Books written in verse/poetry books
McCormick, P. (2006). Sold. New York, NY: Hyperion.
Lakshmi in a thirteen year old girl living in a small village in Nepal. Her extreme poverty does not interfere with her ability to enjoy the many small, wonderful things about her life: her pet goat, her loving mother, the beauty of the changing seasons in the shadow of the mountain she calls home, and seeing the boy that has been chosen to be her future husband. When her family's livelihood is washed away by the Himalayan monsoons and further drowned by her stepfather's drinking and gambling habits, he decides she must go and get a job to help support the family. Lakshmi has visions of going to the city where she will become the housekeeper for a wealthy family and send her earnings home to her mother for a new roof, her favorite tea, and the means to rebuild their crops. What she doesn't envision is her stepfather selling her into a life of prostitution. Lakshmi finds herself in a brothel ruled by a ruthless woman named Mumtaz who promises release once her debt is paid off. Lakshmi holds onto this hope, keeping meticulous track of her earnings that she is sure will lead to her freedom and her return to her beloved village. What she doesn't know is that Mumtaz cheats all the girls, forever adding to their debt so they can never leave. Lakshmi learns how to survive in the worst of all possible circumstances and holds onto hope that she can escape with the American aid workers who sometimes visit and promise safety and freedom.
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Wow. This book was heart wrenching. I felt myself literally holding my breath as I read each new verse. To imagine a world where this is happening really impacted me. The verses are beautifully written and graphic. I can imagine this book having a significant impact on young readers.
Goodreads
Goodreads
Hopkins, E. (2004). Crank. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Crank is the story of Kristina and her transformation through her addiction to crystal meth into “Bree”. Kristina is a conscientious high-school student. She has good grades, good friends, and a supportive family. When she makes the trip the summer before her junior year to be reacquainted with her deadbeat father in New Mexico after not having seen him in eight years, Kristina meets his neighbor Adam/Buddy and immediately has a crush on him. Feeling dangerous and far away from the safe life she leads in Reno, Kristina introduces herself as “Bree” and starts to give her new alter-ego life and power. Kristina/Bree spends the remainder of her three-week visit with her father getting high and feeding “the monster” with Adam and her father’s group of friends. When she returns home, Kristina continues her downward spiral into addiction, constantly looking for ways to get more crystal meth- no matter what the cost. And the cost is high- she loses her friends, the trust of her family, her good academic standing, her health, and her clean criminal record. Again and again Kristina battles against Bree for control over her life. Bree’s appetite for meth becomes all consuming, driving her into more and more risky and dangerous behaviors including becoming pregnant while using.
The rhythm and cadence of the verses telling the story in Crank really adds to the reading experience. Hopkins masterfully planned each verse. Some verses are written as “concrete poems”- actually taking on the shape of the subject material. Other verses are written so they can be read two different ways- first all the way through just line by line, second by just reading either the left and/or right side as its own isolated verse. There is a tempo to verses when Kristina/Bree is flying high that actually left me breathless. Other times I needed to take a break after a few pages because I could so clearly feel the pain and energy of Kristina/Bree- when she was high, when she was crashing, and when she was on the hunt to use again. The fact that this is based on the true story of Ellen Hopkins’ daughter, made me feel raw and exhausted afterwards. I loved this book, but I don’t know if I would have the energy to continue in the series. They are so emotional. This is an excellent look inside the mind and mentality of addiction for YA readers.