#26-28

#26 Glass by Ellen Hopkins

After the first powerful story of Kristina/Bree and her downward spiral, I had to know what would happen to her. Turns out, it got worse. As Kristina continues to deal with her meth addiction, we see how it begins to affect so many others, including her children. (Don't worry...that's not a spoiler). She makes attempts at a job and a new life, but even her best efforts are not as strong as the pull of the "monster." This second in the series is just as compelling and heart wrenching as the first, told again in verse.

#27 Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

The final installment in the Crank series. Fallout is unique in that it is told from the points of view of Kristina's children. The story jumps ahead a few years to show the continued effects of the choices Kristina has made. In their own ways, Hunter, Summer and Autumn are dealing with their mom's past. Hopkins does an incredible job of showing how addiction does not only affect the person with the addiction, but everyone around them as well.

I would highly recommend this series to high school students, many of whom may be suffering from their own addictions. I'd think if these books helped even one young person make better life choices, they would be successful.

#28 Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge

This cute little book was quite a nice reprieve from the Crank books. I think I needed just one more book of verse before diving back into The Girl Who Played With Fire. Kevin Boland is 14, an incredible baseball player, and stuck in the house suffering from mono or "monouglyosis" as he calls it. His dad, a writer, buys Kevin a journal and suggests he spends his time writing to get his feelings out while he gets well. Well, why not! This book is Kevin's journal. And as expected, he drags his feet about writing but ends up learning about poetry and trying his hand at writing some. The teacher side of me loved the writing especially since Kevin plays with different poetic forms including sonnets, couplets, And he has plenty to write about: baseball, the feeling of being trapped inside without his friends, the new girl Mira, and missing his mother who died when he was young.

One of the main reasons I chose to read this book is that its sequel Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs has just come out and I want to get my hands on it too. I'm hoping to write a review of that soon! Stay tuned dear friends!