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Crank [Paperback]

Ellen Hopkins
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (311 customer reviews)

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Book Description

October 5, 2004
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.


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Editorial Reviews

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

From 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
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 544 pages
  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books; Original edition (October 5, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0689865198
  • ISBN-13: 978-0689865190
  • Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 6.9 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (311 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was adopted at birth and raised by a great, loving older couple. I grew up in Palm Springs CA, although we summered in Napa and Lake Tahoe, to avoid those 120 degree summers. After my adopted parents died, I did find my birth mother, who lives in Michigan with my half sister.

I studied journalism in college, but left school to marry, raise kids and start my own business--a video store, before the mega-chains were out there. After a divorce, I met my current husband and we moved to Tahoe to become ski bums and otherwise try to find our dreams. At that time, I went to work for a small alternative press, writing stories and eventually editing.

When we moved down the mountain to the Reno area, I started writing nonfiction books, many of which you can see here. The rest are viewable on my personal website. I also continued to freelance articles for newspapers and magazines.

All that has changed, with the publication of my novel, CRANK, which has led to a valued career writing YA novels in verse, all of which explore the more difficult situations young adults often find themselves in. Will I ever write one in prose? No doubt! But, for the moment, writing novels in verse fulfills two needs: writing poetry and writing fiction. The combination is so interesting!

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#58 in Books > Teens
#58 in Books > Teens

Customer Reviews

Really bad things can happen to anyone even when you only make one bad choice. Jane Finneran  |  50 reviewers made a similar statement
I would recommend this book to all adults and teens. Sandra Cushman  |  58 reviewers made a similar statement
This book was very well written in a very interesting way. Katie  |  52 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
48 of 55 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars intense October 30, 2005
Format:Paperback
This story of a teenager who becomes addicted to crank is a book that parents as well as teenagers should read. The sparse poetry conveys the power of the addiction so much more intensely than prose ever could.

As a parent, it was especially scary to see how quickly "the monster" claimed this young girl. The message of this book is so strong because it is never preachy or overdramitized. It comes across very true and real.

I read "Go Ask Alice" when I was a teenager and this book strikes the same emotions.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Attention Parents! November 4, 2004
By Tagurit
Format:Paperback
Have your teen or preteen read this book. The size of the book makes it look challenging, but the first page reaches out and grabs you for a fast, powerfully frightening read. I had my girls read it and they were both deeply impressed with Kristina/Bree's downhill slide into drug abuse. It's hard edged and realistic, so it's scary. Ellen conveys the emotion of the roller-coaster ride called Crank with honesty, vivid imagery and a style that will keep you asking for more.
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35 of 42 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Not scary enough September 1, 2009
Format:Paperback
No doubt about it: Crank will draw you in and sweep you along. Like crystal meth, the book's silent antagonist, Crank is quick to occupy your mind and hard to walk away from.

But it's not scary enough. I was ready for a harsh look at how the drug can destroy a teen's (or anyone's) life. That's not exactly how it turns out, despite the author's dire warnings.

Kristina, the main character, is a Good Girl. But one trip to see her druggie, estranged father, and she becomes Bree, a Bad Girl. Bree does meth. Bree flirts. Bad enough, sure, but that's really the worst Bree does for most of the book.

Back home, Bree has a hard time re-adjusting to Kristina's world. And all she wants is meth.

Spoiler: Things should have gone from bad to worse to worst. Instead, they go from bad to worse to just fine. So Bree/Kristina gets raped, but later she implicates herself because she wanted drugs from the boy (nevermind that he was a clean-cut, nearly Good Boy himself). From the rape, she gets pregnant. But the pregnancy is a blessing in disguise, because it forces her to kick meth, and tobacco, for the sake of her baby. And though she considers abortion, she miraculously feels the baby kick and decides to be a mother. She briefly considers adoption, but her friend knows someone who almost did that, changed her mind and then murdered the baby, so that, apparently, is a good reason to abandon that path.

In the end, she graduates with her class, has a beautiful (albeit not perfect) baby, and the support of her family. Oh, and she finds true love with a smart, successful, undyingly supportive guy along the way.

Give me a break. The girl doesn't even get arrested (she goes to juvie once, but it's only because she was out late. Seriously.). Whether or not she ultimately kicks her habit is left somewhat unresolved, but she is, at worst, a functioning addict. This is a stylistically interesting book, and an involving story, but is pretty weak in its attempt to serve as a warning against using drugs (I recommend the superior "smack" by Melvin Burgess).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Crank
I absolutely loved this book. It is a very compelling read. I started is 2 days ago and couldn't put it down until I was finished. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Ellen Hopkins
4.0 out of 5 stars Intersante
Crank started as book I picked up from my teachers bookshelf just to pass time. Then it caught my attention, how? I have no clue but its so interesting I can't stop.
Published 2 days ago by Ashlee
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, and okay shipping
The book was great! I managed to finish it in a day, that being said it's a pretty small book.
My only problem was that when the product was shrink-wrapped the edges of the... Read more
Published 12 days ago by Daelin Coutts-Bain
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this series
I am now on the last book of this trilogy and I am absolutely obsessed! Ellen Hopkins really gets you into these books, I thought at first I would not like the poetic form of the... Read more
Published 29 days ago by Becky Hobson
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesomeness
Good book and a good read. Couldn't put it down. Ready to read more. Very intense by awesome. Ellen Hopkins is one of the authors I really enjoy.
Published 1 month ago by rachel farmer
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book
amazing book and series for young teens and adults who want to get insight on the "monster" known as crank
Published 1 month ago by Dacia Dothager
5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars
it is absolutely amazingly written. to see inside someone's life and how everything worked out, how they couldn't shake the feelings is just wonderful.
Published 1 month ago by Shayna
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
This is a great book. A little hard to follow at times, but then you get back on track. I loved it.
Published 1 month ago by Gayle Garrett
4.0 out of 5 stars Great story telling, awesome format
I loved this book because of its innovative format as well as the story that it tells. The storyline was dark, and explored one of the worst aspects of addiction, and it did so... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Allyson S
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!!
this books lets you into the mind and lives of people who suffer from this awful addiction of crystal meth, you cant really imaging what its like till you live it and this books... Read more
Published 1 month ago by casandra herrera
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I need a good book to read.
you could try Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale or the others in that series?I've run out kinds-sorta too,i'm currently readind the dragonlance series?I love your list of books,hope you get what you want<3

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ryce
Jun 29, 2008 by Mark D. Foster |  See all 5 posts
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Need more dope for your Kindle? http://www.amazon.com/DOPE-for-your-KINDLE/lm/R37OZPQUPTV6SO/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full has all the answers!!
Dec 21, 2009 by The Grim Reverend Steven Rage |  See all 2 posts
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