These books are raw, intense and totally dark - guess that's why it was in the Teen section of Barnes and Noble - this is my review, including the reason why my mom was MORE THAN a little concerned about me reading these books by Ellen Hopkins.
[Book review by Thing One - 14]
New thoughts, bad thoughts, abusive father, and lazy, over-producing mom... Pattyn has to deal with all these things in Ellen Hopkin's, Burned. She gets her first steamy thoughts, her first secret bf (boyfriend), and her first hit from her alcoholic father. When she questions her very religious family, her attitude begins to change. She goes from reading silently, to breaking noses.
My thoughts: NM (not much) more to say, but it's about finding yourself, finding love and twisted revenge by the end. It's upsetting how Pattyn loses everything by the end. Was it worth it?
Crank...Glass...These books spin a tale of Kristina, a girl who unfortunately falls into the hands of "the monster". Meth. Crank is about her struggle to regain herself as she descends deeper into a drug-filled life. It shows how messed up and crazy you can get on drugs, and I understood the dark treachery of fake pleasure. By the end she is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life as she begins to make a new one inside herself.
My thoughts: Mom wasn't very excited about my reading
choices. I explained to her that I am a teenager now and that she
taught me to have more common sense than the people in this book. She
agreed. The book was very good and very deep. It's cool to see how a
person's mind would work when you are "supposedly" on a high and scary
when you realize what kind of mess you can get yourself into.
OMG! Now I'm impatiently waiting for the publishing of her new book Identical, and hoping to buy another of her novels, Impulse.
P.S. She writes in the coolest way... VERSE! It's not just verse though... Well you'll see! TTFN! XD (It's a smile with the eyes closed, just so ya know!)
Find It Here: Ellen Hopkins
© 2008 This Full House - All Rights Reserved.
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Hi Sweetie,
This was a great first post - terrific review, btw - thank you so much. You worked very hard on writing this, I know. I'm glad you enjoyed the books.
Even though, I was a little afraid of you reading them.
But, these books allowed us (and Thing Two) to talk a little more about the scarier side of growing up.
The books are written very beautifully.
There is, however, some explicit language that parents may find uncomfortable.
Some of the more questionable parts were softened by the way the author wrote her books, in verse.
Like you said, each book read like a giant poem.
Ellen Hopkins is a very good author and I'm looking forward to reading some more of your reviews!
Posted by: Mom | March 13, 2008 at 03:10 PM