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holly_spencer's review
5.0
I throughly enjoyed this book! It was nice to read about how Ellen Hopkins began writing the “Crank” series, and why she chose to write it. The reasoning behind it is very powerful, and tells a very powerful story. I highly recommend! 10/10
jslavensky's review
5.0
Great collection
Great collection of essays and reviews from other authors and Ellen's family who were personally effected by kristina and her choices in life. Ellen Hopkins is and still continues to be my favorite author. I love her writing style and the way she goes deep into subjects that some others would be afraid to write about.. her books should be mandatory reading material for students in middle schools d high schools.. not all kids are willing to go to their parents and not all parents no first hand the effects on most drugs and don't know how to approach their children to talk about these issues and life choices.. I love Ellen's work and hope to eventually read all her books in my lifetime. Thanks for being a great author and for shedding light on some serious issues.
Great collection of essays and reviews from other authors and Ellen's family who were personally effected by kristina and her choices in life. Ellen Hopkins is and still continues to be my favorite author. I love her writing style and the way she goes deep into subjects that some others would be afraid to write about.. her books should be mandatory reading material for students in middle schools d high schools.. not all kids are willing to go to their parents and not all parents no first hand the effects on most drugs and don't know how to approach their children to talk about these issues and life choices.. I love Ellen's work and hope to eventually read all her books in my lifetime. Thanks for being a great author and for shedding light on some serious issues.
mikayladowns's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
I LOVED hearing from the real people in Ellen Hopkins family that inspired the Crank trilogy. It is worth the read strictly for that aspect, but the added essays that look into the nature of addiction, story telling, and family bonds are interesting bits of information too.
pagesfullofstars's review
3.0
"So you want to know all about me. Who I am.
What chance meeting of brush and canvas painted the face you see?."
Earlier this year I read another book by Ellen Hopkins, Burned, and I have to say that I enjoyed Crank less. Once again, I loved the writing style and it's truly admirable that the author not only touched upon such serious subject but also was inspired by her real life experiences. But on the other hand, I didn't really connect with the characters and I thought that the ending was quite abrupt. Everything was wrapped up too quickly, while I felt like some matters should have been given more attention.
What chance meeting of brush and canvas painted the face you see?."
Earlier this year I read another book by Ellen Hopkins, Burned, and I have to say that I enjoyed Crank less. Once again, I loved the writing style and it's truly admirable that the author not only touched upon such serious subject but also was inspired by her real life experiences. But on the other hand, I didn't really connect with the characters and I thought that the ending was quite abrupt. Everything was wrapped up too quickly, while I felt like some matters should have been given more attention.
caidyn's review
3.0
What I looked forward to reading most in this book was the parts given by the family, the people who truly went through this event. Hearing from the actual person and not the character made me like the insight much more and I'm sure when I reread the Crank series I'll enjoy it so much more because of it. The bits that felt unneeded were the parts where it was discussed on how literary sound the series is. If I wanted to hear that I could have picked up a review written by a professional. I did enjoy part one in some of fiction vs. memoir, all of how crystal meth works, the topic of Bree/Kristina, and the judge talking about how it helped him in his job. The other stories about love being a drug. All the other portions felt unneeded and just a filler towards me. I will admit I skimmed through those essays because they didn't capture or hold my interest.
kellyhager's review
5.0
This is my first foray into the world of Ellen Hopkins but it won't be my last. I'm pretty sure all of her novels are written in verse, but I know Crank and the other two books in the trilogy are. I'm always hesitant to read series-of-poems-as-novels, although this book makes me question why that is.
Anyway. Kristina is 17 and by all accounts a really good girl. She's the one who has a small group of really good friends, always does her homework, gets along with parents and siblings. You know the type. And then she goes to visit her dad for a few weeks over the summer. She meets a boy and starts down the recreational drug use path. And then her life, as she knew it, was over. She starts going by Bree and her life goes from saving money to get a car to spending money to get cocaine.
I know this book pretty much lives on the banned book list but as a parent, I'd pretty much make my hypothetical kids read it once they became teenagers. It's sad and scary and drives home the fact that it's not just "those types of kids" that end up using drugs. It's smart kids, kids from good families with parents who care about them and are actively involved in their lives. And it shows them that most of the time, you may not realize you have a problem until it's too late to do something about it easily.
Amazing, heartbreaking book. I'm about to start the sequel.
Anyway. Kristina is 17 and by all accounts a really good girl. She's the one who has a small group of really good friends, always does her homework, gets along with parents and siblings. You know the type. And then she goes to visit her dad for a few weeks over the summer. She meets a boy and starts down the recreational drug use path. And then her life, as she knew it, was over. She starts going by Bree and her life goes from saving money to get a car to spending money to get cocaine.
I know this book pretty much lives on the banned book list but as a parent, I'd pretty much make my hypothetical kids read it once they became teenagers. It's sad and scary and drives home the fact that it's not just "those types of kids" that end up using drugs. It's smart kids, kids from good families with parents who care about them and are actively involved in their lives. And it shows them that most of the time, you may not realize you have a problem until it's too late to do something about it easily.
Amazing, heartbreaking book. I'm about to start the sequel.