Book review final draft

In the realistic fiction book Crank by Ellen Hopkins, the life of a teenage girl Kristina is followed as she spirals down in life from addiction to crystal meth. In the story, Kristina goes and visits her father in Albaquerqe one summer where she first tries “the monster” which is what crank is oftenly referred to in the story. Once she returns home she vows that it was only a one time thing, but she ends up continuing her drug use once she gets back home. I believe that Hopkins' target audience for this book are teenagers, ages fourteen and up. I also know that the author's purpose in writing this book is to express events that effected her family.

Based on the topics discussed throughout the story, this book appears to be aimed at a teenagers from the age of 14+. The experiences and thoughts that the main character, Kristina goes through can easily be relatable to many teens today. Obviously, this book is mainly focused on drugs and one issue based on this is experimentation that many teens want to go through during their youth. 

" 'You don't smoke do you? I took a small puff. Struggled like hell not to cough. (pg.75)... It had been a tempstuous week, snared by emotions rubbing me so raw  I hurt at night... So when he asked about getting high, I didn't think, I agreed. We smoked some good California green (pg.85)... "' 'Okay, little girl. Ready to party?' Mom expected me home in ten days. Of course I was sure. Like magic, a mirror and razor blade appeared. I watched him pour powder, yellowish white.(pg.88)."

These three quotes from sections throughout the book are very important in explaining how Kristina slowly gets closer and closer to the drug that ruins her life. She first tries a cigarette, weed, and then "the Monster", crank. Also, I realized that every time she experiments with a new drug, it is under the influence of the boy Adam she met while visiting her dad in Albuquerque.  These two issues of "young love" and divorced parents are also a major part of some teenagers lives. Kristina felt very safe with Adam and they both loved each other so she trusted him and began her experimentation with him. However, when her visit is over and she goes back home to her mom, her and Adam break up and she rarely hears from her dad. She begins rebelling at home, meeting different boys, continuing her use of crank sneaking out of the house, etc. This is also relatable to many teenagers lives because while not every teen does crank  or drugs we all go through a stage where we feel like rebelling against our parents at least some point in our lives. Because of all of the events that take place in the main characters life, i believe that the author's targeted audience for this book are teenagers.
After reading the author's note at the beginning of this book, I have learned exactly how this book reflects Ellen Hopkins' life.

"While this work is fiction, it is loosely based on a very true story- my daughter's... The monster did touch her life, and the lives of her family. My family."

In this book, crank is often referred to as "the Monster".  Just after reading this particular section of the book about the author's life, it is pretty obvious that she wrote it about her daughter and the struggles her drug addiction put on the author and her family. As the reader, we already know that Kristina is soon going to find a way to get crank once she arrives back home. The  author's note also mentions a baby at the end of the book.

“The “baby' at the end of the book is now seven years old, and my husband and I

have adopted him. He is thriving now, but it took a lot of extra love.

Towards the end of this book, Kristina gets pregnant after being raped by one of her classmates on a date. When she finds this out, she makes a promise to herself and the baby that she will not use drugs ever again and that she will be a good mom for her child. Unfortunately, once the child is born Kristina quickly breaks that promise and leaves her family and her child to go back to crank. I also visited the authors website, and learned that Hopkins and her husband have raised her daughter's child all his life. I haven't found any information on the author's real daughter, but I do know that she is not a part of her family or her child's life. The same is for Kristina I believer, an the author has written one other book about this same topic, about Kristina.