, strong, and emotional character. Another main character was Billy Bartholomew. Billy had been the smartest kid in the school and was Eddie’s best friend. Billy accidentally kills himself by dropping sheetrock on his back. Throughout the story though he had talked to Eddie through a ghost.
Impact of Setting:
The story takes place in Bear Creek, Idaho. The main place where the book took place was at school or at his church. The reason the setting was at the church was his soon to be step dad, the pastor, had made him start going to church. The reason Reverend Tartar had made him go church, because he had been suffering from depression and anxiety. The reason the school was important, because in the library there was a controversial book and it all started from the pastor.
Thematic Connection:
The theme of this book was, when life is rough you have to just keep going. Eddie was having a rough life at home and at school. Eddie was the dumbest kid in school and he got picked on for it. His dad and best friend died within a month. Eddie never gave up and turned to a book to make him feel better.
Recommendation:
I recommend this book to all high schoolers, because the book teaches a life lesson on bullying and helping people get through it. This book would be more toward men because it has a lot of guys in it and girls wouldn’t like it. This book was really relatable to a high school like ours and it gives a closer look at the actual view from someone who is bullied. The content in this book was a little graphic at points and this book should be read by kids older than fourteen or mature enough to handle the graphics. I also recommend this to high schoolers who are looking for an easy read, because the vocabulary was very easy.
I thought the book, Sledding Hill , by Chris Crutcher was a very good book. I could relate to the storyline, because the boy in the book was my age. The book was also shorter, so I tried to finish it as fast as I could. I could relate to Sledding Hill , because I had a friend that went through the same daily struggles.
Plot:
Eddie Proffitt had a pretty good life. He had a girlfriend and he had a good best friend. Then, Eddie’s life started to go downhill. Eddie’s dad had died and then Eddie’s best friend died. After they both died, Eddie went into major depression. To make things worse, Eddie’s mom started to see Reverend Tartar. Eddie and Reverend Tartar never got along, because they didn’t think of God in the same way. Eddie had problems with depression since he had lost his dad and best friend. Reverend Tartar knew Eddie was going through major depression. Reverend told Eddie that he needed to join the youth group and also that he needed to get baptised. Eddie started to read a book that had a lot of explicit words and material in it. Reverend had known about this book and had thought bad about it. The school had just started reading that book. Eddie was getting frustrated and that meant that his mom had been mad at him because she had been with Reverend. Reverend and his church had a goal to try and ban the book from the school. Reverend ends up winning the fight and the school has to get rid of the book.
Characterization:
Eddie Proffitt was the main character. Eddie was a emotional character. He had depression because he had lost his dad and his best friend. Also, Eddie had ADHD and that really got to him because he could not focus. Overall, Eddie was a bold, strong, and emotional character. Another main character was Billy Bartholomew. Billy had been the smartest kid in the school and was Eddie’s best friend. Billy accidentally kills himself by dropping sheetrock on his back. Throughout the story though he had talked to Eddie through a ghost.
Impact of Setting:
The story takes place in Bear Creek, Idaho. The main place where the book took place was at school or at his church. The reason the setting was at the church was his soon to be step dad, the pastor, had made him start going to church. The reason Reverend Tartar had made him go church, because he had been suffering from depression and anxiety. The reason the school was important, because in the library there was a controversial book and it all started from the pastor.
Thematic Connection:
The theme of this book was, when life is rough you have to just keep going. Eddie was having a rough life at home and at school. Eddie was the dumbest kid in school and he got picked on for it. His dad and best friend died within a month. Eddie never gave up and turned to a book to make him feel better.
Recommendation:
I recommend this book to all high schoolers, because the book teaches a life lesson on bullying and helping people get through it. This book would be more toward men because it has a lot of guys in it and girls wouldn’t like it. This book was really relatable to a high school like ours and it gives a closer look at the actual view from someone who is bullied. The content in this book was a little graphic at points and this book should be read by kids older than fourteen or mature enough to handle the graphics. I also recommend this to high schoolers who are looking for an easy read, because the vocabulary was very easy.
April 15, 2021
Bible Arguments
This was different in the way that there were no sports but true to CC form with all of the religious debate. As usual, tons of great points.
This was different in the way that there were no sports but true to CC form with all of the religious debate. As usual, tons of great points.
August 28, 2025
lowkey a self-insert fan fic and I love Crutcher for that
February 21, 2022
This book had me cheering and smiling and raging and crying! It is oh so good! This book tackles death and grief and ignorance and bigotry and most of all censorship in a way that makes you read it through in one go and hug it at the end! The small minded people may win the battle but the people who embrace the world as it is, will win the war!
October 23, 2014
This book really hit home with me. Throughout the book I learned many valuable lessons. One of these lessons was to help others and not only your friends. I am going to try and incorporate this lesson into my life no matter how hard it might be.
I read the book "The Sledding Hill" by Chris Crutcher. The book starts out in a small town where the main character, Eddie Proffit, is enjoying his summer with his best friend Billy B. One day Eddie walks into his dads repair shop to find him laying there dead. Eddie was in shock and didn't know what to do. So he resorted to his best friend Billy. Soon after his fathers death, Billy carelessly kicks a stack of sheetrock over onto himself and instantly breaking his neck. Again, Eddie was the first one to find him. That did it. Eddie was so saddened by the death of two loved ones he hit his own mute button. He didn't say a word to anyone. He soon found refuge in a book called "Warren Peace". Some of the kids and the English teacher opposed the book due to cuss words. They brought it to the school board and challenged it. For the time being, the book was temporarily taken away from the kids until they could hold a formal trial with the school board. When it finally came time for the trial, Eddie was more prepared for it than anyone has ever been. He brought in Chris Crutcher himself, who is the author of "Warren Peace", to talk in front of the school board. All of his hard work and efforts didn't pay off. The book was permanently removed from the shelves of the school and the librarian who had introduced the book was immediately fired. So Eddie went on with his daily life after that.
The main character in this book was Eddie Proffit. He found both his father, and best friend dead in the same summer. He is also the one who hit mute and wouldn't say a word to anyone for quite some time. The second main character is Billy Bartholomeu. He was Eddie's best friend and also the one who kicked the stack of sheet rock over onto himself. The third character is Rev. Tarter. He is the Pastor at the local church and also the English teacher. He is the one who opposes the book the most. The next character is Mr. Barhtolomeu. He is Billy's dad and is there for Eddie whenever he needs anything when he is going through his rough time.
The setting of this book is in a small town in Idaho called Bear Creek. The time period that the book takes place in is present time. You can tell by the way the characters talk in the book and by the way Chris Crutcher describes how some of the characters are dressing.
The Theme of this book would be to keep your head up and that everything will turn out in the end. I believe that this is the theme in this book because throughout the book, Billy has to keep reminding Eddie that things are going to turn out all right and he will get through everything that his life is throwing at him.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is 14 years of age or older. I recommend this book for this age level because there are some strong topics discussed and a few cuss words. There is also a fairly strong vocabulary in some parts of the book. Overall I enjoyed the book and would give it a rating of four out of five stars.
I read the book "The Sledding Hill" by Chris Crutcher. The book starts out in a small town where the main character, Eddie Proffit, is enjoying his summer with his best friend Billy B. One day Eddie walks into his dads repair shop to find him laying there dead. Eddie was in shock and didn't know what to do. So he resorted to his best friend Billy. Soon after his fathers death, Billy carelessly kicks a stack of sheetrock over onto himself and instantly breaking his neck. Again, Eddie was the first one to find him. That did it. Eddie was so saddened by the death of two loved ones he hit his own mute button. He didn't say a word to anyone. He soon found refuge in a book called "Warren Peace". Some of the kids and the English teacher opposed the book due to cuss words. They brought it to the school board and challenged it. For the time being, the book was temporarily taken away from the kids until they could hold a formal trial with the school board. When it finally came time for the trial, Eddie was more prepared for it than anyone has ever been. He brought in Chris Crutcher himself, who is the author of "Warren Peace", to talk in front of the school board. All of his hard work and efforts didn't pay off. The book was permanently removed from the shelves of the school and the librarian who had introduced the book was immediately fired. So Eddie went on with his daily life after that.
The main character in this book was Eddie Proffit. He found both his father, and best friend dead in the same summer. He is also the one who hit mute and wouldn't say a word to anyone for quite some time. The second main character is Billy Bartholomeu. He was Eddie's best friend and also the one who kicked the stack of sheet rock over onto himself. The third character is Rev. Tarter. He is the Pastor at the local church and also the English teacher. He is the one who opposes the book the most. The next character is Mr. Barhtolomeu. He is Billy's dad and is there for Eddie whenever he needs anything when he is going through his rough time.
The setting of this book is in a small town in Idaho called Bear Creek. The time period that the book takes place in is present time. You can tell by the way the characters talk in the book and by the way Chris Crutcher describes how some of the characters are dressing.
The Theme of this book would be to keep your head up and that everything will turn out in the end. I believe that this is the theme in this book because throughout the book, Billy has to keep reminding Eddie that things are going to turn out all right and he will get through everything that his life is throwing at him.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is 14 years of age or older. I recommend this book for this age level because there are some strong topics discussed and a few cuss words. There is also a fairly strong vocabulary in some parts of the book. Overall I enjoyed the book and would give it a rating of four out of five stars.
January 20, 2016
Personal Response: The Sledding Hill was a very meaningful book full of life lessons. The book was a benefit to me, because I could easily relate and connect with the emotions being displayed. One theme that was presented was the concept of death. I could easily relate to how the main character was feeling, because I have experienced the loss of a loved one. Another theme that was presented was censorship. The Sledding Hill included banning a certain book from the school. I enjoyed reading about the emotions that were being presented from the angry children against banning the book. The rebellion really caught my attention towards the end and made the end of the book full of action.
Plot:The Sledding Hill was about a young boy named Eddie Proffit who was trying to piece his life back together after a tragic death of his father and his best friend in the same year. Billy Bartholomew, Eddie’s best friend, kept his spirit earthbound to guide Eddie through the steps of being able to let go and accept his life. Along the way, Eddie believed that Billy was haunting him, and took Eddie to the sledding hill in his dreams where they used to make their best memories. Eventually, Eddie started to realize that his dead best friend actually appeared to him, and that it was not a dream anymore. Eddie is terrified of being haunted by his best friend, and decided to stay silent. In Eddie’s Really Modern Literature class, the teacher assigned a book that is disgraced by many elders. Eddie started to have a deep connection to the banned book, and started a rebellion to keep the book on the shelves at school. The book became banned anyway. Afterwards, Eddie began to make new friends and even started to have feelings for a girl. Billy’s spirit knew his time was up on earth and had to say goodbye.
Characterization: The main character of The Sledding Hill was Billy Bartholomew. Billy was a very quiet and intelligent young boy. He was also the son of the school janitor. Billy was best friends Eddie. Eddie was the most unintelligent boy in school. Even though Billy and Eddie were different, they still found ways to connect to each other. Even after Billy died, he continued to guide Eddie down the right path of his life. Another main character was Eddie Profitt. Eddie was a very intelligent boy, but was unable to show his intelligence due to his ADHD. Eddie was very depressed from the loss of his dad and his best friend. He began to regain happiness from Billy’s spirit on earth.
Impacts of Setting: The story took place in Bear Creek, Idaho during the twenty first century. The setting of the book impacted the plot, because the town of Bear Creek was very religious. The religion related to the banning of the book with explicit content that the children were reading. If the town of Bear Creek was not religious, the book may have not been banned, which would impact the conclusion of the story.
Audience: This book is readable at the elementary, middle, and high school levels because of appropriate content. Elementary students can read this book, but the reading level is more advanced and is harder to comprehend. I strongly recommend high schoolers and adults to read this book.
September 26, 2023
Reread of this little gem...and somehow Crutcher was preparing us then for the year we are facing NOW. Book Banning, church groups in small towns taking over the schools and attempting to remake them into indoctrination schools.
Eddie loses his father and his best friends to freak accidents...and Eddie finds both of them. Between grief with nowhere to go and his mother reaching out to Rev Tarter, also a teacher in Eddie's high school, for comfort. Eddie chooses to stop talking...to just go mute. It's too much, and he has no support system...Except...
Except for the spirit of his best friend, Billy, who chooses to stay behind and watch over his buddy. Only Billy knows how very hurt Eddie is. Eddie finds comfort at school in two places...the furnace room, where Eddie's father works as the school janitor, and the library, where Ms. Lloyd teaches a class on books and literature.
She chooses Warren Peece, a novel by...wait for it...Chris Crutcher. It has a gay character! It talks about real issues kids face! It has cuss words. Well, Rev Tarter and his church youth group can't have kids reading that kind of trash, and battle lines are drawn. With Eddie in the middle, in no-man's-land.
The fight over Warren Peece, a book that many students connect with, see characters like themselves, learn from, could be taken from today's headlines. The church people go to the school board (also full of church folks), and petition for the book...and others...to be removed from the school library. To protect the students...keep them from seeing and reading bad words, 'wrong' ideas, bad role model characters.
Eddie has found great comfort in reading the book. He's connected with other students over the book. He's even convinced Billy's dad to read it, and when the books are removed from Ms. Lloyd's classroom, students convene in the furnace room to finish the book...He's ready to end his self-imposed muteness to fight for this book, and for his right to read.
Crutcher pokes fun of himself in this book, as the church people check his website and his background, and I wanted to yell, "You don't know him!" to those sanctimonious folks. Eddie writes to Crutcher and invites him to the school board meeting to defend his book...
The meeting is passionate and you can't help but side with these kids who have found a book that speaks to them, only to have adults with power take it away.
The book is narrated by Billy's spirit, who watches over his dad and his best friend, who may meddle a tiny bit, but mostly watches and nudges his loved ones toward some kind of healing and peace.
Written for younger readers, with no cuss words (the main reason Crutcher's books get challenged), but with all the power we expect from Crutcher.
That we continue to face the same fight over students' right to read, and parents' right to support their children's right to read makes me want to scream to the high heavens.
Books save lives. Crutcher's books change lives. I've seen it happen. That's what book banners fear.
Eddie loses his father and his best friends to freak accidents...and Eddie finds both of them. Between grief with nowhere to go and his mother reaching out to Rev Tarter, also a teacher in Eddie's high school, for comfort. Eddie chooses to stop talking...to just go mute. It's too much, and he has no support system...Except...
Except for the spirit of his best friend, Billy, who chooses to stay behind and watch over his buddy. Only Billy knows how very hurt Eddie is. Eddie finds comfort at school in two places...the furnace room, where Eddie's father works as the school janitor, and the library, where Ms. Lloyd teaches a class on books and literature.
She chooses Warren Peece, a novel by...wait for it...Chris Crutcher. It has a gay character! It talks about real issues kids face! It has cuss words. Well, Rev Tarter and his church youth group can't have kids reading that kind of trash, and battle lines are drawn. With Eddie in the middle, in no-man's-land.
The fight over Warren Peece, a book that many students connect with, see characters like themselves, learn from, could be taken from today's headlines. The church people go to the school board (also full of church folks), and petition for the book...and others...to be removed from the school library. To protect the students...keep them from seeing and reading bad words, 'wrong' ideas, bad role model characters.
Eddie has found great comfort in reading the book. He's connected with other students over the book. He's even convinced Billy's dad to read it, and when the books are removed from Ms. Lloyd's classroom, students convene in the furnace room to finish the book...He's ready to end his self-imposed muteness to fight for this book, and for his right to read.
Crutcher pokes fun of himself in this book, as the church people check his website and his background, and I wanted to yell, "You don't know him!" to those sanctimonious folks. Eddie writes to Crutcher and invites him to the school board meeting to defend his book...
The meeting is passionate and you can't help but side with these kids who have found a book that speaks to them, only to have adults with power take it away.
The book is narrated by Billy's spirit, who watches over his dad and his best friend, who may meddle a tiny bit, but mostly watches and nudges his loved ones toward some kind of healing and peace.
Written for younger readers, with no cuss words (the main reason Crutcher's books get challenged), but with all the power we expect from Crutcher.
That we continue to face the same fight over students' right to read, and parents' right to support their children's right to read makes me want to scream to the high heavens.
Books save lives. Crutcher's books change lives. I've seen it happen. That's what book banners fear.
December 23, 2016
Personal Response
I enjoyed the book,The Sledding Hill, by Chris Crutcher, because it made me truly enjoy life for what I have. I believe that this book showed what people do struggle with everyday. I think the author did a great job of captivating his audience and putting them into the shoes of the characters.
Plot
In the beginning of the book, Billy and his friend were trying to survive school without getting in trouble when Eddie was always running his mouth. After figuring out a way to keep Eddie from running his mouth in school, the two boys were doing very well. Ms. Lloyd is a teacher at the school and is beginning to read a book to her students. The book contains some characters that may not be normal to society at the time. The school board finds out about this book and was very frustrated that is was brought into the school. The students on the other hand enjoy the book very much. There was a school board meeting scheduled for a Sunday afternoon. Eddie and his friends knew there was no way they could win over the votes of banning the book, so they decided to bring in the author of the book to prove a point. In the end of the story, the book is banned and any book that the author wrote would be removed from the school.
Characterization
Eddie Profit is the main character in this story. He changes drastically throughout the book. In the beginning, he is this kid who cannot control his thoughts. He changes through the book, because by the end of the book he is using his thoughts to go against the people who want to ban the book. He has this greater knowledge of thinking outside the box of normal thinking. Billy also plays a key role in this book. He is the only person who is able to talk to Eddie like a normal person, because he knows how to get him alone with just his thoughts. He also knows how to make him take his mind off of everything that is going on. After Billy dies, he still is able to talk to Eddie through the twilight zone.
Setting
Bear Creek, Idaho is the main setting for this book. It is located on the pan handle of the state, almost on the border of Canada and the United States. In the beginning of the book, Eddie's father dies at the Chevron he owns while fixing a tire. That place also is a major setting in this book. Another place this book happens in is the hot springs outside of the city. This book takes place in present day, showing how books are still remover from schools today.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to high school students, male or female, who are looking for a good read. I think they would find enjoyment in the concepts of both sides of the battle. I think they will get a better understanding of the whole picture.
I enjoyed the book,The Sledding Hill, by Chris Crutcher, because it made me truly enjoy life for what I have. I believe that this book showed what people do struggle with everyday. I think the author did a great job of captivating his audience and putting them into the shoes of the characters.
Plot
In the beginning of the book, Billy and his friend were trying to survive school without getting in trouble when Eddie was always running his mouth. After figuring out a way to keep Eddie from running his mouth in school, the two boys were doing very well. Ms. Lloyd is a teacher at the school and is beginning to read a book to her students. The book contains some characters that may not be normal to society at the time. The school board finds out about this book and was very frustrated that is was brought into the school. The students on the other hand enjoy the book very much. There was a school board meeting scheduled for a Sunday afternoon. Eddie and his friends knew there was no way they could win over the votes of banning the book, so they decided to bring in the author of the book to prove a point. In the end of the story, the book is banned and any book that the author wrote would be removed from the school.
Characterization
Eddie Profit is the main character in this story. He changes drastically throughout the book. In the beginning, he is this kid who cannot control his thoughts. He changes through the book, because by the end of the book he is using his thoughts to go against the people who want to ban the book. He has this greater knowledge of thinking outside the box of normal thinking. Billy also plays a key role in this book. He is the only person who is able to talk to Eddie like a normal person, because he knows how to get him alone with just his thoughts. He also knows how to make him take his mind off of everything that is going on. After Billy dies, he still is able to talk to Eddie through the twilight zone.
Setting
Bear Creek, Idaho is the main setting for this book. It is located on the pan handle of the state, almost on the border of Canada and the United States. In the beginning of the book, Eddie's father dies at the Chevron he owns while fixing a tire. That place also is a major setting in this book. Another place this book happens in is the hot springs outside of the city. This book takes place in present day, showing how books are still remover from schools today.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to high school students, male or female, who are looking for a good read. I think they would find enjoyment in the concepts of both sides of the battle. I think they will get a better understanding of the whole picture.
August 18, 2013
I think I am ready to say it: Chris Crutcher may be my favourite YA author. Recently I was speaking with a colleague about my back-and-forth with the genre; a few months of infatuated binge followed by a well needed rest. But while I sometimes get disappointed with the lack of "craft" or "beauty" in YA novels, I understand why they are so important and so beloved by young readers (and why I sometimes get so much out of them). And that is because, when done right, these novels help readers feel more human. A teenager may not yet value the sheer perfection that is Virginia Woolf (but I hope they will someday)--or may not yet be able to, by way of ability or age--but they will value a book when it makes them feel something and makes them feel more whole. Honestly that is what I was looking for when I was a teenager, but the YA genre didn't really exist back then. Luckily I found books and characters to pull me through anyway.
While he is not the best writer in the genre (that would be John Green), Crutcher may have the best understanding of teenagers. A former child therapist working with many victims of abuse and depression, Crutcher is able to infuse a loving safety net for his characters with his novels--and by way of them, his reader. It's easy to forgive a stilted piece of dialogue when there is this much love for one's characters.
In The Sledding Hill, the main character, Eddie Proffit, is suffering from a crushing grief; his father and best friend have both died and Eddie was the one to first find both of them dead. While Eddie does find help and health, as in all Crutcher novels, there are several surprises here. The most glaring is the shift in focus, which turns from grief recovery to censorship. In fact, the novel becomes a narrative argument against censorship, and particularly the banning done in the name of religion. Crutcher, a multiple victim of censorship, speaks boldly and bluntly about his feelings, and as a result, I'm sure there will be some readers who will find him too biased or unfair in his depiction of his censors. Yet I found his critique necessary and gutsy, and this book could spark a lot of discussion around the controversy of book banning, even if one didn't entirely agree with his stance.
The Sledding Hill is an important novel for young people because of the questions it will provoke, not so much for its plot or its character. Yet I still found it an engaging novel with some quietly lovely moments and some original touches that kept me intrigued.
While he is not the best writer in the genre (that would be John Green), Crutcher may have the best understanding of teenagers. A former child therapist working with many victims of abuse and depression, Crutcher is able to infuse a loving safety net for his characters with his novels--and by way of them, his reader. It's easy to forgive a stilted piece of dialogue when there is this much love for one's characters.
In The Sledding Hill, the main character, Eddie Proffit, is suffering from a crushing grief; his father and best friend have both died and Eddie was the one to first find both of them dead. While Eddie does find help and health, as in all Crutcher novels, there are several surprises here. The most glaring is the shift in focus, which turns from grief recovery to censorship. In fact, the novel becomes a narrative argument against censorship, and particularly the banning done in the name of religion. Crutcher, a multiple victim of censorship, speaks boldly and bluntly about his feelings, and as a result, I'm sure there will be some readers who will find him too biased or unfair in his depiction of his censors. Yet I found his critique necessary and gutsy, and this book could spark a lot of discussion around the controversy of book banning, even if one didn't entirely agree with his stance.
The Sledding Hill is an important novel for young people because of the questions it will provoke, not so much for its plot or its character. Yet I still found it an engaging novel with some quietly lovely moments and some original touches that kept me intrigued.
May 20, 2019
Personal Response
Personally, I really liked the book The Sledding Hill . I liked how Eddie rose above his challenges and actually made something of himself. I also liked how the church was portrayed as the bad guys because they were very snobby to Eddie.
Plot Summary
The book is about a young man named Eddie Proffit and is narrated by his recently passed best friend Billy Bartholomew. Eddie is a very smart kid who has ADHD which causes him to get into trouble a lot. After his dad and best friend died, he had no one to help him keep his ADHD under control, so he decided to stop talking altogether. He felt lost without his friend, but he became fond of a book by Chris Crutcher because he related to the characters. But the churchgoers from school wanted to get rid of the book because of the gays and slander in it.
Characterization
At the beginning of the book, Eddie was considered a trouble maker for talking out of turn and saying things in the wrong circumstances, but Billy kept him under control. But after Billy and his dad died, Eddie refused to talk because all it did was get him in trouble. Until one day he found something he found was worth standing up for, but it ended up landing him in a mental hospital.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of young adult books. I would also recommend this book to people ages 12 and up. I would recommend this because the book brings up some sensitive topics and I don't think younger audiences would understand.
Personally, I really liked the book The Sledding Hill . I liked how Eddie rose above his challenges and actually made something of himself. I also liked how the church was portrayed as the bad guys because they were very snobby to Eddie.
Plot Summary
The book is about a young man named Eddie Proffit and is narrated by his recently passed best friend Billy Bartholomew. Eddie is a very smart kid who has ADHD which causes him to get into trouble a lot. After his dad and best friend died, he had no one to help him keep his ADHD under control, so he decided to stop talking altogether. He felt lost without his friend, but he became fond of a book by Chris Crutcher because he related to the characters. But the churchgoers from school wanted to get rid of the book because of the gays and slander in it.
Characterization
At the beginning of the book, Eddie was considered a trouble maker for talking out of turn and saying things in the wrong circumstances, but Billy kept him under control. But after Billy and his dad died, Eddie refused to talk because all it did was get him in trouble. Until one day he found something he found was worth standing up for, but it ended up landing him in a mental hospital.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of young adult books. I would also recommend this book to people ages 12 and up. I would recommend this because the book brings up some sensitive topics and I don't think younger audiences would understand.
May 3, 2009
This is the first Chris Crutcher book I have read, and I am hooked! The guy really can write. I would have given this 5 stars, except I personally don't think the 'gimmick' of inserting himself as a fictional character into the story worked as well as he had hoped. I kind of wished he had created a fictional writer to do everything his 'fictional character' did.
Nevertheless, this would be another great HS book club book, might even make a good English class book, from the standpoint of starting discussions about tolerance, censorship, getting people to read that hate to read, and the horrible things some teenagers have to face in life and how that affects them in every way. Because that's what in this story.
My edition had an author note at the end, a reproduction of a letter Crutcher wrote to a HS that had banned his book Whale Talk, and a Q&A with Crutcher, which revealed, to my surprise, that he had written this book before most of the challenges regarding his books had occurred. It really felt like it had been done in response to them, and in fact he noted that the language he used in the story for the conservative characters pretty much matched what was spoken during the challenges.
I particularly liked his stressing that we all see things equally strongly and while we may disagree with someone's stance, that doesn't make them a bad person. What would make a great discussion is his suggestion that by talking to each other, opposing groups can come to a better resolution of an impasse. My question for discussion would be: is that possible when the issue is felt so strongly on both sides of the fence?
One other interesting thing Crutcher notes at the end is that the book contains no cuss words, and he sort of hints that it is OK for middle school or even a little younger. From that standpoint, yes, but I don't think some of the content/subject matter is necessarily middle school material; not like it would be for HS, anyway.
Nevertheless, this would be another great HS book club book, might even make a good English class book, from the standpoint of starting discussions about tolerance, censorship, getting people to read that hate to read, and the horrible things some teenagers have to face in life and how that affects them in every way. Because that's what in this story.
My edition had an author note at the end, a reproduction of a letter Crutcher wrote to a HS that had banned his book Whale Talk, and a Q&A with Crutcher, which revealed, to my surprise, that he had written this book before most of the challenges regarding his books had occurred. It really felt like it had been done in response to them, and in fact he noted that the language he used in the story for the conservative characters pretty much matched what was spoken during the challenges.
I particularly liked his stressing that we all see things equally strongly and while we may disagree with someone's stance, that doesn't make them a bad person. What would make a great discussion is his suggestion that by talking to each other, opposing groups can come to a better resolution of an impasse. My question for discussion would be: is that possible when the issue is felt so strongly on both sides of the fence?
One other interesting thing Crutcher notes at the end is that the book contains no cuss words, and he sort of hints that it is OK for middle school or even a little younger. From that standpoint, yes, but I don't think some of the content/subject matter is necessarily middle school material; not like it would be for HS, anyway.
January 18, 2009
I liked Crutcher's Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, and I respect him for addressing tough issues like child abuse in his books. Looking forward to reading The Sledding Hill for so long, I have to say that when I finally read it-- I was disappointed.
This book follows Eddie Proffit whose father and best friend both die within a few months of each other due to accidents. Eddie is traumatized after finding them both and becomes mute as a way of controlling his world.
His best friend Billy, sticks around as a spirit, helping Eddie cope with the right wing preacher who wants to save Eddie and use him as part of his agenda to ban a popular book at the high school.
Crutcher wrote this book for younger audiences than most of his work and admits that he removed all of the cuss words so that if any authority tried to ban it-- they would have to focus on the book itself and not the language. Crutcher has had many experiences with censorship himself and The Sledding Hill is obviously his response to that.
I suppose what I disliked about The Sledding Hill is that I felt Crutcher was holding back. The book lacks the raw vitality of his previous books, and it seems that none of the side plots in the book really gel. The main point-- that teens who feel alone can find companionship in books-- is lost under all of the other agendas this book has.
Hey Chris, put the cussing back in, perhaps this is the key to your writing mojo!
This book follows Eddie Proffit whose father and best friend both die within a few months of each other due to accidents. Eddie is traumatized after finding them both and becomes mute as a way of controlling his world.
His best friend Billy, sticks around as a spirit, helping Eddie cope with the right wing preacher who wants to save Eddie and use him as part of his agenda to ban a popular book at the high school.
Crutcher wrote this book for younger audiences than most of his work and admits that he removed all of the cuss words so that if any authority tried to ban it-- they would have to focus on the book itself and not the language. Crutcher has had many experiences with censorship himself and The Sledding Hill is obviously his response to that.
I suppose what I disliked about The Sledding Hill is that I felt Crutcher was holding back. The book lacks the raw vitality of his previous books, and it seems that none of the side plots in the book really gel. The main point-- that teens who feel alone can find companionship in books-- is lost under all of the other agendas this book has.
Hey Chris, put the cussing back in, perhaps this is the key to your writing mojo!
Read
March 14, 2014I read the book “The Sledding Hill.” It was written by Chris Crutcher. It’s about a freshman in high school named Eddie Profit. He has a very rough couple of months. It starts off with them starting to read the book “Warren Piece.” Another teacher at the the school who is also the pastor at the local church hears about it and tries to get it banned because he thinks the book is wrong. While all of this is happening Eddie’s father and best friend die, and he is the first to find both of them. He ends up finding solitude in the book that that is being banned, and he and a few other teachers and students fight for the book to stay.
The main characters were Eddie, Billie, and Rev. Tarter. Eddie is a freshman in high school who is a closet genius. He is a smaller kid who is very skinny. Billie is Eddie’s best friend who dies in the beginning of the book. Reverend Tarter is the local pastor and teacher at their school. He is a strict man.
The book takes place in Bear Creek, Idaho. It takes place all throughout town and the time period is modern time in the fall.
In all i thought this was a very good book. It kept me interested throughout the whole book. I would recommend this book to any high schooler. It doesn't have a very hard vocabulary. It would also be very easy to relate to for many high schoolers. I would give this book a four out of five stars.
The main characters were Eddie, Billie, and Rev. Tarter. Eddie is a freshman in high school who is a closet genius. He is a smaller kid who is very skinny. Billie is Eddie’s best friend who dies in the beginning of the book. Reverend Tarter is the local pastor and teacher at their school. He is a strict man.
The book takes place in Bear Creek, Idaho. It takes place all throughout town and the time period is modern time in the fall.
In all i thought this was a very good book. It kept me interested throughout the whole book. I would recommend this book to any high schooler. It doesn't have a very hard vocabulary. It would also be very easy to relate to for many high schoolers. I would give this book a four out of five stars.
January 22, 2009
The only reason I gave this book four out of five stars is because I have such incredibly high expectations for Chris Crutcher.
His books are truly amazing. I have yet to read one without breaking out in tears at a particularly poignant moment. Crutcher has a phenomenal ability to distill truth.
That being said, this book did not grab me as much as his books normally do. I mean, I was able to put it down and go to sleep last night! The later half of the book is more true to Crutcher's style and I was almost late for work trying to finish this book.
Because the narrator is dead for most of the book, the controversy and dramatic tension is handled much more philosophically. I kind of missed the immediacy of the conflict that characterizes Crutcher's protagonist's experience but it does lead to a book that is much more resolved than most.
From any other author, this book would easily be a 5 out of 5. Great book overall about banned books, philosophical conflict and a troubled kid.
His books are truly amazing. I have yet to read one without breaking out in tears at a particularly poignant moment. Crutcher has a phenomenal ability to distill truth.
That being said, this book did not grab me as much as his books normally do. I mean, I was able to put it down and go to sleep last night! The later half of the book is more true to Crutcher's style and I was almost late for work trying to finish this book.
Because the narrator is dead for most of the book, the controversy and dramatic tension is handled much more philosophically. I kind of missed the immediacy of the conflict that characterizes Crutcher's protagonist's experience but it does lead to a book that is much more resolved than most.
From any other author, this book would easily be a 5 out of 5. Great book overall about banned books, philosophical conflict and a troubled kid.
June 1, 2008
This book was a book that directly attacked censorship. In this story, a church is functioning in a school to try to attack and prevent or censor a book by Crutcher because of the contents in the story. They are trying to use Eddie who recently has just lost his father and his best friend to 2 accidents on a one year span. He since hasn't spoken to anyone except for his dead best friend's father. The church is trying to use him to attract attention since he is popular after the incidents to have Chris Crutcher's book banned. I recommend this book to those who are against censorship of books for the reasons we learned from Ms. Witman or Ms. DiRico in Global Lit.
September 22, 2009
Karina Procopio
5-6
The sledding hill
Chris Crutcher
I dont know how many pages but my guess is 235
Sept. 5
5
I dont remember the persons' name from the book so im going to call him he.
He changed becase he knew that his friend was with him and had his back. At the end of the book he learned about the pass life and how the people or person is always with you and with be there to help you.In the begining he didnt carre much and just blamed everything on other people for his fathers death.His friend changed him and made him think better of himself.
5-6
The sledding hill
Chris Crutcher
I dont know how many pages but my guess is 235
Sept. 5
5
I dont remember the persons' name from the book so im going to call him he.
He changed becase he knew that his friend was with him and had his back. At the end of the book he learned about the pass life and how the people or person is always with you and with be there to help you.In the begining he didnt carre much and just blamed everything on other people for his fathers death.His friend changed him and made him think better of himself.
March 24, 2008
The cleanest Crutcher book ever. And because of that, not his best, but a good middle school read nonetheless. The story is ripped out of real life, and I love that he puts himself in the story as a writer that is being censored. My favorite thing, though is the librarian character that teaches a class called "Really Modern Literature" and of course risks losing her job because of the books the kids are reading under her direction.
November 27, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was very clever that Chris Crutcher wrote himself in as a character. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it at first but it really works well. As a librarian, I like that it brings up the issue of Censorship. I don't believe I have read a work of fiction that directly addresses it until now. I also kind of like that there are no curse words in this book, not that I'm against them (far from it) but I like the irony. It was a nice touch.
June 17, 2008
It was amusing that Chris Crutcher (the author) brought himself into the book by having the school that the main character attended challenge one of his books for language and content. He is one of the most challenged Young Adult authors by religious groups in America.
August 19, 2008
I love Chris Crutcher. We are talking L-O-V-E. Have always, will - well, not always. I read about 30 pages of this. Too quick to get to the tragedy, too much dying. So I gave up. Chris, I'm not sure I love you "like that" anymore.
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