Blog No. 16-- Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

GENRE:
Fantasy

Title: Once a Witch
Author: Carolyn MacCullough

Bibliographic Information:
Reading level: Young Adult—Grade 9 and up
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Clarion Books (September 14, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0547223994
ISBN-13: 978-0547223995

Awards:
ALAs Best Books for Young Adults, 2010

Reader’s Annotation:
Tamsin is just an ordinary seventeen-year-old girl, which under most conditions wouldn’t be so bad—except that she comes from many generations of witches, where her normal traits disappoint her family. When she meets a strange man who needs her sister’s help, Tamsin pretends to be her sister, and as a result is put into a thrilling and very dangerous adventure.

Plot Summary:
Tamsin Greene was born an ordinary girl to a family that, for generations, has produced some of the most powerful witches in town. The day she was born, her grandmother believed that Tamsin would be the greatest of all of them. However, her magic never arrived. Now this seventeen-year-old girl is forced to live a life as a normal girl in an extraordinary family—a difficult feat for any teen trying to just fit in. One day while working in her grandmother’s bookstore, Tamsin meets a mysterious man from Scotland, who is a professor. He came looking for her sister, because he needed her special powers to help him locate a lost family heirloom. He mistakes Tamsin for her sister, and she goes along with the mistake, and agrees to take the job. The missing heirloom search involves a trek back in time to a mysterious and dangerous world where she unleashes some powerful magic, sinister secret, and finds love. The ended is very open, which means that a sequel might be coming soon…

Critical Evaluation:
Except for Tamsin, who is a round character, the rest of the folks peppering this book are actually quite flat (remember, ladies and gentleman, the difference between round and flat characters from Shakespeare)? This is a very plot-driven book, which makes it fun, but not as compelling as it could be if the other characters—Gabriel, for instance, has a bit more dimension. Tamsin drinks and smokes, too—she’s not the goody-goody witch wannabe of so many stories. She has some edge to her, which makes her character very well drawn. Overall, this is a great read despite its lack of character development, but it is possible that the author, who left the ending open and may be planning a sequel—chose to keep the other characters a bit one-sided, because she may intend to develop them further in the sequel. Nonetheless, most young adults will love this book, as it is “not your mama’s witch story.”

Reading level/Interest Age:
Reading level is easy, but the book is appropriate and is recommended for 9th grade and up. Girls will love this, and some boys who enjoy fantasy, may as well (although I think this is definitely a “chick book”

Information about the Author:
Born and Raised in Connecticut, Carolyn McCullough always wanted to be a writer—because she loved to read. She was always jotting down notes, poems, and largely wrote fairytale stories as a young girl. She attended Grinnell College and received a BA in Theatre. She went to New York, worked and went to graduate school at night. She received her Maters in Creative Writing from the New School, and in 2002 sold her first novel, Falling through Darkness. She went to Europe and taught English, traveled through the East Coast of America, and eventually returned to New York, where she taught creative writing. Currently, she teaches creative writing at Gotham Writers, Inc. Other books include Drawing the Ocean and Stealing Henry.

Curriculum Ties:
None.

Booktalking Ideas:

You come from a long line of witches, with amazing and wonderful powers. You go to school, and find out that you are the only one in your family who hasn’t been given this gift. What do you do now?

Challenge Issues:
Religious. Some people don’t like stories about witches, warlocks and vampires. They don’t have to read them, but they need to remember that everyone else has the right to read then if they choose. It is a free country. Libraries are for everyone!

Why I Included This Book:
This was in the Follett List of books, and we bought it. My library TA Jessica read it, and really enjoyed it, so she got me to read it, too. We think girls will love it!

Cover image courtesy of: http://www.carolynmaccullough.com/news/

Blog No. 15- We Were Here by Matt De La Pena

GENRE:
Contemporary Hispanic-American Fiction for Young Adult Readers

Title: We Were Here
Author: Matt De La Pena

Bibliographic Information:
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (October 13, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385736673
ISBN-13: 978-0385736671
Grade Level 7 and up. Age 13 and up.

Awards:
ALAs Best Books for Young Adults, 2010

Reader’s Annotation:
Miguel befriends two boys of different races and religions in a group home after committing a crime—all three boys are struggling to overcome very difficult personal tragedies. Together they make a pact to break out—and do, but finds that the past has a way of haunting you unless you deal with it.

Plot Summary:
Miguel is a fifteen-year-old Hispanic boy who commits a crime and is sent to a group home for boys in San Jose where he meets Rondell and Mong—two boys of different races, backgrounds and religions. Despite their differences and the fact that they are strangers to one another, they bond when they decide to escape their horrible lives and go to Mexico, where Mong supposedly has some sort of “connection.” Rondell is a giant young African American boy who is both illiterate and violent—yet somehow has a heart that feels very innocent. Mong is an excitable and terminally ill Chinese boy who has nothing left to fear. The three break out of the home, steal six hundred and forty dollars, and head toward Mexico. As they travel south, Miguel remembers his distant past—happy times with his brother, Diego, and his Mom—while immersing himself in the classic “Catcher in the Rye” But the memories don’t last. Miguel seems to want to die, despite the fact that he is a very smart and charming character. This dichotomy makes one wonder what is really going on with Miguel, and this wonder help propel the reader through the book. The boys never reach Mexico, but internally, their journey is filled with both limits and an amazing breadth.

Critical Evaluation:
Written in the style of a journal through Miguel’s voice, this story quickly gets under the skin of the reader. De La Pena is a master of street slang in this novel, which gives a true ring to Miguel’s voice, and a sense of urgency to the trio’s plight. This is a departure for De La Pena—who for the first time writes in the first person—and the novel rings true because of it. This journal “narrative” also keeps the reader interested in solving the mystery of Miguel’s past. What would make such a smart and charming boy want to die? Those who have read De La Pena’s other books may be a bit shocked about this one: it has a more realistic and much less optimistic tone throughout. Miguel’s self-hatred seems unusual, and keeps all of us, as readers, wondering why. Interestingly, the adults in this book seem a bit like children. Some are racist, some try to be hip and cool to get along with the teen boys (and it is purposefully cloying), and some are stuck in a time warp, with illusions about youth—both the boys’, and their own that has long passed them by.

Reading level/Interest Age:
Reading level is appropriate for 7th grade and up, but the slang and sometimes depressing content is more appropriate for age 14 and up. It is a great read for young adults and adults alike, but boys, especially those who don’t like to read much, will find this compelling.

Information about the Author:
Matt de la Pena's has written three books thus far: Ball Don't Lie, which was an ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and an ALA-YALSA Quick Pick (and an upcoming movie), Mexican White Boy, which won several awards including a YALSA Best Book for Young Adult (Top Ten Pick), a 2009 Notable Book for a Global Society, and a Junior Library Guild Selection. We Were Here is De La Pena’s third novel. He has also written many short stories. De La Pena graduated the University of the Pacific, where he played basketball on a full scholarship, and received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, and teachers creative writing there.

Curriculum Ties:
Catcher in the Rye. Since the main character is reading this book, it might be fun to connect the two books and see why!

Booktalking Ideas: If you loved Mexican White Boy and Ball Don’t Lie, you will find this new novel by Matt de la Pena very interesting. It is completed different than his other two novels, but equally engaging. What would you do if you found yourself in a group home with a couple of bizarre and interesting people? Would you break out, and see where life would take you? That is exactly what Miguel did – with interesting and surprising circumstances.

Challenge Issues:
None.

Why I Included This Book:
Many of the Hispanic boys who come to my high school library love Matt de la Pena, because they feel he speaks volumes about their lives. Since I want to encourage all of them to keep reading, I purchased his newest, and found myself reading it before we could get it on the shelf.

Cover image courtesy of: http://www.amazon.com/Matt-de-la-Peña/e/B001IXRRQI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Blog No. 14-- New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

GENRE:

Fantasy

Title: New Moon
Author: Stephenie Meyer

Bibliographic Information:
Published September, 2006
Little, Brown and Company
Grade Range: 6 and up, Age Range: 11 and up
ISBN: 978-0-316-16019
Young Adult Fiction,

Awards:
The Children’s Book Choice Awards gave Stephenie Meyer the Author of the Year award for 2009.

Reader’s Annotation:
When the Cullens leave Forks, Bella finds herself depressed and lost, but she finds comfort in her friend Jacob Black until he gets involved with a “cult” of undesirable beings.

Plot Summary:
When the Cullens, including the beautiful Edward, decide to leave Forks, Bella’s world is turned upside down and she spirals into a deep and lonely depression. She reconnects with Jacob Black, and she begins to return to a normal life. When strange things begin to happen to Jacob, he shuts Bella out, which makes her partially revert to feelings of despair. She then discovers that Jacob is a werewolf, the “mortal enemy” of the vampire. She soon gets over the shock, and Jacob’s pack accepts her as a part of the family. Through a series of coincidental events, Edward believes that Bella committed suicide, and he decides to go to Italy and visit the Volturi, an ancient and powerful vampire family. Edward asks the Volturi to kill him because he feels responsible for Bella’s death, and he doesn’t want to live without her. When the Volturi refuse, Edward decides to go out in public and reveal that he is a vampire, which would force the Volturi to exterminate him. Bella learns of this and immediately flies to Italy to show Edward that she really is alive.

Critical Evaluation:
Meyer once again captured the hearts of millions of teenage girls with another beautiful lead male in the form of a werewolf, but failed to really connect to any larger purpose or theme. New Moon felt like a useless continuation of the successful Twilight, which at least offered a new twist on an old concept. New Moon lacked originality, and relied on preexisting ideas to formulate the erratic plot. Fortunately for Meyer, Twilight fans genuinely enjoyed the strange plot, making it undeniably successful. Frankly, the movie was better!

Reading level/Interest Age:
Although the reading level is that of a 6th grader, I feel that this book would be more appropriate for ages 14 and up, due to its subject of teenage love, which a younger audience may find offensive or embarrassing. This book is mostly loved by teenage girls, although some boys may find its genre appealing.

Information about the Author:
Stephenie Meyer lives in Arizona with her husband and her three sons. She graduated with a degree in English literature from Brigham Young University. The idea for Twilight came to her in a dream, and wanted to write about Edward and Bella just to see how their story would pan out, never intending to write a novel. Meyer has written four other published books, three being part of the “Twilight Saga”, and one called The Host, a science fiction novel about a complicated love triangle.

Curriculum Ties:
None.

Challenge Issues:

Religious—some groups object to the mythology of vampires. Remind them it is a part of gothic literature, an important, widely studied and relevant form. Not everyone share the same religious views, and libraries must offer a wide variety of titles. Don’t like it? Don’t let your teens read it—but don’t tell everyone else what to do!

Why I Included This Book:

My daughter once again convinced me to read a Twilight Saga book, reasoning that it is a wonderful continuation of the first book. Although I completely disagree with my daughter’s opinion, I can appreciate the appeal to younger readers. I find the author’s style quite boring. It is not literature however—it’s just a fun beach read for kids. So teens everywhere—enjoy, and allow me a different opinion. There’s room for everyone in the world of books!

Cover image courtesy of:
http://twilightindo.ning.com/photo/2153200:Photo:48?context=user

Blog No. 13 -- Metamorphosis: Junior Year by Betsy Franco

GENRE: Bildungsroman

Title: Metamorphosis: Junior Year
Author: Betsy Franco

Bibliographic Information:
Published 2009
Candlewick Press
Grade Range: 9 and up, Age Range: 13 and up
ISBN: 978-0-7636-3765-1
Young Adult Fiction

Awards:
None yet.

Reader’s Annotation:
Ovid is a sensitive high school student who happens to be an artist, and as he watches his life fall apart around him, he turns to a journal to confide in.

Plot Summary:
When Ovid’s meth-addicted sister, Thena, leaves the house, Ovid’s parents need him to be the perfect son. The pressure is almost too much for Ovid to bear, so he relies on a journal for his escape. He writes about his classmates’ lives like a modern day Roman myth, and slowly reveals his fears and doubts about himself. By the end of the year, his sister is still gone and he is still trying to find himself, but he feels that life is not as dark as he once thought, and he has something to keep the light alive: his creativity.

Critical Evaluation:
With characters named from Roman myth, this book has the right mix of cold reality and playful fantasy. High school is a difficult adventure for almost every kid, and this book captures the truest and most undesirable hardships faced in those four years. Although Ovid’s experiences do not match that of every teen, the main theme of finding one’s place is relevant and universal.

Reading level/Interest Age:

Due to issues with drugs and drinking, I would recommend this book for grades 9 and up, ages 13 and up.

Information about the Author:
Metamorphosis is Betsy Franco’s first young adult novel, and she has written or edited over eighty books for children. Her three sons, James, Dave, and Tom (who did the illustrations for the book) all provided a lot of support and inspiration for Betsy on this project. She lives in northern California with her husband, Doug.

Curriculum Ties: None.

Booktalking Ideas:
Wouldn’t it bite to have to be the perfect child for your parents just because your sister has totally messed up her life with drugs? Would you want to be the stand in for the perfect child? Metamorphosis is about the changes a family—particularly a teenage boy—has to go through when his older sister is no longer the model or favorite child. Such pressure!

Challenge Issues:
Betsy Franco has a strong reputation as a children’s author. This is her first YA novel, and as such, her “fans” may find this frightening and may challenge it. They need to merely be reminded that this book was written for OLDER teens.

Why I Included This Book:

My daughter once again convinced me to read one of her favorite books, mainly due to the fact that the author is the talented James Franco’s mother. She also thought I would enjoy its references to Roman mythology. She was right. I see where James gets his talent (and his handsome features, too)!

Cover image courtesy of: http://www.betsyfranco.com/

Blog No. 12--The Amethyst Road by Louise Spiegler

GENRE:

Fantasy (or Alternative Reality)

Title: The Amethyst Road
Author: Louise Spiegler

Bibliographic Information:
Published September, 2005
Clarion Books (Houghton/ Mifflin).
Hardcover: 336 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0618485724
ISBN-13: 978-0618485727
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
Reading level: Young Adult 7th grade and up
Interest Level: 13 and up

Awards:

Andre Norton Award Nominee.

Reader’s Annotation:

Sixteen-year-old Serena Wallace, sister Willow and baby niece Zara live together alone, trying to survive in the crime-filled Oestia neighborhood where they are outcasts because they are multiracial (from a Gorgio [light-skinned] father and a Yulang [dark-skinned] mother), and because Willow gave birth without being married. Despite the fact that smart Serena attends a Gorgio school, they can’t escape The Cruelty, a social services organization which takes light-skinned babies in a form of legal kidnapping to give the children to Gorgio mothers who cannot bear their own. Zara’s kidnapping launches Serena on a journey to find her—and on the way, discovers many secrets, lies and answers even she didn’t know she was looking for.

Plot Summary:
On the outside, Oestia seems very much like a city similar to many in modern day America: it has issues with class, race, morality and the role of women in society. However, it is in Oestia where 16-year-old Serena Wallace and her older sister, Willow, and Willow’s illegitimate two-year-old daughter, Zara, struggle to survive without parents: their father is long dead, and their mother is missing, believed to be insane. They are outcasts or ma’hane due in part to their mixed blood, but more so because Willow had Zara without the benefit of marriage. Willow takes after her Gorgio father—she is light-skinned, with light eyes, and considered very beautiful, but is completely irresponsible and incapable of taking care of the family, even though she is out of school and is the oldest. Serena takes after her Yulang mother: she has darker skin and eyes, and a gypsy-like spirit. She knows how to negotiate with people to help keep the little family together. Serena is extremely bright: she attends a Gorgio school and studies the ancient Romanae language, but is also gifted in music and has the Kereskedo Yulang knack for selling items at the plaza.

Trouble starts for Serena and Willow when the Gorgio social services—called “The Cruelty” by the neighborhood, take Zara away from Willow. This, coupled with the fact that Serena believes she killed a male member of the Cruelty, sends her off to escape capture by the authorities, but also on a quest for her mother, whose whereabouts have been unknown since her father died. While on her journey, she meets Shem, who is on a quest to find himself, and find a wife. Despite many trust issues, the two join forces and travel deep into the mountains where precious gems are sought, and Trident Riders seek to wipe out those of non-Gorgio blood. Together, Serena and Shem struggle to find Zara, her mother and themselves—and Serena learns many things about her family, her tribe and herself—answers she didn’t even know she was seeking.

Critical Evaluation:
This book in many ways could have taken place anywhere. Many of the richly painted scenes depict the difficulties of a person living in a society where the dominant culture is not the one you come from. This is a book about racism, to be sure—but it is also about the magic of self-discovery, and learning that where one comes from both informs their life and makes them stronger as a result, despite the challenges.

On the other hand, there is an otherworldly feeling to this setting—perhaps a kind of post-apocalyptic society, or future gone way wrong kind of place, where bad things happen because of appearances and propriety, and not because of how one lives inside. There are magical elements, but this is truly a grim and very realistic story about the implications of racism in a controlling, one-sided society where some have and some have not. The beauty of this book is that the author created the place, the races, even the language, making this a highly original yet very familiar story.

Reading level/Interest Age:
The publisher recommends this book for grades 7 and up and age 13 years or older. While I think this is largely correct. I believe older teens, particularly girls, will like this novel because of the “reality-based fantasy” throughout the book. There is a love story inherent in the book, but the adventures of the heroine make Serena a role model for today’s young women.

Information about the Author:
Louise Spiegler, originally from Buffalo, New York began writing when she was twelve. She attended Johns Hopkins University and studied International Politics, where she developed a passion for grass-roots organization. She worked to bring notoriety to a variety of causes and issues, including nuclear freeze and disarmament, the Central American Solidarity Committee, and worked on an Anti-Apartheid coalition. While doing all of this, she wrote and published short stories in a zine’ called the Shattered Wig Review.

Louise attended Temple University and earned a graduate degree in English and Creative Writing, and eventually moved to South Korea to teach interested people there how to speak English. While there, she met her husband, and Englishman named Richard Moore. Together they traveled all over Asia, but eventually settled in Seattle, where Louise began working with the Anti-Defamation League. Once she had children, she stopped worked and started writing in earnest, finishing The Amethyst Road when her oldest child was four years old. She teaches at Cascadia College. Her new novel The Jewel and the Key is set to be published sometime in 2010.

Curriculum Ties:

It could be interesting to read this side-by-side with JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. In some small ways, this is a subdued female version of that book.

Booktalking Ideas:

This is a great story for girls, and some boys who enjoy novels that are a combination of adventure, fantasy or alternative reality AND still contain a bit of romance in it. Serena is a real heroine, and a role model to many young women who feel that they must stand up for what they believe in/ despite all possible negative consequences.

Challenge Issues: None.

Why I Included This Book:

I read The Amethyst Road shortly after I first became a librarian. It has always stayed with me, particularly because of the author’s attention to detail and her ability to create a great story about important topics without being preachy.

Cover image courtesy of: http://www.flipkart.com/book/amethyst-road-louise-spiegler/0618485724

Blog No. 11--Identical by Ellen Hopkins

GENRE:
REALISTIC FICTION: POETRY

Title: Identical
Author: Ellen Hopkins

Bibliographic Information:
Margaret K. McElderry, August 2008
Hardcover, 576 pages
ISBN-10: 1416950052
ISBN-13: 9781416950059
Ages: 14 and up
Grades: 9 and up

Awards:
New York Times® Bestseller
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
NYPL "Books for the Teen Age"
Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award Master List
YALSA Teens Top Ten (TTT)

Reader’s Annotation:

Appearances can be deceiving—especially when it comes to seemingly perfect and privileged lives and beautiful identical twin girls. Kayleigh and Raeanne, named after Dad Ray, a high-profile judge and Mom Kay, a career-possessed woman running for Congress. Inside, these twins are different as night and day: Raeanne is the wild one, desperately seeking Dad’s attention by getting sexually involved with the baddest boys in town; Kayleigh, the quiet one, gets all of Dad’s attention in the darkest possible way, but craves the love of an absent mom; together, the girls forge an unforgettable bond as one sister steps up to help the other.

Plot Summary:
Ellen Hopkins fifth book, Identical, follows twins Kaeleigh and Raeanne Gardella—pretentiously named after self-absorbed, troubled parents who are on the fast-track to unequalled success and hell at the same time. Raeanne is named after her father, Ray—a well respected district court judge who brings his “absolute” courtroom authority into their high-end household. He is demanding, controlling, authoritarian, abusive, alcoholic and does everything he can to stifle the growth and independence of his girls. Kaeleigh is the quiet “beautiful flower,” named after her mother Kay, who is a ruthless, inattentive women more concerned with appearances and with shattering the glass ceiling than to even notice what is going on with her children—especially her namesake, who is suffering in the most horrific ways.

Raeanne is a wild child who sees everything that is gong on in their dysfunctional household, but still craves the love of her sick and twisted father. Raeanne has been witness to the most horrible thing one can witness—the sexual abuse of a child by a parent—in this case, her sister, Kaeleigh. Raeanne does everything she can to protect her sister, yet at the same time is subconsciously jealous of the attention Kaeleigh gets from her father. To cope, Raeanne abuses pot and sex with unseemly young men as a way to escape—gradually advancing to prescription drugs, booze and sadistic sex to make her escape grander.

Kaeleigh is the pleaser in the family, a role commonly afforded to the sensitive one in any family dynamic, particularly a family as dysfunctional as the Gardellas. Her coping mechanism is food—she eats monstrous amounts in an effort to deal with the abuse she receives—abuse that she, for the longest time saw as love—and then purges herself to avoid going into “double-digit sizes” something her father would never allow. Kaeleigh wants to experience real love with Ian, an upstanding, highly patient young man who has been in love with Kaeleigh forever. Both have been case in the high school play as lovers, and they each feel the heat between them, but something always prevents Kaeleigh from trusting Ian completely. He knows that something is up with her, but he doesn’t know to what extent. In addition to purging, Kaeleigh also cuts—something that Ian notices and wants to prevent.

Part of the arena of the story includes a tragic accident that happened years ago. Dad Ray was driving, but throughout the book we never know what exactly happened—at least not until the very end. It was this event that was the straw that broke the family’s back, so to speak, although it is clear through the story that there were many other dysfunctions that led to the current state of the Gardellas. In addition, Daddy Ray has a lot of baggage: an absentee mother who left him when he was very small, and a blue-collar father whom he does not completely respect. He has broken contact with both of them.

Mom Kay is running for Congress, and is obsessed with winning. Details about her are fleeting in the story—she is absent physically and emotionally to her girls, and to her husband, with whom she has a marriage in name only. Hints are given throughout that Kay seems to know what is going on in her household, but she ignores things for the sake of their respective careers.

The ending is a shocker, exposing not only dysfunction, but acute mental illness, and will keep readers guessing to the last few pages.

Critical Evaluation:
Identical is Hopkins’ first attempt at dual poetic narration. Although she successful weaves multiple voices in her other novels, Identical is different. Each of the stories here are about two different characters, but they reside in the same family, and to an extent, experience similar things as a result. However, the way Kaeleigh and Raeanne see the same events are quite different, and these “identical” but distinct experiences serve to provide a multi-faceted look at a dysfunctional American family.

What is compelling about Identical is the fact that Hopkins choose to explore a family that seems to have it all—the stereotypical American success story. Most adults understand that severe dysfunction knows no socio-economic borders—and in this story Hopkins throws them all in for good measure (drug and alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, sadistic sex, incest, cutting, bulimia, dissociative identity disorder, abandonment and so on). However, it is likely that some adolescents think that these problems only happen to “poor” people. However, this choice also distances the readers from the characters at the story’s start. It is hard to feel sorry for kids who have it all. But the two narratives are given equal weight, and soon readers clearly realize that dysfunction can be—and often is—a part of some of societies leading families.

That said, I found the dual narrative to be confusing at times, and in some critical moments I found myself wondering who really was speaking—Raeanne or Kaeleigh. As the story progressed, however, I began to see that this was intentional, so that the book could be plotted to its unbelievable conclusion. At times, it was a bit like the ABC soap operas—well written, yet unbelievable. How much could these twins go through and still survive?

Perhaps that is the central question in this book. The human drive to continue on, despite having to contend with the worst that the world has to offer, is not only worth of hope, but of applause. Despite its highly graphic depictions of the worst imaginable (and I definitely do not recommend this book for the faint-hearted or anyone under 16) it is an important book for some teens to read, and to understand that they too can rise above the most horrific experiences with help and the desire to hold on.

Reading level/Interest Age:
This was the most difficult of all Hopkins’ books for me, as an adult to read. I feel that the graphic sex portrayed in this novel, while important not only to the story, but to shed light on the subject of incest, makes this book not for anyone under the age of seventeen, not sixteen as the publisher suggests. All adolescents will find this book disturbing, but it can be especially so for teens who have been sexually abused—or know someone who has. This is a perfect book for abused teens to read with their therapist. Some teens will not at all relate to this book. One of my library teaching assistants (a very mature honors student) read this book, and told me that it “held her interest only somewhat.” She thought the ending was contrived, and while she felt empathy for the twins, she could not relate to the story at all. However, as Hopkins’ books in my view are geared toward the reluctant reader, I am not surprised at my TAs’ reaction. In any event, this book is not for everyone, particularly the very sensitive.

Information about the Author:
No one should be surprised that Ellen Hopkins started out as a poet, since each of her young adult novels is written in the broken lines of both rhymed and unrhymed verse. Hopkins herself says “that in a previous life, I was a freelance writer, nonfiction author and, then and now, a poet” (Hopkins in Red Room, 2009).

Compared to many other YA authors, there is not much biographical information on Ellen Hopkins outside of her own website, although she is probably one of the more fan-accessible writers today. Married to John Hopkins for a lot of years, Ellen Hopkins has three grown children—two daughters and one son—as well as a twelve-year-old son at home in Carson City, Nevada. Her own webpage contains the most information available about her—especially in the FAQ section, where she answers readers’ questions about her life. She wrote twenty nonfiction books before becoming a YA author, but those titles are not available.

According to her website, http://www.ellenhopkins.com/ , Ms. Hopkins was born in 1955, but was adopted by a much older couple. Her adoptive dad and mom Albert and Valeria Wagner were 72 and 42 years old respectively, at the time of her birth. She grew up in the Palm Springs area surrounded by many of the rich and famous like Elvis Presley and Bob Hope. Her father, a hard-working man with a sixth grade education, made most of his money during World War Two in the steel industry. She had her first child, Jason at 21, followed by Cristal in 1978. Cristal is the real-life Kristina in the books Crank and Glass and the upcoming Fallout, scheduled for release in 2010. Her daughter Kelly is from a “rebound relationship” that happened after her divorce from Jason and Cristal’s father. Hopkins has been writing her entire life, but didn’t begin writing “for money” until the 1990s when she moved to the Carson City area. She met her current husband, John Hopkins around 1985, and they married in 1991. He is her best friend and her “forever love” (Hopkins, 2010).

Curriculum Ties: None.

Booktalking Ideas:

None. Because this is a book about incest, I would not choose it for booktalking pusposes. I would hold it up as another Ellen Hopkins novel, but the only talking I would do is to warn teens of some very upsetting material. I think it is an important book, but it is not one I would feel comfortable talking about.

Challenge Issues:

Incest and graphic sex. How to overcome challenges: discuss that the library is designed to reach a wide variety of readers, and that this book is designed to help reluctant readers read. This book might actually help some teens who have experienced sexual abuse, or develop empathy and understanding for those who have.

Why I Included This Book:

All of Ellen Hopkins’ novels seem to disappear from our library shelves. This one departs from her usual narrative style a bit, and gives Hopkins fans yet another gritty world to explore.

Cover image and awards courtesy of http://books.simonandschuster.com/Identical/Ellen-Hopkins/9781416950059

Blog No. 10--Crank by Ellen Hopkins

GENRE:

REALISTIC FICTION: POETRY

Title: Crank
Author: Ellen Hopkins

Bibliographic Information:
Published October, 2004
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster)
Grade Range: 9 and up, Age Range: 14 and up
ISBN-10: 10: 0689865198
ISBN-13: 9780689865190
Young Adult Fiction 7.2 x 5.4 x 1.7 inches
Hardcover: 544 pages

Awards:
Abraham Lincoln Book Award Master List (IL)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
Charlotte Award Suggested Reading List (NY)
Gateway Readers Award Nominee (MO)
Green Mountain Book Award Master List (VT)
IRA Young Adults' Choices
Kentucky Bluegrass Award Master List
NYPL "Books for the Teen Age"
Pennsylvania School Librarian Association (PSLA) "Top Ten (Or So)" Young Adult Books
Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
PSLA Fiction List
Soaring Eagle Book Award (WY)
SSLI Book Award Honor Book
YALSA Teens Top Ten (TTT)

Reader’s Annotation: Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect teenager—an A student who never causes any trouble—until a court order forces her to spend three weeks with her father whom she hasn’t seen since she was seven. While “under the influence” of this low-life, irresponsible, addicted man, Kristina gets mixed up with the “monster” (crystal meth), turns into Bree, a wilder version of Kristina, and begin a slide into the abyss of addiction and all the destructive behavior that follows it.

Plot Summary:
Kristina Georgia Snow lives in a nice area of Reno, Nevada with her mother, Marie; stepfather, Scott; sister, Leigh (a lesbian); and a brother, Jake. It is a perfectly boring but upright middle class life, and although she is a model child with good grades, something inside her feels wrong. She attributes this feeling to missing her biological father, whom she hasn’t seen since she was seven years old. Her dreams reveal the fights between her mom and her father, but she still holds him on a pedestal of sorts. During the summer, she is forced (via a court order) to spend three weeks with her dad. When she arrives in Albuquerque, the heat of the area and of her quest melts her inhibitions, and Bree, the alter ego who has been largely asleep while in Reno, begins to more fully awaken. Bree is the outgoing, in-your-face version of Kristina, who knows what she wants and how to get it. Still, Kristina is in charge, and for the most part keeps Bree under wraps, at least until Kristina meets “Buddy” aka Adam, a hot young teenage boy who lives in the apartment near her dad. Kristina has been watching him kiss another girl, Lince, and has been wishing she was the one being kissed. Meanwhile, life at dad’s is worse than Kristina thought. His living conditions are deplorable, and his work ethic basically non-existent, except for an under-the-table job in the bowling alley where he has a constant supply of drugs and women. Kristina, feeling more confused about her own life and where she fits in, becomes vulnerable to the Buddy’s attention, and his own crank addition. Against Kristina’s better judgment, and at Bree’s urging, she tries all kinds of drug, and eventually snorts crystal meth. The drug lowers her inhibitions, and Bree comes out full force, craving togetherness with Buddy. Her need for attention feeds her growing addiction, until her three weeks are up and she returns home with a homemade tattoo carved into her leg, and a promise from Buddy that they will be together again. .

Back in Reno, she sees that life with Mom isn’t too bad—there’s food, everything is clean, and she largely feels safe. However, Bree and the absence of excitement gnaw at her. How can she face everything without them? At Scott’s company picnic, she meets Brendan, a good-looking life guard. When she sees him, Bree comes out and flirts. At this event, Kristina learns more about her friends, especially Robyn –a cheerleader who uses drugs to keeps up with all the demands of school. She also meets Chase—an “unattractive” guy whom mom would never approve of. They get together, do some drugs. But there is something kind about Chase. He’s not attractive, but he is interesting and knows a bit abut literature. So Kristina/Bree ends up confused between three young men: Buddy/Adam, the hot guy from Albuquerque who writes to her; Chase, the kind but unattractive guy whom she feels safe with, even when they do drugs together, and Brendan, the user and player who eventually sells her crank, takes her virginity and gets her pregnant. Bree has allowed her life to go completely out of control and what’s worse, doesn’t care one bit. But maybe—just maybe—the life growing inside her will help bring Kristina back.


Critical Evaluation:

Although Crank was Hopkins first novel, it was not the first one of hers on my reading list. I had to compete with the many students at my library to check them out, and, for some reason, Crank is the book that is most seldom there. (We had purchased two copies originally: within a week, one was stolen). So, I actually read Tricks, her most recent novel first, followed by Burned, Glass, Crank and finally Identical. I have not yet read Impulse, but I will soon.

While Crank certainly pushed the YA Literature envelope in many ways, bringing needed attention to the problems of drugs in the middle class world, it is not nearly as controversial or graphic as her more recent novel, Tricks. However, I found that in terms of real poetry—meaning images that evoke emotion—Crank was by far Hopkins’ best novel. She writes in the first person—a must for good poetry of any kind these days—and brings readers into Kristina’s world with beautiful metaphoric images. In the “chapter” Alone, Hopkins introduces the problems Kristina sees in her world: a lonely teenager always doing the right thing, constantly feeling that she is being ignored or upstaged by other members in her family. She hates being seen as the perfect daughter, so she invents a persona, Bree, who shouts obscenities, “farts with gusto” and is not quite sane. Hopkins introduces this alter-ego with a poignant metaphor: “Alone/there is only the person inside/I’ve grown to like her better/than the stuck-up husk of me” (Hopkins, pg 4). It is this internal character who Hopkins makes responsible for Kristina’s eventual downfall, with Kristina hiding, sometimes fighting to stay “alive.” The real poetry continues: “I suppose she’s always been/there, vague as a soft/copper pulse of moonlight/through blossoming seacoast fog.” (Hopkins, pg. 6).

Hopkins handles dialogue within the poems in an interesting way, almost as a battle between real talk with interior thought. For example, when Kristina is at her father’s dilapidated apartment in Albuquerque with Adam/Buddy and they are having an intimate moment, the narrative-like dialogue on Kristina is on the left, with Adam’s on the right in italics, almost like a call and response (it won't transfer that way to this blog, however):

“It was gentle persuasion.

I can’t get enough of you.

Sweet coercion.
My beautiful angel.

Magnet to metal.
I’ve got to have all of you.

It was hands, exploring taboo places.

Oh God! You’re perfect!”

(Hopkins, pg 96).


Yes. From a poetic perspective, Crank is by far Hopkins’ best book. From a story perspective, it holds up, too. Sustaining poetry for 537 pages is quite a feat, and for Crank at least, Hopkins manages to do an admirable job.


Reading level/Interest Age:
This book is recommended for 9th grade and up, and ages 14 and older. Interest age would depend on the maturity of the reader. In general, I would not recommend any of Hopkins’ books to anyone under 16, due to the difficult subject matter. I definitely think this is a book for reluctant readers, as it is easy to handle despite its numerous pages. Strong readers may appreciate Crank for its poetic imagery, and those with an understanding of poetry may find it interesting to read as a study of different narrative forms. However, I don’t think this, or any of Hopkins’ books, would appeal to the higher-level student who are used to reading classics in school. For them, this would be a good summer beach read.


Information about the Author:
No one should be surprised that Ellen Hopkins started out as a poet, since each of her young adult novels is written in the broken lines of both rhymed and unrhymed verse. Hopkins herself says “that in a previous life, I was a freelance writer, nonfiction author and, then and now, a poet” (Hopkins in Red Room, 2009).

Compared to many other YA authors, there is not much biographical information on Ellen Hopkins outside of her own website, although she is probably one of the more fan-accessible writers today. Married to John Hopkins for a lot of years, Ellen Hopkins has three grown children—two daughters and one son—as well as a twelve-year-old son at home in Carson City, Nevada. Her own webpage contains the most information available about her—especially in the FAQ section, where she answers readers’ questions about her life. She wrote twenty nonfiction books before becoming a YA author, but those titles are not available.

According to her website, http://www.ellenhopkins.com/ , Ms. Hopkins was born in 1955, but was adopted by a much older couple. Her adoptive dad and mom Albert and Valeria Wagner were 72 and 42 years old respectively, at the time of her birth. She grew up in the Palm Springs area surrounded by many of the rich and famous like Elvis Presley and Bob Hope. Her father, a hard-working man with a sixth grade education, made most of his money during World War Two in the steel industry. She had her first child, Jason at 21, followed by Cristal in 1978. Cristal is the real-life Kristina in the books Crank and Glass and the upcoming Fallout, scheduled for release in 2010. Her daughter Kelly is from a “rebound relationship” that happened after her divorce from Jason and Cristal’s father. Hopkins has been writing her entire life, but didn’t begin writing “for money” until the 1990s when she moved to the Carson City area. She met her current husband, John Hopkins around 1985, and they married in 1991. He is her best friend and her “forever love” (Hopkins, 2010).

Curriculum Ties:

Could be a good example to use in a poetry unit with an Honor’s English class to compare and contrast poetic forms, and to debate whether or not some poetry can work as a narrative.

Booktalking Ideas:
Imagine a true story about a perfectly beautiful and intelligent young woman who, after years of not seeing her father is forced by the court to visit him—and he turned her on to crystal meth! Imagine yet, this true story ends up becoming a very popular, bestselling novel—written by the young woman’s own mother? Imagine this, and you have Crank, by Ellen Hopkins. If you were this girl, how would you feel about your life—and your addiction—being read about by millions of teenagers across the world?

Challenge Issues:

Drug use, and rape scene. How to overcome challenges: point out the numerous awards, and discuss the benefits of compelling subject matter for reluctant readers.

Why I Included This Book:

All of Ellen Hopkins’ novels seem to disappear from our library shelves. This one, her first, is the more interesting in terms of real poetry: it contains stunning images, compelling metaphors and uses interior/exterior dialogue in unusual ways. Good for reluctant readers. For higher level readers, it is a quick (one-day) read.

Cover image courtesy of: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Crank/Ellen-Hopkins/9780689865190

Lines of poetry courtesy of Crank by Ellen Hopkins.