Crank

Title: Crank
Author: Ellen Hopkins
ISBN: 0689865198

Other Book in Series: Glass

Plot Summary: Kristina is a bright, talented high school student dealing with the breakup of her parents' marriage. When she goes to visit her father, she falls in love twice over: with the boy she meets there, and with the drug, crystal meth, he introduces her to. While meth brings out her fearless side at first, Kristina soon finds the drug taking over, and ultimately threatening, her life.


Critical Evaluation: Hopkins has made a great effort to speak in Kristina's voice, and to a large extent she succeeds. It is perhaps best that she writes the book in verse form, formulating Kristina's thoughts rather than attempting to present it as a diary; it is unlikely that a meth addict, even one as intelligent as Kristina, would always keep the same journal with her to write in. The verse is well-constructed and generally adds well to the narrative, and may draw in reluctant readers who are intimidated by the book's physical size. The fact that the story is semi-autobiographical, based on the experiences of Hopkins's own daughter, lends an extra note of truth, all the more impressive as Hopkins does not provide authorial commentary or judgment on any of Kristina's decisions, disastrous as they may be.


Reader's Annotation: Kristina has two faces: the one she presents to the world, of the perfect daughter and student; and Bree, her inner rebel, the one who will say and do anything. Crank, her drug of choice, lets Bree come out, but Kristina and those around her are the ones who pay the price for this freedom.

About the Author: Ellen Hopkins was born in Long Beach, California in 1955, to a woman who subsequently gave her up for adoption. She grew up with her adopted parents in Palm Springs and later moved to Santa Barbara as a teenager, after which she studied journalism at UCSB before leaving to marry and raise a family. After marrying John Hopkins, her second husband, she began writing non-fiction children's books, and did not start writing young adult literature until her daughter Cristal's meth addiction inspired her to write Crank. She currently lives in Nevada with her husband and their grandson, whom Ellen and John have adopted.

Genre: Fiction, Substance Abuse

Curriculum Ties: Health and Wellness, Current Events.

Booktalking Ideas:

Hook: Kristina versus Bree
Approach: Character-based.
Notes for Booktalk: Who is Bree in relation to Kristina? To what extent are Kristina's actions/thoughts/words in the book her own as opposed to those of her alter ego? Discuss whether she is a stand-in for Kristina's "forbidden" thoughts, a genuine multiple personality, a personification of crystal meth and/or the addictive personality.

Hook: Crank - the title character, in more ways than one.
Approach: Plot and character-based.
Notes for Booktalk: What impact does Kristina's meth use have on her? Her relationships? Her family? It becomes a character in its own right - is that character Bree, or is Kristina's addiction a separate character altogether? How does that character evolve throughout the story? Possible segue, if time permits, into meth addiction and its impact on individuals, families, and entire communities.


Reading Level/Interest Age: Grades 7-10

Challenge Issues: Drug use, sexual content, offensive language, anti-family, inappropriate for age group. Kristina comes from a seriously fractured family, one in which her father neither hides his own drug use nor condemns hers, and in which she feels compelled to hide her problems from her mother's "side" of the family. Kristina herself has pre-marital sex, uses bad language, and makes life choices which almost spell out her death. I would argue that this book does not romanticize drug use, and shows its dark side far more than it shows any advantage to using illegal substances. It also shows the impact a broken home can have on a troubled teen, one I feel many young adult readers, for better or worse, can relate to these days. As young people are being introduced to drugs at younger and younger ages, I would consider this book appropriate reading for 7th grade and up, particularly as this is an impressionable age at which drugs and sex start to become an issue. Considering the impact meth addiction continues to have on this country, I feel young readers ought to be as informed as they can about the potential dangers of this drug.

Why I Chose This Book: I first had the opportunity to read this book when tutoring a junior-high-age girl, who read it for a class project she was doing on meth addiction. In the process of reading it, I came to appreciate the fact that it showed the dangers of drug use without preaching or passing judgment on the main character. As the girl I tutored was a reluctant reader, I found her willingness and ease in reading this book indicative of its potential value in getting other people her age to read, and about an issue that many of them will have to face while growing up.