Marlette Community Schools will host a truly unique event-an exclusive visit from an internationally acclaimed author and teen mental health expert!
Save the date: Thursday, May 23rd, 6 pm.
Chris Crutcher has written 15 novels for young adults and has more than 20 years of experience as a child and family therapist. All of his books are inspired by the teens he’s met.
Chris Crutcher, a renowned author who has traveled the world to promote his books, is no stranger to Marlette. He’s been here twice before, engaging with our juniors and seniors about his books that resonate with their struggles.
Though his novels are fiction, all of his pieces combine what he’s personally seen teens deal with in his decades of work as a therapist. His expertise was with the Spokane, Washington, Child Abuse and Neglect program.
“You can’t base a novel off of a therapy session,” Crutcher explains, “but after you hear 10 stories, 50 stories, 100 stories, the truth starts to float to the top.” He believes, after decades of doing what he does, that that “truth” is what draws teens in. He claims that when reading Young Adult fiction, teens often mention feeling less alone and feeling like someone relates to them. Struggling teens think they suddenly have a confidante, a person who knows how they feel and manages to get through it.
Several of Crutcher’s books, most notably Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, have been taught for fifteen years in Marlette to 10th-12th grade students. “They’re always well-received,” claims English teacher Shauna Lester, “and I can’t count how many times a reluctant reader has told me, ‘I read the whole book last night,’ when I assign just the first chapter. I mean, I can only pretend to be mad that they read ahead,” she jokes. “It’s amazed me over the years, the process of reading his books with students. I mean, I just look up, and no one’s falling asleep; no one’s trying to Snapchat their friends. I hear 28 kids turn the page at the exact same moment. They’ve got their books open, fully engaged, following along. It’s just the best thing I’ve experienced as a teacher. That simply doesn’t happen with most books.”
Though Crutcher writes books aimed at young adults, he has a wealth of advice for their parents, teachers, and other caregivers. Crutcher will be in Marlette on Thursday, May 23rd, speaking with individual classes and at afternoon assemblies. The general public is invited to attend his talk that evening at 6 pm in the Marlette Jr/Sr High School gymnasium.