Saturday, August 7, 2010

Crank by Ellen Hopkins


Module 9/SLIS 5420/August 2-7

Bibliography

Hopkins, Ellen. (2004). Crank. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 978-0-689-86519-0

Summary

Through verse, Ellen Hopkins relays the tale of Kristina - a girl who gets caught up in the madness and monster of meth. The verse relay two tales - that of Kristina (the good girl) and that of her alter ego, Bree, who she has developed after a summer with her doped up Dad. Through word play and honest emotions, Hopkins tells a story that hits close to home, as it mirrors issues that she and her daughter dealt with in real life.

My Impressions

I really enjoyed the verse in this novel. I know that, for many, verse novels are tough to get through, but the word play and structure make this an interesting read, while the topic and raw emotion make it a page-turner. Once Kristina visits her Dad and meets the "monster" that is meth, it's hard to turn back and no longer be "Bree." This book has it all, falling in love, drugs, LGBTQ issues, and a lot more and - on top of all that - it's based on a true story: cautionary tale.

Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon.com Review: "Ellen Hopkins's semi-autobiographical verse novel, Crank, reads like a Go Ask Alice for the 21st century. In it, she chronicles the turbulent and often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on her own daughter, and the "monster," the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or "crank." Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her largely absent and ne'er-do-well father. While under the influence of the monster, Kristina discovers her sexy alter-ego, Bree: "there is no perfect daughter, / no gifted high school junior, / no Kristina Georgia Snow. / There is only Bree." Bree will do all the things good girl Kristina won't, including attracting the attention of dangerous boys who can provide her with a steady flow of crank. Soon, her grades plummet, her relationships with family and friends deteriorate, and she needs more and more of the monster just to get through the day. Kristina hits her lowest point when she is raped by one of her drug dealers and becomes pregnant as a result. Her decision to keep the baby slows her drug use, but doesn't stop it, and the author leaves the reader with the distinct impression that Kristina/Bree may never be free from her addiction. In the author's note, Hopkins warns "nothing in this story is impossible," but when Kristina's controlled, high-powered mother allows her teenage daughter to visit her biological father (a nearly homeless known drug user), the story feels unbelievable. Still, the descriptions of crystal meth use and its consequences are powerful, and will horrify and transfix older teenage readers, just as Alice did over 20 years ago." --Jennifer Hubert

School Library Journal: 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."–Sharon Korbeck, Waupaca Area Public Library, WI
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Suggested Library Use

I plan to use Crank at a middle school/high school age book talk on realistic fiction. I figured throwing in a verse novel might interest the teens to check out more verse and poetry.

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