A review by ro_chel
Burned by Ellen Hopkins

3.0

Wow. I had been wanting to read some of Hopkins books since I have had girls coming in EVERY DAY before school to see if the ones they hadn't already read were back in yet. Every time I put one in my bag to take it home, someone came in looking for it. But, I brought this one home for the summer and wow! Gripping, written in the most amazing free verse with form, if that makes any sense - many of the poems that make up the long book are in specific shapes that really add to the feeling/mood of the story. In any case, I now know what the pull is, although I believe her other titles deal with drug use/abuse, this one is about a mormon teenage girl finding her true self and what that means. My heartrate really rose while I was reading it towards the end of the book. It is both empowering and hearwrenching at the same time and does not end on a pretty note. I think readers who like this would do well to move on to Jodi Picoult, Chris Bohjalian (or ALex Flinn, Sarah Dessen, Laurie Halse Anderson) if they're not yet into reading adult books. I can't wait to read her other titles - just like my students!