Friday, December 2, 2011
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Hopkins, Ellen. Crank. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. 2004. ISBN 978-1416995135
AWARDS:
SSLI Honor Book Award 2006
IRA Young Adult Choices Award 2005
PSLA Top Ten for Teens 2005
Quills Award nominee 2005
Book Sense Top 10 2005
SUMMARY: Kristina Snow is a normal high school girl, until her mother reluctantly allows her to go visit her deadbeat father for a vacation. He lives in a drug infested neighborhood and soon Kristina joins him and partakes in what she calls the “monster,” which is methamphetamine. With the “monster,” she turns into her alter ego “Bree.” Bree is less shy and allows the “monster” to take over her life.
When she returns home she begins hanging out with a different crowd. All her new friends are pathways to get her to the “monster.” She is eventually raped, but is also sexually active with a boy she cares about. She becomes pregnant, but doesn’t know for certain whom the father is.
She has a son and they live with her mother and step father. Her life is hard with a son to take care of, and she is constantly tempted by the “monster.” In the end, she gives in and goes out the door to get high.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS: This story, told through the eyes of Kristina, is hard to read. The book shows how a perfectly good kid can succumb to the temptations of drugs. One mistake leads to another until she is a drug addict, as well as pregnant. The author has told a believable tale of teenage drug addiction. Kristina’s life spirals out of control and her trip down this path is totally believable. As Kristen says “Life was good before I met the monster. After, life was great. At least for a little while.” (Hopkins 2004.)
The character is well developed and most teenagers can relate to Kristin’s need to know her real father and in that need to be accepted, she chooses to try drugs. I would recommend this book to teenage girls. The book might be too long for reluctant readers. The novel in verse makes it easier to read, but it is long. I liked that the way the verses displayed on the page are constantly changing which makes the display and visual of the book more appealing. There is a lesson to be learned from this story and the fact that the author really experienced this situation with her own daughter makes it more appealing and believable.
I didn’t like that the author doesn’t include resources for students to use if they have a problem. I think it would have been more responsible to include ways for real teenagers to receive help.
REVIEWS:
School Library Journal Review:
“Grade 8 Up–Seventeen-year-old Kristina Snow is introduced to crank on a trip to visit her wayward father. Caught up in a fast-paced, frightening, and unfamiliar world, she morphs into "Bree" after she "shakes hands with the monster." Her fearless, risk-taking alter ego grows stronger, "convincing me to be someone I never dreamed I'd want to be." When Kristina goes home, things don't return to normal. Although she tries to reconnect with her mother and her former life as a good student, her drug use soon takes over, leaving her "starving for speed" and for boys who will soon leave her scarred and pregnant. Hopkins writes in free-verse poems that paint painfully sharp images of Kristina/Bree and those around her, detailing how powerful the "monster" can be. The poems are masterpieces of word, shape, and pacing, compelling readers on to the next chapter in Kristina's spiraling world. This is a topical page-turner and a stunning portrayal of a teen's loss of direction and realistically uncertain future.”
Booklist Review:
“Gr. 8-12. Like the teenage crack user in the film Traffic, the young addict in this wrenching, cautionary debut lives in a comfortable, advantaged home with caring parents. Sixteen-year-old Kristina first tries crank, or crystal meth, while visiting her long-estranged father, a crank junkie. Bree is Kristina's imagined, bolder self, who flirts outrageously and gets high without remorse, and when Kristina returns to her mother and family in Reno, it's Bree who makes connections with edgy guys and other crank users that escalate into full-blown addiction and heartrending consequences. Hopkins tells Kristina's story in experimental verse. A few overreaching lines seem out of step with character voices: a boyfriend, for example, tells Kristina that he'd like to wait for sex until she is "free from dreams of yesterday." But Hopkins uses the spare, fragmented style to powerful effect, heightening the emotional impact of dialogues, inner monologues, and devastating scenes, including a brutal date rape. Readers won't soon forget smart, sardonic Kristina; her chilling descent into addiction; or the author's note, which references her own daughter's struggle with "the monster.”
RESOURCES:
Hopkins, Ellen. Crank. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. 2004.
Ellen Hopkins website.
Ellen Hopkins/Simon and Schuster website.
Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
Grimes, Nikki. Bronx Masquerade. New York: Dial Books. 2002. ISBN 9780142501894
AWARDS:
2003 Coretta Scott King Author Award
ALA Notable Book
SUMMARY: This story is told through the eyes of high school students in Mr. Ward’s English class. The students come from broken and lower class homes. Most students are raging about some issue in their lives, as well as worried about their ability to fit in with their peers. Mr. Ward starts “Open Mike” Fridays, where students can get up and read poems they have written. Releasing their true feelings through poetry, these students divert their anger through words and begin to bond as a class. The barriers each student had built to protect themselves are slowly peeled away and they realize that their first impressions of each other are not accurate.
The “Open Mike” Fridays become so popular that a reporter comes to the school and writes a report about the great things going on in Mr. Ward’s English class. As the end of school approaches, the class is allowed to perform their poetry in front of the whole school. The whole class has gone from mere acquaintances into a tight knit family, supporting each other. They perform for the school, and Mr. Ward’s class becomes one of the most sought after classes in the whole school.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS: An inspirational and enlightening read for junior high through high school readers. It is refreshing to read about minority and economically challenged students where the whole book is positive. There were no bad characters, there was no fighting, there was no drug dealing, there were just students who were encouraged to succeed and feel good about themselves.
The setting is a Bronx high school with the story told through the eyes of students in a high school English class. The main character, Tyrone, is well developed. We see his insights about his own life and his impressions of the other students he gets to know through their poetry. We meet the other characters, but they only have small chapters coupled with their poetry. Most students will be able to relate to at least one character is this book.
Each student has a less than perfect life and feels a need fit in with their peers. They have little control over their situations, but gain power through their own words in their poetry. They began to see that they can be successful and their futures are bright. They begin to bond as a group and seek control over their anger and loneliness.
I would recommend it for any teenage student, and especially reluctant readers. The poetry mixed with the stories of the individual students is a good mix and an easy read.
REVIEWS:
Publisher’s Weekly Review:
“When a high school teacher in the Bronx begins to host open-mike poetry in his classroom on Fridays, his students find a forum to express their identity issues and forge unexpected connections with one another. Grimes's (Jazmin's Notebook) creative, contemporary premise will hook teens, and the poems may even inspire readers to try a few of their own. The poetic forms range from lyrics penned by aspiring rapper Tyrone to the concrete poem of a budding Puerto Rican painter Raul (titled "Zorro" and formed as the letter "Z"). Ultimately, though, there may be too many characters for the audience to penetrate deeply. The students in Mr. Ward's English class experience everything from dyslexia and low self-esteem to teenage motherhood and physical abuse. The narrators trade off quickly, offering only a glimpse into their lives. Not even Tyrone, who breaks in after each student's poem to offer some commentary, comes fully to life. The students' poems, however, provide some lasting images (e.g., overweight Janelle, who is teased for her "thick casing," writes, "I am coconut,/ and the heart of me/ is sweeter/ than you know"). Any one of these students could likely dominate a novel of his or her own, they simply get too little time to hold the floor here. Ages 12-up.”
School Library Journal Review:
“Gr 8 Up-A flowing, rhythmic portrait of the diversity and individuality of teen characters in a classroom in Anywhere, U.S.A. Each teen's story is told by combining his or her poetry with snippets of narration. Readers meet Tyrone, an aspiring songwriter who sees no use for school; Lupe, who thinks that becoming a mother would give her the love she lacks in her life; and Janelle, who is struggling with her body image. As their stories unfold and intertwine with those of their classmates, readers are able to observe changes in them and watch the group evolve into a more cohesive unit. Grimes's style is reminiscent of Mel Glenn's poetry novels, but by telling these stories in both poetry and narration, the author adds a new twist. Competent and reluctant readers alike will recognize and empathize with these teens. As always, Grimes gives young people exactly what they're looking for-real characters who show them they are not alone.”
RESOURCES:
Grimes, Nikki. Bronx Masquerade. New York: Dial Books. 2002.
Nikki Grimes website.
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones
Sones, Sonya. Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. 1999. ISBN 0060283866
AWARDS:
Christopher Award for best children's book
Claudia Lewis Award for Poetry
Myra Cohn Livingston Poetry Award
Reading Association Young Adults' Choice for 2001
Favorite Book of 1999 by Teenreads.com
American Library Association 2000 Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
American Library Association 2000 Best Book for Young Adults
American Library Association 2002 Popular Paperback for Young Adults
International Reading Association Young Adults' Choice for 2001
SUMMARY: On Christmas Eve, the author’s sister has a nervous breakdown. She is put into a mental hospital. The author, as well as her mother and father, have no idea how to deal with the sister’s breakdown or how to communicate with each other.
Visiting her sister is torture. She wants to keep the whole situation a secret because she is afraid her friends will abandon her if they find out. She finally tells them and they spread the news around the school and shut her out of their social circle. She finds a girl with family problems like her, and they become friends. She also meets a boy. She finally introduces him to her family, including her sister. He doesn’t seem to mind that her family isn’t perfect.
Her sister begins to recover and the rest of the family begins to heal while she is away. In the end, she finds she doesn’t miss her old friends at all and she has a boyfriend that she loves.
CRITICAL ANALYIS: The story is told through the eyes of a teenage girl whose sister has a mental breakdown on Christmas Eve. The story is believable and the way the little sister has to deal with the situation is dead on. She doesn’t get attention from her parents because they are so worried about her big sister. She has to deal with the whole situation herself. She loses her friends and her sister’s situation takes over her whole life. I think many students can relate to the little sister and what she goes through. Almost every family has to deal with family members that suffer from some physical or mental problem.
The characters are all well developed and we see them in memories of the time before the sister’s breakdown, as well as how they deal with this new ordeal.
The novel in verse makes this book an easy read for any teenager. Most teenagers can relate to the feelings and thoughts of the younger sister. I liked that the display and visual of the verses changes frequently which adds to the visual appeal of the book.
The author also includes that this really happened to her sister when she was a teenager. She also lists resources for students if they need help. I thought that was a great addition to the book. Students need resources to reach for in case they see themselves in this story.
REVIEWS:
School Library Journal Review:
“ Grade 6-9-An unpretentious, accessible book that could provide entry points for a discussion about mental illness-its stigma, its realities, and its affect on family members. Based on the journals Sones wrote at the age of 13 when her 19-year-old sister was hospitalized due to manic depression, the simply crafted but deeply felt poems reflect her thoughts, fears, hopes, and dreams during that troubling time. In one poem, the narrator fears that "If I stay/any longer/than an hour,/ I'll see that my eyes/have turned into her eyes,/my lips/have turned into her lips, ." She dreads having her friends learn of her sister's illness. "If I told them that my sister's nuts,/they might act sympathetic,/but behind my back/would everyone laugh?" and wonders what she could have done to prevent the breakdown. All of the emotions and feelings are here, the tightness in the teen's chest when thinking about her sibling in the hospital, her grocery list of adjectives for mental illness, and the honest truth in the collection's smallest poem, "I don't want to see you./I dread it./There./I've said it." An insightful author's note and brief list of organizations are included.”
Kirkus Review:
“In a story based on real events, and told in poems, Sones explores what happened and how she reacted when her adored older sister suddenly began screaming and hearing voices in her head, and was ultimately hospitalized. Individually, the poems appear simple and unremarkable, snapshot portraits of two sisters, a family, unfaithful friends, and a sweet first love. Collected, they take on life and movement, the individual frames of a movie that in the unspooling become animated, telling a compelling tale and presenting a painful passage through young adolescence. The form, a story-in-poems, fits the story remarkably well, spotlighting the musings of the 13-year-old narrator, and pinpointing the emotions powerfully. She copes with friends who snub her, worries that she, too, will go mad, and watches her sister's slow recovery. To a budding genre that includes Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust (1997) and Virginia Euwer Wolff's Make Lemonade (1993), this book is a welcome addition. (Poetry. 10-14)”
RESOURCES:
Sones, Sonya. Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. 1999.
Sonya Sones website.
Simon and Schuster/Sonya Sones website.
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