After reading hopkin's novel triangles, i was excited to read this one since it was from the point of view of the children instead of the parents. Its better to read triangles first because then the things the children talk about make better since. the book is mostly about 3 of the children. shane (gay) who has a 4 yr old sister who is terminally ill, makayla who get pregnant, and harley who is 13 and desperate for guys attention. i Loved this book and i read it in a day because it just draws you in. NOt to give anything away, but this book is a page turner full of surprises but with a not so happy ending.
Show lessAfter reading hopkin's novel triangles, i was excited to read this one since it was from the point of view of the children instead of the parents. Its better to read triangles first because then the things the children talk about make better since. the book is mostly about 3 of the children. shane (gay) who has a 4 yr old sister who is terminally ill, makayla who get pregnant, and harley who is 13 and desperate for guys attention. i Loved this book and i read it in a day because it just draws you in. NOt to give anything away, but this book is a page turner full of surprises but with a not so happy ending.
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In this companion to Hopkins's adult book, Triangles (2011), the author offers a gripping novel-in-verse about teens whose lives shift dramatically because of sex. High school junior Mikayla is in love, but her relationship with her boyfriend is tested when she gets pregnant. Shane, 16, is dating a boy with HIV and coping with his four-year-old sister's incurable illness. Harley, a freshman, starts experimenting with drinking and drugs, as an older boy pressures her to have sex. Readers unfamiliar with Triangles may have trouble tracking the characters' interlinked relationships, but Hopkins's many fans will find plenty of authenticity, especially in Harley's story ("I'm Running/ With a fast crowd and I'm not/ sure how I got here... I never expected to go/ this far"), and appreciate the author's clever touches (the closing words/lines of the three narrators' sections lead into single-page poems from the POV of other key characters). While these stories are not quite as compelling as those in Hopkins's previous books, readers will likely move through this installment just as quickly. Ages 14-up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Sept) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Show lessIn this companion to Hopkins's adult book, Triangles (2011), the author offers a gripping novel-in-verse about teens whose lives shift dramatically because of sex. High school junior Mikayla is in love, but her relationship with her boyfriend is tested when she gets pregnant. Shane, 16, is dating a boy with HIV and coping with his four-year-old sister's incurable illness. Harley, a freshman, starts experimenting with drinking and drugs, as an older boy pressures her to have sex. Readers unfamiliar with Triangles may have trouble tracking the characters' interlinked relationships, but Hopkins's many fans will find plenty of authenticity, especially in Harley's story ("I'm Running/ With a fast crowd and I'm not/ sure how I got here... I never expected to go/ this far"), and appreciate the author's clever touches (the closing words/lines of the three narrators' sections lead into single-page poems from the POV of other key characters). While these stories are not quite as compelling as those in Hopkins's previous books, readers will likely move through this installment just as quickly. Ages 14-up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Sept) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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This review is of the Advanced Reader's Edition of the book.Tilt is a companion story to Hopkins' adult novel, Triangles. As I have yet to read Triangles, all of the characters in this book were new to me. Tilt follows the story of three teenagers, Harley, Mikayla, and Shane. Harley is 13 and desperate to fall in love for the first time. Mikayla is 17 and in the midst of the most powerful love of her life. Shane is 15 and starting his first real relationship while trying to escape his family drama.The voices of these three are not the only ones present in the book. Although the book is not divided into chapters, the character's POV is switched by interspersed pages (inverted with white text on black) of secondary characters relevant to the story. At first, I found this to be too jarring. It took at least 200 pages for me to understand how these characters were connected to each other, who was friends with whom and who was cousins with whom. (A character list or "family tree" at the front of the book would have been helpful to reference.) However, by the end of the novel I really appreciated hearing the voices of these other characters. For example, hearing from Shelby, Shane's severely disabled younger sister that has never been able to speak, was very powerful. Likewise, hearing from Lucas, a guy that Harley begins experimenting sexually with was the only way to give the reader an insight into what a huge creep he is.It is an understatement to say that the lives of these three are completely changed from the beginning of the book to the end. Not only do major life events play themselves out on the pages, but the audience can detect the difference in their personal narrative as time goes on (even though the book only covers about 6 months of real time). I could see each person grow and change and oftentimes feel how they lived uncomfortably in their new realities.As I finished this book, I felt completely empty. This is not a happy-ending fairy tale (though anyone familiar with Hopkins' works wouldn't expect it anyway). The stories of these characters, (Shane especially) were so harsh and uncomfortable that I was gasping for a little light at the end of the tunnel. Much like real life, though, I was only left with a vague promise of change on horizon.
Show lessThis review is of the Advanced Reader's Edition of the book.Tilt is a companion story to Hopkins' adult novel, Triangles. As I have yet to read Triangles, all of the characters in this book were new to me. Tilt follows the story of three teenagers, Harley, Mikayla, and Shane. Harley is 13 and desperate to fall in love for the first time. Mikayla is 17 and in the midst of the most powerful love of her life. Shane is 15 and starting his first real relationship while trying to escape his family drama.The voices of these three are not the only ones present in the book. Although the book is not divided into chapters, the character's POV is switched by interspersed pages (inverted with white text on black) of secondary characters relevant to the story. At first, I found this to be too jarring. It took at least 200 pages for me to understand how these characters were connected to each other, who was friends with whom and who was cousins with whom. (A character list or "family tree" at the front of the book would have been helpful to reference.) However, by the end of the novel I really appreciated hearing the voices of these other characters. For example, hearing from Shelby, Shane's severely disabled younger sister that has never been able to speak, was very powerful. Likewise, hearing from Lucas, a guy that Harley begins experimenting sexually with was the only way to give the reader an insight into what a huge creep he is.It is an understatement to say that the lives of these three are completely changed from the beginning of the book to the end. Not only do major life events play themselves out on the pages, but the audience can detect the difference in their personal narrative as time goes on (even though the book only covers about 6 months of real time). I could see each person grow and change and oftentimes feel how they lived uncomfortably in their new realities.As I finished this book, I felt completely empty. This is not a happy-ending fairy tale (though anyone familiar with Hopkins' works wouldn't expect it anyway). The stories of these characters, (Shane especially) were so harsh and uncomfortable that I was gasping for a little light at the end of the tunnel. Much like real life, though, I was only left with a vague promise of change on horizon.
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