Whale Talk
Publisher
Greenwillow Books
Publication Year
2001
ISBN
9780688180195
Pages
220 pages
Genre
realism
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
Intellectually and athletically gifted, TJ, a multiracial, adopted teenager, shuns organized sports and the gung-ho athletes at his high school until he agrees to form a swimming team and recruits some of the school's less popular students.
Grade Level
9-12
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Racial Diversity; Adoption; Multiracial; adopted child; multiracial child; adoptive family
Main Character
boy
Race/Ethnicities
Black / Japanese / White
Family Formation
adoptive parents
Awards
Best Children's Books of the Year,2002 Bank Street College of Education
Capitol Choices,2001 The Capitol Choices Committee
Children's Book Sense 76 Picks, Spring/Summer,2001 Book Sense 76
Los Angeles' 100 Best Books,2001 IRA Children's Literature and Reading SIG and the Los Angeles Unified School District
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Ninth Edition,2005 H.W. Wilson
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to the Eighth Edition,2002 H.W. Wilson
Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners,2004 YALSA-ALA
Parent's Guide to Children's Media,2001 Parent s Guide to Children s Media, Inc.
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books,2001 Cahners
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, March,2001 Cahners
Senior High School Library Catalog, Sixteenth Edition,2002 H.W. Wilson
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults,2002 American Library Association
YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults,2005 American Library Association
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2002-2003
Nominee Maryland
California Young Reader Medal, 2004
Nominee California
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award, 2002
Nominee Colorado
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award, 2003-2004
Nominee Indiana
Iowa High School Book Award, 2003-2004
Nominee Iowa
Nevada Young Readers' Award, 2004
Nominee Nevada
Rhode Island Teen Book Award, 2002
Nominee Rhode Island
Soaring Eagle Book Award, 2002-2003
Nominee Wyoming
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award, 2003-2004
Nominee South Carolina
Tayshas High School Reading List, 2002
Texas
Virginia Young Readers Program, 2003-2004
Nominee Virginia
Volunteer State Book Award, 2004
Nominee Tennessee
Young Adult Reading Program, 2002
South Dakota
Young Reader's Choice Award, 2004
Nominee Pacific Northwest
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award, 2002 Winner United States
Heartland Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, 2003 Finalist United States
Pacific Northwest Book Award, 2002 Winner Pacific Northwest
Keywords
swimming; high school; racially mixed people; sports; popular kids; unpopular kids
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Crutcher, Chris, "Whale Talk" (2001). Diverse Families. 661.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/661