Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 537
Another great book by Ellen Hopkins! I didn't like this one as much as Tricks but it was still wonderful. Ellen Hopkins' writing is so dark but it is also heartfelt and makes you really connect with the narrator and see what they are going through. So, this story follows a girl who becomes addicted to "crank" or meth. Throughout the book we see how Kristina personifies her inner bad girl to become "Bree", a girl with no shame, and this results in her downward spiral of addiction, depression, and a whole mess of other problems.
Whenever I read these books I always see how horrible these situations are and it makes you kind of realize that the world isn't perfect and stuff like this happens to teenagers and adults alike, every single day. Kind of a harrowing thought, but it happens. I would recommend these books to a lot of teenagers for that reason because it really shows you how catastrophic the consequences can be once you become addicted to drugs, or, really, anything else.
I also like how the books are written in a sort of verse that doesn't rhyme. If the books rhymed, I don't think I'd like them half as much but since they don't to me the words just look like they are put into funny shapes on the page. If this was written as a full story too, I think there would have to be a lot more detail, but since it's in verse the story is a little more loose, but it works.
Definitely would recommend this one for people 14 and up, because there are some sensitive subjects, but after the 14 year old mark this should be read by teens. Honestly, reading Ellen Hopkins' work, makes me think "I'll never make the same mistakes these kids did. I don't want that to be me." And I think that's part of the point Ellen Hopkins is trying to make with her work; to spread awareness and prevent other teens from getting messed up in the wrong stuff.
I can't wait to read the next two books because this one kind of ended at a cliff-hanger!
See you soon!
Paige