About a month ago I picked up CRANK and was blown away, not only by the story, but also by the beautiful verse, not to mention the rawness (and the fact that the book has roots in Ellen's own life). I'm still making my way through the pile of her other novels, but when I saw she had a new one out this month, I had to spotlight it.
Here's the description from GoodReads:
Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.
Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes that to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never have understood.
Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?
A riveting and startling companion to the bestselling Impulse, Ellen Hopkins's Perfect exposes the harsh truths about what it takes to grow up and grow into our own skins, our own selves.
PERFECT is told through four unique voices, and includes an author's note at the end with more of Ellen Hopkins's thoughts on being perfect. Here's a video from Simon and Schuster videos, called "What Would You Give to be Perfect?"
And here's the book trailer for PERFECT:
If you're as big of a fan of verse novels as I am, here are a few more contemporary recommendations that you won't want to miss:
The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
You Are Not Here by Samantha Schutz
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
If you have any favorite contemporary verse novels, I'd love to hear about them!
3 comments:
I hadn't read any until this year, but verse novels are quickly becoming my favorites. Will definitely check this one out.
I really want to read this - she is the master at verse, no question!!
Cool video! I'd definitely add Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas to this contemporary verse novel list.
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