"Running Loose" by Chris Crutcher follows the story of a high school senior named Louie Banks, a talented football player who must navigate the complexities of adolescence, love, and the pressures of sports. When Louie faces a moral dilemma after a pivotal game, he decides to challenge the rigid expectations of his coach and teammates. Throughout the narrative, he grapples with friendship, loyalty, and the importance of staying true to oneself. As Louie confronts the realities of life beyond the playing field, he discovers strength and resilience in unexpected places. This coming-of-age tale deftly explores themes of identity and integrity. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].

This book is aimed at children at US 8th grade+.

This book has been graded for interest at 12-17 years.

There are 224 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2009 by Greenwillow Books .

Chris Crutcher has written nine critically acclaimed novels, an autobiography, and two collections of short stories. Drawing on his experience as a family therapist and child protection specialist, Crutcher writes honestly about real issues facing teenagers today: making it through school, competing in sports, handling rejection and failure, and dealing with parents. He has won three lifetime achievement awards for the body of his work: the Margaret A. Edwards Award, the ALAN Award, and the NCTE National Intellectual Freedom Award. Chris Crutcher lives in Spokane, Washington.