Crank - 01 by Ellen Hopkins

A Reading Group Guide to Crank by Ellen Hopkins
    PREREADING QUESTIONS
    Why might teens begin using drugs like meth even though they know the dangers?
    How might drug addiction impact a family?
    What scars might drug addiction leave for generations to come?
    DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
    How would you describe Bree? Is this the same way that Kristina would describe her? Where did Bree come from?
    For Kristina, what is the lure of crystal meth? What does it provide for her? What does it take away?
    Describe Kristina's mother, father, and stepfather. Are they in any way responsible for her addiction? Do you think that there's anything else they could have—or should have—done to help her?
    Why is Kristina drawn to Adam? To Chase? To Brendan? In what ways are these three similar and in what ways are they different? How does Kristina's relationship with each one affect her?
    Which boy is most harmful to her?
    Why does Kristina decide to keep her baby? What reasons might she have had for giving it up? Do you think she made the right decision?
    Why does Kristina always call crank "the monster"? How do you think her renaming of the drug affects her attitude toward it and her sense of responsibility regarding it? Are there other things or people in the story that get renamed? How does this affect the way in which they are regarded?
    Kristina sometimes refers to herself and her life before drugs as boring and worthless, yet at other times she seems to regard it as something very precious. What attitude do you think is closest to her true feelings? Do you think those around her would agree with her assessment?
    The author chose to write this story in verse. Why do you think that she chose this format? What effect does this have on how you feel about the characters and events?
    What is the overall message of this book? Do you think the story will act as a deterrent for teens who are considering drugs?
    ACTIVITIES
    As we can see in Crank, poetry allows us to express ourselves in new and creative ways. Write a poem or series of poems about something that has happened in your life
    Choose a drug—crystal meth or some other drug that you've heard of—and research its effects on the user. Find out exactly what it does in the body, how long the side effects last, how much it typically costs, and any other pertinent facts.
    Kristina has an alter ego who allows her to be more careless and daring. What would your alter ego be like? Choose a name, list all the character traits s/he would have, and list the things that s/he could help you do. Imagine what your life would be like if you acted more like your alter ego.
    Kristina's baby, like many children of addicts, cries a lot and needs to be held more than other babies. Find out if your local hospital will allow you to volunteer to hold babies born addicted. If your community has no such programs, perhaps you could consider volunteering at a local drug clinic or an anti-drug program at your school.
    Write a short story about what you think will happen to Kristina and her baby after the events depicted in the book.
    There are several other books about teenage drug addiction, including Go Ask Alice and Smack. Read one of these other books and compare it to Crank .
    Crank guide written by Cory Grimminck, Director, Hillsdale Community Library, Hillsdale, MI.

Find out what happens to Kristina
next in Ellen Hopkins’s

Walking with the Monster
Life
was radical
right after I met
the monster.
Later, life
became
harder,
complicated.
Ultimately,
a living
hell,
like swimming
against a riptide,
walking
the wrong
direction in the fast
lane of the freeway,
waking
from sweetest
dreams to find yourself
in the middle of a
nightmare.

You Know My Story
Don’t you? All about
my dive
into the lair of the monster
drug some people call crank.
Crystal. Tina. Ice.
How a summer visit
to my dad sent me
into
the arms of a boy—a
hot-bodied hunk, my
very first love, who led
me down the path to
insanity.
How I came home
no