Crush

by Ellen Conford

"Tickets for the Sweetheart Stomp are still available at the student government office, Room 114, during lunch hours or half an hour after school." B.J. Green though, not for the first time, what a dumb name Sweetheart Stomp was for a Valentine's Day dance. Not that she wouldn't want to go to it, but it sounded like an event where you stomped your sweetheart unconscious. But the social bigwigs at Cutter's Forge High were heavy into alliteration this year. They'd called the Halloween dance the Halloween Hoedown. The Thanksgiving dance was the Turkey Trot. For Christmas they'd had the Holiday Hop. And now for Valentine's Day the dance committee had come up with the Sweetheart Stomp. B.J. sighed and looked around at her classmates. The room was buzzing with the excited whispers of predance planning. The event was a week and a day away. There would be get-togethers before the dance and parties afterward, which would prolong the festivities into the early hours of February 15. B.J. wouldn't be attending any of them. 00-01 Young Hoosier Book Award Masterlist (Grds. 6-8) and 00-01 Black-Eyed Susan Award Masterlist 2000 List of Popular Paperbacks for YA

Genres: Young Adult, Short Stories

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Ellen Conford was an author for children and young adults. Among her writings are the Annabel the Actress and Jenny Archer series. Her books have won the Best Book of the Year Citation, Best Book of the International Interest Citation, Best Book of the Year for Children, Parents' Choice Award, and more.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the “Gift of the Magi” story the best. It was a cute little retelling of it. I also liked how connected the lives of the characters were. It reminded me a bit of “Let it Snow” in that way. A good book to kick off my Valentine’s Day reads.

[Olivia Spenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. But it had so many different stories. It was kind of confusing at times.

[Gabriela Moreno · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was pretty good. It is not the best book I have read but it was interesting. The only part where I would get confused at is with the names. Everyone asking out other people about the sweetheart stomp. The book also had different and very odd manes for dances like the Halloween dance was called the Halloween hoedown. BJ Green was very quiet and did not like being social

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t realize it was going to be a bunch of short stories revolving around Valentine’s Day and in particular a Valentines Day dance at this high school. C

[Patrice Sartor · Rating 2 out of 5]

GENRE: Fiction, romance. Serving Young Teens and 'Tweens (2007) sorted this fictional book under "Books Exploring Sexuality and Relationships."

SUMMARY: Crush consists of ten stories about a number of girls from Cutter's Forge High, the boys they like, and the boys that like them. The narrators of the stories vary, though the characters are all connected. So, while Amy Porter has her own tale to tell, she also plays a small role in one or two other stories. The main concern for most of the girls is the upcoming Valentine's Day dance, the Sweetheart Stomp. In one section, a number of girls send (mostly) anonymous Valentine's Day cards to a shy, clumsy boy named Robert, in an effort to give him a boost of self-confidence. The idea backfires, for Robert turns into a swaggering, arrogant jerk who assumes that every girl around now likes him. The book culminates at the night of the dance, where new romances have begun, and old ones have grown stronger.

EVALUATION: Though fluffy, it touches upon issues that many teenaged girls contend with, in the same language that they would use.

WHY I WOULD INCLUDE IT: Deals with romance in a tempered, light-hearted manner. Tween girls especially should enjoy it.

READER'S ANNOTATION: The Sweetheart Stomp dance is coming up at Cutter's Forge High, and many girls are wondering who will ask them, or dreaming about their big night with their boyfriend.

ITEMS WITH SIMILAR APPEAL:
• My Heartbeart by Garret Freymann-Weyr.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the book Crush, by Ellen Conford. It's genre I would have to say is romance with a little bit of mystery. Some of the characters are Amy, Batso(that is not his real name), Diana, B.J., and Robert La Motte. Amy and Batso are dating and amy is pround of her long finger nails that drives Batso crazy. Batso has this long hair that drives Amy crazy just like her nails. Diana is one of the popular girls and she is waiting for a special some one to ask her to the Valentine dance. Then there is B.J. who is very shy around guys, but wishes a guy will ask her to the dance. Also, there is Robert La Motte, Robert is a person that no one likes. Some girls felt sorry for him so, they sent him a couple of valentine cards. I think the author did a good job of keeping the readers interest in the book. She wrote the book so it always made the readers want to know what is going to happen next. In my opinion I think the author did a good job on the plot. The book is set up around the Valentine's Day dance at Cutter's Forge High called the Sweetheart Stomp. The book is about ten stories that go on at Cutter's Forge High. I gave this book four star because, I really enjoyed reading it and I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. I would recommend this book to any girls 12 and older.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I wanted to read a book by this author, who is listed as a favorite author of one of my favorite authors. It is definitely a book that I would have enjoyed in middle school. There is nothing wrong with it, but there is not a whole lot of meat to it to engage my adult self. It is almost like a compilation of short stories except that all of the characters in each story know each other and go to the same high school. It was written at the end of the '90s and made me miss the times when YA fiction could be written without swear words, sex, alcohol, etc. A lot of books really seem to have taken a turn for the worse in this last decade. One theme that wasn't really delved into but was the main point of one chapter was the difference it can make in a teenager's life to believe that people like him or her. A bunch of girls sent friendly (not romantic) valentines to one of the boys that they thought needed a boost of self confidence, and it really did make a difference for him. Of course, he went too far in that direction and began to believe he was "God's gift to women," but I do truly believe that just having people be nice to you, notice you, care, etc. really does help you have confidence in yourself.

[Diana S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book “Crush” was not very good as I thought it would be. The writing was confusing. I didn't really know what was going on in the book. I wouldn't really recommend anyone to read this book, unless you really know how to understand what’s going on in more than one characters life. I really didn’t find the book interesting because I was trying to focus more on figuring out what was happening. The only thing I liked about this book was that it could get you hooked at the start. I really don’t plan reading any other books by this author.

[Kricket · Rating 3 out of 5]

a collection of interconnected short stories about several students at the same school as they prepare for the upcoming sweetheart stomp. a re-read from my middle school years, when i was totally obsessed with ellen conford. this wasn't as good as i remembered. conford really shines using first person narratives, and only one of the stories was written that way. still, a fun read for anyone who can get their hands on an old copy.

[Allyson · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was okay, I guess, but I wouldn't recommend it. You really have to remember that these are different stories every chapter. I'm happy with B.J.'s story in the end, I suppose. Read A Royal Pain by Ellen Conford instead!

[Kaylee Dankert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good because people can relate to it. There were some parts in there that related to my life. It is about people wanting to go to the dance with their crush. All in all, this was a good book.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sounds funny and great!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, sweet fun!

[Ale · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is cool. its funny and kind of romantic. its about the kids from a school that are attendeing a dance the sweetheart stop i belive. you should really read this.