Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Pages: 537
Publisher: McElderly Books
Age Group: Young Adult (Mature Readers)

Challenges: 350 Page Challenge


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.

Stars: 5/5

Cover: A-

Plot:

Kistina Snow is the model-daughter. She gets good grades, hangs out with the right people, and gets along well with her family.

That is, until she goes and visits her Dad, who's never around, for two weeks. She is introduced to the world of drugs from a boy, and that begins her downward spiral.

As Kristina starts to hang with the wrong people, her grades crash, and her relationship with her family is diminished, she has to make choices that will effect the rest of her life.

The plot was intriguing, intense, dark, miserable, and heart-breaking. I felt so much compassion for Kristina. 

It was a great "never do drugs" book. It showed just how fast they take ahold of you, and how drugs lead you to the wrong people, and basically completely destroy your life.

Characters:

It was almost painful to watch Kristina go from someone so smart and friendly, and then to see her lose it all. 

The characters really developed throughout the book. I watched as she separated herself from her friends, and as she dug herself into a deeper hole that was practically impossible to get out of.

I wished I could go into the book, into Kristina's world, and try to help her out.

Writing:

Crank is written in verse (kind of like a poem-form), making each word mean a lot, since there are less of them than in a normal novel.

In my opinion, books written in verse are much more dramatic. Each word has a big impact, and Ellen Hopkins is a pro at writing in verse.

Everything was worded perfectly, and I love how much emotion was in each and every word.

Ending:

I'm re-reading Crank for the second time, so I already knew what would happen at the end of the book. I thought the ending was perfect, down to the very last line. I want so badly to tell you guys everything about the ending, but I don't want to give it away! 

Cover:

I love the cover, how it's just a black background with "Crank" popping out at you; the letters written in meth. It's perfect for this book: dark and edgy.

Lovely Line:

You know how you 

stand and stand and stand

in line for the most

gigantic incredible roller 

coaster

you've ever dared attempt.

Anticipation swelling, 

minute by minute by minute,

you choose to wait even

longer, to ride in the front

car

and finally it's your turn.

They buckle you in, lock the 

safety bar with a jolting clunk!

Hook engaged, the chain jerks

you forward. You start to 

climb

crank-crank-crank.

Cresting the top, time

moved into overtime

as you wait for that scant

hesitation, just before you

drop

knowing you can't turn back.

You know how you feel

at that instant? Well, that's

exactly how it feels when you 

shake hands with the 

monster.

(Pages 88-89)

The Final Verdict:

I really recommend this book to people who like reading all genres, but because there is a lot of mature content in this book, I think readers need to at least be in high school.

I think this a fantastic book for all teenagers to read, no matter what genre they read, because it's almost like a life lesson, without having to learn it the hard way.

FTC: I bought this book.