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Summary
Summary
#1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins's poignant middle grade novel in verse about coming to terms with indelible truths of family and belonging.
For the most part, Hannah's life is just how she wants it. She has two supportive parents, she's popular at school, and she's been killing it at gymnastics. But when her cousin Cal moves in with her family, everything changes. Cal tells half-truths and tall tales, pranks Hannah constantly, and seems to be the reason her parents are fighting more and more. Nothing is how it used to be. She knows that Cal went through a lot after his mom died and she is trying to be patient, but most days Hannah just wishes Cal never moved in.
For his part, Cal is trying his hardest to fit in, but not everyone is as appreciative of his unique sense of humor and storytelling gifts as he is. Humor and stories might be his defense mechanism, but if Cal doesn't let his walls down soon, he might push away the very people who are trying their best to love him.
Told in verse from the alternating perspectives of Hannah and Cal, this is a story of two cousins who are more alike than they realize and the family they both want to save.
Author Notes
Ellen Hopkins was born in Long Beach, California on March 26, 1955. She started her writing career with a number of nonfiction books for children, including Air Devils and Orcas: High Seas Supermen. She has written about 20 non-fiction books. Her first novel, Crank, was written in verse and met with critical acclaim. Her other fiction works include Burned, Impulse, Glass, Identical, Tricks, Fallout, Perfect, Tilt, Collateral, Smoke and Traffick, which made the New York Times Best-Seller list in 2015.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this two-voicer written in prose poems, Hopkins (People Kill People) tells the story of cousins Hannah Lincoln and Calvin Pace, both sixth graders. Following his mother's death three years prior and subsequent difficulties with his father, who struggles with drug addiction, Cal is living with Hannah's family. He likes it there, but he's been through a lot and doesn't feel completely safe, and he knows that popular gymnast Hannah isn't crazy about having a housemate who melts down at school and whose tall tales and disappearances bring chaos into her home life. She admits that things haven't been great for a while, but it's hard not to blame Cal when her parents' marriage seems to be fraying, in part because they disagree about how to handle him. Cal's an aspiring writer, and his chapters question their own accuracy ("FACT OR FICTION:/ Owls Are Bad Luck"); Hannah's sections are framed as definitions, as she tries to pin down what's what. While the headers can feel forced, Hopkins creates realistic portrayals of two kids trying to do their best even when it's not easy. Ages 10--up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary. (Oct.)
Kirkus Review
Sixth grade cousins learn to navigate complicated family dynamics. Cal came to live with Hannah and her parents nearly 15 months ago. The two share a mean-spirited, alcoholic grandmother; their Italian heritage; and red hair. Hannah, a gymnast and dancer, has enjoyed stability, attention, and affection from her parents. Cal's life has been filled with the loss of his mother at age 9 followed by a period of abuse and neglect by his now-imprisoned father. Cal suffers from PTSD and a defensive kind of vigilance while Hannah resents that Cal's peculiar behavior makes him a target at school. Brief chapters in the first-person voices of Cal and Hannah reveal their divergent personalities. Imaginative Cal describes the world in terms of "Fact or Fiction," his statements and answers offering sometimes wryly ambiguous observations of his experience. Practical and more certain of herself, Hannah's poems with the header "Definition" are a jumping-off point for sharing glimpses into a more physically and emotionally privileged childhood. Hopkins' use of free verse provides a canvas for sure-handed, brush-stroke development of the backstory and plot and emotional investment and identification with the characters. A school lockdown and shooting at the climax of the story allow Cal to demonstrate his new ability to connect with others and to see the ways that kindness can come back around. Compassionate and compelling. (author's note) (Verse fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The queen of gritty YA novels-in-verse enters the realm of middle-grade literature with this story of a white, middle-class family fracturing under myriad pressures yet refusing to be broken. Hannah Lincoln is monumentally annoyed when her cousin Cal moves in with them after his mother dies. His mood swings and prank-playing have cemented his "weird kid" status both at home and at school--of course he's in her class, too--and the arguments between Hannah's parents have skyrocketed since Cal's arrival. Hopkins reveals the already-fraying edges of the Lincolns' domestic life as it begins to unravel more rapidly. Hannah's dance recitals and gymnastics meets provide a veneer of normalcy by routinely bringing everyone together, but Cal's PTSD over losing his mother and suffering abuse by his drug-addicted father forces everyone to reassess the truth of their situation. Hannah and Cal narrate in free-verse passages, providing insight into their psyches and Cal's tumultuous past. Hopkins paints a realistic picture of a family undergoing upheaval and learning to better care for one another.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Definition of Resent: Feel Bothered By Cal moved in a little more than a year ago. He wasn't exactly a stranger. Aunt Caryn was his mom, and she and my mom were more than sisters. They were identical twins. Two halves of a whole, Mom called them. They were close, but they didn't live near each other. Aunt Caryn moved to Arizona before Cal was born. She visited once in a while and came to a couple of family reunions. Talk about trouble! I guess when Aunt Caryn met Cal's dad and dropped out of college, it made Grandma mad. They hardly talk at all anymore, Mom told me once. And when they do, they end up shouting. "So why does Aunt Caryn go to the reunions?" I asked. "Grandma's always there. Caryn still wants to be part of the family, and she wants Cal to know his relatives. "I think Grandma should forgive her," I said. I think so, too. But my mother has a hard time with forgiveness. She thinks it's a sign of weakness. Grandma still hadn't forgiven her when Aunt Caryn died. I'll never forget that day. Mom cried and cried. When she finally stopped, her face was so puffed up, I could barely see her eyes. I lost a piece of myself , she said. Maybe Cal living with us is like getting that piece back. Maybe that's why Mom lets him get away with everything, from pranks to meltdowns to lies. I'm sorry, but I resent that. Try to find a little sympathy, Mom urges. After Caryn passed, things got pretty rough for Cal. His dad took him after the funeral, but the details of the next two years are a mystery. And no one's giving out clues. You'll have to wait for Cal to tell you, Mom says. It's not up to me. Whatever happened, I feel sorry for Cal. If my mom died, I'd be lost. Cal must feel lost sometimes, too. So, yeah, I want to forgive his quirks. Excerpted from Closer to Nowhere by Ellen Hopkins All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.