Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Closer to Nowhere by Ellen Hopkins

5 reviews

bibliomich's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I remember devouring Ellen Hopkins' Crank series over a decade ago and absolutely falling in love with narratives in verse. So when I saw that Ellen Hopkins had published a new middle grade text in verse, I knew that I wanted to read it.

Closer to Nowhere was a quick, page-turning read. I felt that the overall concept was interesting, and I cared about the characters (particularly Cal). I did, however, feel that the ending was both a little anticlimactic, as well as a bit emotionally exploitative. Without adding spoilers, it felt like Ellen Hopkins included a fairly tense event at the end of the book specifically for the purpose of bringing the family together. I didn't love that...

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Alcoholism, Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, and Abandonment

Minor: Gun violence and Toxic relationship

karina_dreamsinwords's review

emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

This middle grade novel in verse discusses a multitude of topics including addiction, complex familial relationships, grief, bullying, attempted violence in a school setting, and ultimately love. 

A hard-hitting story that readers of all ages can enjoy and learn from the themes within.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Gun violence

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Addiction, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Toxic relationship

brookey8888's review against another edition

dark emotional informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this. The one thing I do wish is we got to see more of Cal and Hannah together and how they mended their relationship. I liked all the tough topics talked about like abuse, addiction, gun violence, and PTSD. I do think this is a great middle grade about hard topics.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Stalking, Terminal illness, and Violence

library_kb's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a fantastic novel in verse--one that definitely should be added to all school libraries and classroom libraries. It tells the story of Hannah and Cal. They are cousins, but Cal's mom has died of cancer and his father is estranged and so Cal moves in with Hannah and her family, which is a hard transition for the whole family for a variety of reasons, including Cal's PSTD. Both Hannah and Cal's get their own perspectives in the book, which are marked by different fonts (and voices) and so you feel for both characters and the difficulties they are going through. This is a book that will give students more understanding about others behavior and how there is always more going on under the surface that we don't see. It is a book that can encourage empathy in it's reader. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings