Ellen Hopkins's books make me want to curl up in a ball a cry; but, the teens love 'em and so I feel obligated to subject myself to the torture of reading one of her titles about once every two years. And so that's some insight into why it has taken me sooooo long to read Crank. Kristina goes off to visit her loser father one summer and not only takes on a totally different persona (Bree) but starts dating a guy who introduces her to meth (or, "The Monster" as it is referred to in the book). The story follows Bree through that summer and then the struggles of returning home, having to find out how to score meth, and hiding her new addiction from her mother. What I can only assume is an accurate portrayal of a meth addiction, this story (based on Hopkins's daughter's addiction), is bleak and heart wrenching. Follow this one up with something lighthearted!
Caitlin's best and only friend, Ingrid, has just committed suicide. How does Caitlin deal with such a loss? How can she not blame herself for not seeing the signs? How can she read the diary that Ingrid hid in Caitlin's bedroom the night before she died? How does life go on?