Crank Review

 Hopkins, E. (2013). Crank. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.


Crank by Ellen Hopkins is a free-verse poetry novel about a teenager struggling to reconcile two parts of her personality. Kristina is an honor high school student who never disobeys her mother. Bree, Kristina’s alter ego, is a rebellious teen with a desire to experiment with sex and drugs. This harrowing tale explores the dangerous moral and mental degradation of a teen addicted to methamphetamine.

Because teen overdose rates are so high, books that honestly explore the devastating effects of recreational drug use are extremely important. The way in which these messages are conveyed can turn a teen off. Teens do not appreciate being lectured or fear-mongered about drugs. Crank does neither; inspired by Hopkins’ daughter and her meth addiction, Crank gives an honest look at how Meth deceives, controls, and eventually breaks you. Crank’s moralizing on teen pregnancy and abortion, however, may be too preachy for some teens.

3 ½ out of 4 

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Quills Award nominee, Book Sense Top 10, NYPL Recommended for Teens, PSLA Top Ten for Teens, Charlotte Award, IRA Young Adult Choices Award, Kentucky Bluegrass Award, SSLI Honor Book Award, Gateway Readers Awards winner.

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