Publish date: 2006
Source: Library
"Raised in a religious -- yet abusive -- family, Pattyn Von Stratten starts asking questions -- about God, a woman's role, sex, love. She experiences the first stirrings of passion, but when her father catches her in a compromising position, events spiral out of control. Pattyn is sent to live with an aunt in the wilds of Nevada to find salvation and redemption. What she finds instead is love and acceptance -- until she realizes that her old demons will not let her go." (Goodreads)
I've been on an Ellen Hopkins kick lately, ever since I discovered that her books are great as audiobooks. I listened to Glass recently and picked up Burned at the library, which is not part of the Crank trilogy. I enjoyed it in terms of the audiobook but didn't like the story as much as Crank or Glass.
Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book rather than reading it. I know I missed certain aspects of poetry like shapes and punctuation by not reading a hard copy, but listening to verse novels is such a great experience. Laura Flanagan again did a wonderful job reading and conveying the many emotions of Pattyn throughout the novel.
Compared to Glass and Crank, the other Ellen Hopkins novels I have read, I did not like this one as much and I felt like there was just too much going on in the plot. I liked the beginning and Pattyn going to live with her aunt, but once Ethan came into the picture, it just seemed like too much for the story. I also felt like EH was making Mormons out to be terrible people, so that was kind of rough, although this is the only book I've read that centers around Mormonism. Interesting read, but ultimately too much going on...and the ending?!?! Not what I was expecting, that's for sure.
Publish date: 2007
Source: Library
"Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go.
Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips. She needs the monster to keep going, to face the pressures of day-to-day life. She needs it to feel alive.
Once again the monster takes over Kristina's life and she will do anything for it, including giving up the one person who gives her the unconditional love she craves -- her baby.
The sequel to Crank, this is the continuing story of Kristina and her descent back to hell. Told in verse, it's a harrowing and disturbing look at addiction and the damage that it inflicts." (Goodreads)
BEWARE: Spoilers for Crank, the first book in this series, are below. You've been warned.
I read Crank a little while ago and really enjoyed my first experience with a verse novel. I tried the audiobook for the sequel, Glass, and loved both the novel and the audiobook.
In terms of the novel, I found Glass to be just as hard hitting as Crank, although much grittier in terms of drug use, sex, etc. Kristina falls more and more into drugs, this time meth, and oh man, I just wanted to smack her most of the time. She kept making terrible decision after terrible decision and it was so easy/sad to see how drugs just rip her life apart. The fact that Kristina has a baby in this book really shows you how immature she is...still.
In terms of the audiobook experience, I really liked listening to this verse novel. As I have heard from professional speakers and I now say to my students, poetry is meant to be read aloud and this book is no exception. Laura Flanagan, the narrator, did a great job at conveying Kristina's immaturity and her lack of caring as her life continues its downward spiral. I thought her rhythm was great and I felt really really satisfied when I was done listening, like I made the right choice to listen to the audio rather than read the print version. I would highly recommend listening to this series and have already borrowed another EH verse novel from the library, Burned.
Publish date: 2004
Source: Library
"Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. But on a trip to visit her absentee father, Kristina disappears and Bree takes her place. Bree is the exact opposite of Kristina -- she's fearless. Through a boy, Bree meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul -- her life." (Goodreads)
I've been aware of Ellen Hopkins and her books for a long time, but for whatever reason, never picked one up. Looking back, I think I was a little afraid of reading a verse novel just because it's different from what I normally read. I decided it was finally time to try something new and all I have to say is: WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG???
So let's see, what did I like about this book? Pretty much everything, really. I was a little intimidated by the length at first, but the 537 pages flew by. I mean, yeah, the pages weren't completely filled with words like a "normal" book, but I was so invested in Kristina/Bree's story that I HAD to continue. I didn't want to care about Kristina/Bree, but I did. I hated her, I rooted for her, I felt bad for her, I wanted to smack her--it takes an amazing author to make you feel ALL the feelings like that.
I'm not sure why I hadn't read a verse novel before. I like poetry and know that these books are really popular at my school, but I still hadn't read one. I definitely want to read more now. The story flowed so well and seemed so much more powerful in this particular writing style. I loved all the different types of poetry styles Ellen Hopkins employs here too--I can definitely see myself using examples in class to show the power of repetition, for example, or how to create poetry shapes.
I need to read more verse novels! Any recommendations for more Ellen Hopkins or books by other authors?
