Crank (Crank #1) http://www.yabookscentral.com/media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/200x285s/4e/3d/f7/2730_270730-1349381501.jpg

I just got addicted to Crank. That's ironic, even though I was just talking about the book. But I seriously love this book. It's hard to put down.

So I read this book last weekend. I had gotten it from the library after seeing it on the Amazon's Most Influential YA Books list...I was also intrigued by the way it was written--in free verse. Very cool! I love the way that each page is in a different format than the others, which was very unique and interesting.
Okay, onto the actual review:
I really liked this book! To tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting it to be very good, but as soon as I started this book, I had to read it all the way through! It hooked you from the very beginning, and it kept me hooked until it was over. Naturally, I was sad that it ended because I had grown to like Kristina, and I felt truly bad for her. The ending wrapped it up pretty well, but I wanted more.
And
then
I
went
on
my
library's
website!
(sorry, I just had to try typing something in Crank's format!!)
And you know what I found out?

Crank has a sequel!!!!!!
*tosses confetti*
And I'll read the sequel soon, and I can review it...
So, please go and read Crank!! It's too good to be missed!

Reader reviewed by Zac

Crank

By: Ellen Hopkins

I read the book Crank and I have to say it gets very deep and personal. Well, it is about a smart and successful young girl as an eleventh- grader in high school. Her real name is Christina but she likes to go by Bree. Okay, her mom and dad are divorced but she lives with her mom. It starts off with Britt going to spend time with her dad. When she gets his house she notices a boy that is in her opinion good-looking. His name is Adam. Everything is all good between their little relation-ship until Christina and Adam decide to go to the bowling alley. In the time period they spend time there, she goes from a girl from having all her priorities set to a cocaine addict. They refer coke to the term, the monster in the book. While in the bowling alley she finds herself doing cocaine with her boyfriend, her boyfriends ex girlfriend, and her father. Ellen Hopkins states, Something is awfully wrong in this picture. That is no doubt my favorite line of Crank.  As soon as she leaves the bowling alley, she is sexually assaulted by a group of young boys that notice she is high. They take advantage of her and rape her. Luckily Adam comes by and saves her from more of this harmful situation. After this, her life changes drastically and how she attempts to deal with these obstacles in her way of succeeding in life is for you to discover.

Now, honestly, there is some content in Crank that some viewers might find disturbing or inappropriate so I would recommend for readers that can overlook that and enjoy this great and enjoyable book. But in some way I personally feel this content is important because it shows how the monster affected her.  Other than that, its a great read and it makes you think about things. The message that I got was Dont throw your life away that you worked so hard for someone you desire or especially not for drugs, it just isnt worth it.

Review By: Zac Alfaro

Reader reviewed by Sierra Goodman

This was a great amazing heart wrenching book! It shows the strugles drugs can bring upon u or any monster for that matter. Kristina story happens to many everyday and i think everyone has a double identity we just dont realize it. I would recommend this book to any teen going through struggles or every teen because everyone has struggles sometime in life. I havent finished the sequal yet but it is quite amazing as well (:

Reader reviewed by Toni Johnson

Based on a true story, Kristina Snow has the perfect life. Until she goes on a trip to Albuquerque to visit her MIA father, and her life is flipped upside-down. Bree takes over Kristinas life, and turns her into a totally different person: one who is daring, careless, and fearless. Bree is introduced to the monster through Adam, and although her life seems amazing and exciting for a while, she soon learns that her new friend, the monster is out to destroy her life, and will do anything to accomplish that.

Reader reviewed by KatT

This is an amazing book, a must read for anyone and everyone. I have to say though, Brenden is a son of a (insert profanity here), Chase is amazing, and if Adam loved Kristina, then why did he care so much about Lince? And another thing, where did Bree come from?

Reader reviewed by Ashley

One summer Kristina goes to visit her father. When she comes back, she's no longer Kristina. She's Bree; and Bree is addicted to the monster. Bree is the polar opposite of Kristina, she has confidence, and can get anything she wants.

I love, love, loved this book! It is without a doubt high up on my favorites list. I'd recommend this book to anyone. It also allows you a real look at the effects of meth.

Reader reviewed by Crimin


The monster is reaching out, flexing its white claws near your throat.  It wants to take hold of you, to strangle you, to suffocate you with want and need.  But dont allow it to even graze the skin of your neck, dont let it come the close to you.   Dont sacrifice yourself for its deadly kiss.

Too bad no one warned Kristian about the monster or about its addictive destruction.  Too bad no one stood by her to yank her back from its world.   Too bad no one noticed before it was too late, before her other half, Bree, took control.

The Monster, for you who are confused, is Crank.  Cocaine, Glass, Ice -- it has a lot of names, but its always the same white powder.   

Ive always been a fan of Ellen Hopkins, so this was a no-brainer read for me.  I bought it and read it within a day, loving each twist and turn and sour note this book offered to me.  Im just surprised it took me so long to get Crank and its squeal, Glass.   

Trust me, even if you hate poetry, youll love Hopkins.  Go and pick up one of her books, read it, and tell me if I was wrong.

Reader reviewed by Vicki

CRANK is a novel written in verse, which makes it easier to read. It is one of the better books that I have read about teenage addictions. It had me captivated from the first page. I read it in one day and I am eager to read the sequel GLASS.

**** SPOILERS****

Kristina Snow (a.k.a. Bree) is your typical teenage girl who is dealing with a lot of emotional baggage. She visits her dad for summer vacation when she is introduced to the "monster". She comes home a different person, a person who is lying to herself and her family. She is addicted and will do whatever it takes to get that fix again.

A must read for all parents and teens, and as the author states: think twice and then think again.

Reader reviewed by Expedia

THis book, was very captuvating. IT gives you a sense of what it must be like if you where in someones shoes. I most definately felt for the character.. But most importantly, it let me know how some of my friends feel, and a sense of what they go through.. What i mean by that is that, many of my friends need someone near them and im the one to help them up.. These books give me a better insight on how i should really help them.

Reader reviewed by Taylor J

When I first looked at this book I thought it was weird because of its poetry format. After a few pages I became addicted to the style of writing. I also love the characters and interesting plot. It was so intense and had good meaning. It shows you what going down a bad path can look like and its not a nice place. It can really scare the reader from doing anything to do with drugs, and alcohol. The book is a must read and is a page turner. It is such a quick read. I read it in less than a day!

Reader reviewed by KJ

Kristina is a straight-A, rule following family girl. She has a great life and lots of friends. When Kristina has to go visit her  father, she meets Adam. Adam introduces Kristina (and her new self, Bree) to the world of "the monster".  Kristina's life is in chaos. As her addiction grows, Kristina loses valuable friends, starts doing badly in school, and Bree begins to control her life.

Crank was written in verse so I finished it pretty quickly, but it will stick with me for a long time. I've read every book written by Ellen Hopkins but this one remains,to me ,one of her best. I would recommend this book to people 14 and up, as it deals with a lot of things inappropriate to younger audiences. This is an amazing book, that every teenager should read. 

Reader reviewed by fayeflame

Synopsis:

In Crank, Ellen Hopkins chronicles the turbulent and
often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on
her own daughter, and the "monster," the highly addictive drug crystal
meth, or "crank." Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her
largely absent and ne'er-do-well father. While under the influence of
the monster, Kristina discovers her sexy alter-ego, Bree: "there is no
perfect daughter, / no gifted high school junior, / no Kristina Georgia
Snow. / There is only Bree." Bree will do all the things good girl
Kristina won't, including attracting the attention of dangerous boys
who can provide her with a steady flow of crank.

Soon, her
grades plummet, her relationships with family and friends deteriorate,
and she needs more and more of the monster just to get through the day.
Kristina hits her lowest point when she is raped by one of her drug
dealers and becomes pregnant as a result. Her decision to keep the baby
slows her drug use, but doesn't stop it, and the author leaves the
reader with the distinct impression that Kristina/Bree may never be
free from her addiction.

I don't know way i was drawn to this
book, it was ok, not great. I don't really read books like Crank. But i
gave it a try. I guess i was drawn to the way it was written and
Kristina's struggle to be someone different or when she was under the mothers influence , which came from the
"monster/crank". She got so lost, while i was reading it, it just kept
on kristina's struggle, there was never any spark of "something goods
gonna happen". I was rooting for her, hoping for something good to
happen.it was so intense, it made me think.... I'll definitely continue
Ellen Hopkins books.

Reader reviewed by Jessica

Ellen Hopkin's beautiful novel in verse "CRANK" details Kristina's life as she slowly begins to fall into the trap that drugs provide for her under the intense situation of her life. She slowly finds that she wishes to be more open and creates a second person within her own body, Bree, who will do all the things that Kristina wishes she could do, all those things that Kristina knows are bad and shouldn't do. Bree is the alter ego who causes the drug addiction, and the bad behavior.

A shocking novel for all teens about the reality of crystal meth, "CRANK" is a novel that should be read again and again in order for the true effect of the words to sink in. Kristina was the ordinary daughter, the good kid, who collapsed under the weight and pressure that drugs offered her. The true underlying power of this book is in the feeling that this could happen to anyone, anywhere, any child who believes they are safe, truly isn't.

Reader reviewed by selina c

I have never been more shocked or thrilled to read such a mind blowing story.  The two girl persona in Crank and the ride downhill from honor roll to being a teenage mother addicted to drugs makes you realize how far the fall really is.  Ellen Hopkins is a poetic genious, creating such a masterpiece of a story out of poems that are hard to swallow and unbelievably visual for words.  Crank really left a mark on me after i read it, but it was also inspiring and showed the raw truth of drug abuse and what it does to you, both physically and mentally.  A great read, but not recommended for those sensitive to certain materials.