Search This Blog
April Reviews Link-Up
May Reviews Link-Up
June Reviews Link-Up
July Reviews Link-Up
August Reviews Link-Up
September Reviews Link-Up
October Reviews Link-Up
November Reviews Link-Up
December Reviews Link-Up
2024 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (7)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Italy (1)
- Scotland (2)
- The Netherlands (1)
2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Saturday, December 26, 2020
MG Novel-in-Verse Realistic and Relatable
8:41 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Hannah Lincoln's life has always been safe and stable. The 12-year-old has two caring parents, plenty of friends, and a love of gymnastics and dancing that sustains her. Her cousin, Cal Pace, has had the opposite experience. His mother died three years ago leaving him with his drug-addicted father. His chaotic home life ended with his dad going to prison and Cal coming to live with the Lincolns. Hannah's childhood has given her confidence and balance. Cal's has left him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Hannah gets that her cousin's been through a lot, but she can't help feeling resentful of his sudden presence in her life. Cal acts strangely and has serious anger management issues. Not only is he bullied at school, but his behavior is causing contention in Hannah's home. She's trying to be patient and understanding, but Hannah feels like her nice, quiet life is spinning out of control. Will her family ever go back to normal? Or will Cal's antics tear them apart for good?
Told in verse, Ellen Hopkins' first novel for middle-grade readers tells a poignant story about two cousins with very different life experiences trying to find common ground. Closer to Nowhere is a quick read that's realistic and relatable. Based on the author's own experience, the story paints a vivid, sympathetic picture of how addiction impacts not just the addict but his/her whole family. While Closer to Nowhere deals with tough subjects, overall it's a hopeful book. I've enjoyed other books by Hopkins and this one is no exception. It's a heart-wrenching, empathy-inducing novel that spoke to me.
(Readalikes: Reminds me a little of Christmas After All by Kathryn Lasky)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for violence and difficult subject matter (drug abuse, alcoholism, divorce, school shootings, etc.)
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of Closer to Nowhere from the generous folks at Penguin Random House via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
1 comment:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Reading
Listening
Followin' with Bloglovin'
-
Daily Prompt 19 April Friday1 hour ago
-
-
43. The Mystery of Locked Rooms6 hours ago
-
2024 Reading Firsts8 hours ago
-
Sunday Post8 hours ago
-
-
The Gathering by C.J. Tudor9 hours ago
-
FO Friday: Nathair Mitts12 hours ago
-
-
-
An Inconvenient Letter by Julie Wright17 hours ago
-
-
The Garden Girls Excerpt + Giveaway19 hours ago
-
-
-
-
Classics Club Spin #37, April 202421 hours ago
-
First Lines Fridays: April 19, 202422 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Reading as a retreat from reality2 days ago
-
-
-
Novel Love Story5 days ago
-
-
Invisible Woman by Katia Lief1 week ago
-
Reading Recap March 20241 week ago
-
Waiting on Wednesday - Think Twice2 weeks ago
-
-
March Monthly Wrap-up2 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?6 months ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra9 months ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ▼ 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
I didn't know Hopkins had written an MG novel; that's great! She is so good at capturing tension and real feelings through verse.
ReplyDelete