Ferraro,+Emily

Emily Ferraro

__**Destiny Review**__ //Crank// by Ellen Hopkins tells the story of a teenage girl, Kristina Georgia Snow, who transforms from a straight-A student to a crystal meth addict. Hopkins tells the story in such a way that the reader feels as if the addiction is his or her own. The reader feels that he or she is struggling in the same way Kristina is. Hopkins uses free-verse poetry to allow the reader to get inside of Kristina’s head and really understand the thought process of a crystal meth addict. Hopkins’ personal experience with her daughter’s addiction to meth helps the reader believe that what is happening to Kristina could actually happen to someone in real life. Hopkins elaborates, “Nothing in this story is impossible. Much of it happened to us… If they ring true, they should (Hopkins).” Hopkins has crafted a masterpiece novel from a devastating story. The real attention-holder of the book is partly the story, but it is mostly the reality that //Crank// reveals.

**__ About the Series __ ** Crank was published in 2004. It is loosely based on Ellen Hopkins' daughter's addiction to crystal meth. It is the first book in a three-part series. Originally, Crank was not going to be part of a series. As the fanbase expanded, the demand for a follow-up novel increased. Kristina's story continues in Glass, which was written in 2007. The final book of the trilogy, Fallout, is to be released in September of this year. "Hopkins delivers a gritty, fast-paced read while effectively portraying the dangers of substance abuse without sounding pedantic or preachy (Ott)."

Ellen Hopkins was born in 1955 in Long Beach, CA. She was adopted by an older couple at birth. She grew up in Palm Springs, CA. Ellen graduated high school, but dropped out of college to get married and start a family. Ellen is the mother of three children, who have all grown up and moved out. She now lives in northern Nevada with her husband, John.
 * ​__About the Author __ **

__** Other Works: ** __
 * //Burned, // 2006 [[image:ellenhopkins_other_works.JPG align="right"]]
 * //​Glass ,// 2007
 * //Impulse//, 2007
 * //Identical,// 2008
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">//Tricks,// 2009
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">//Fallout,// coming in September 2010
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">//Perfect,// coming in 2011

[|Visit the Author's Website]

** __<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 110%;">Characters: __

Kristina Georgia Snow:** Kristina is the main character and narrator of //Crank//. She tells the story of her fall from grace by way of crystal meth addiction. Over the course of a summer vacation spent with her father in Reno, California, Kristina meets Buddy, her crystal meth-addicted neighbor. Through him, she develops an addiction consumes her thoughts and controls her actions.
 * Buddy:** Kristina's neighbor at her father's house. He first introduces Kristina to crystal meth, which sets the storty into motion.

<span style="color: #540e7b; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 133.1%;">__**Stylistic Analysis:**__

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">"This devastating story, told in poetry, is even more frightening because it is based on the author's own experiences with her addicted daughter (Rosser)."


 * Title:** The title for //Crank// is appropriate because crank is a slang term for crystal meth, which is the main character's drug of choice.
 * Style and Syntax:** //Crank// is written entirely in free-verse poetry. The poems are written in different shapes and in different forms, each one accenting the poem's subject matter or Kristina's thoughts. One poem, which was written about Kristina's return home from her father's house, is shaped like a house. Other poems take the shape of smoke clouds or pipes. The alignment of poems serves an important purpose in explaining the narrator's feelings to the reader. For example, in the opening poem, Kristina summarizes her journey with crystal meth. Titles are given to the poem based on what that particular poem is about. "The entire book is written beautifully, yet tragically, to paint a picture of Kristina`s ride with the monster (Irizzary)."


 * Flirtin' with the Monster**

Life was good before I met ---the monster. After, life was great. At least, for a little while.

**Dialogue:** Because the book is told almost entirely through Kristina's thoughts, there is very little dialogue in //Crank.// Dialogue is used only to highlight main points in Kristina's journey through addiction. In one instance, dialogue is used for the introduction of Buddy to Kristina. Because Buddy was the person who introduced Kristina to crystal meth, this meeting was extremely important for the book to continue. The author also includes Kristina's thoughts between each characters' lines in order to help the reader differentiate between what Kristina is saying and what Kristina is feeling. The dialogue in the novel is also written in free-verse.

__**Works Cited**__

Hopkins, Ellen. //Crank.// New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print.

Irizarry, Patricia. "Crank-- Story About a Monster." Rev. of //Crank// by Ellen Hopkins. //Thesop.// The Student Operated Press, 4 Jun. 2007. Web. 27 May 2010. <[]>.

Ott, Valerie. Rev. of //Crank// by Ellen Hopkins. //Barnes and Noble.// Barnes and Noble, N.d. Web. 27 May 2010. <[]>.

Rosser, Claire. "Young Adult Review." Rev. of //Crank// by Ellen Hopkins. //Encyclopedia.// HighBeam Research, 1 Sept. 2004. Web. 27 May 2010. <[]>.