Abe Lincoln Book Award Winner

Crank is the Illinois Abraham Lincoln book of the year, selected by high school students in Illinois. Crank also won at Trinity with 3 votes. Such a Pretty Girl was the 2nd place winner both statewide and at Trinity. 3rd place in the state was The Lightning Thief.

Congratulations to the 13 Trinity "Abe Babes" who read at least 4 books and qualified to vote this year. These girls will be featured on the Library's photo wall of fame and will attend a "breakfast with the books" later this month.

Crank
The novel Crank by Ellen Hopkins is a close look at drug addictions and what the monster, called Crank, does to one’s body once it has been introduced. The main character, Kristina, is sent to her father’s house in Albuquerque, where she meets Adam. Kristina’s trip takes a wrong turn when Adam introduces her to the monster. The drug took control of every part of her body, even convincing her that she was someone else. When using the drug and meeting new people, Kristina becomes “Bree”. Crank is a phenomenal novel that teaches the reader what can happen if someone doesn’t think twice about becoming friends with “the monster”.

Crank is a remarkable novel that is a must-read for all ages. It is by far one of the best novels I have ever read. It was full of so much truth and dull moments never existed. The plot always kept me wanting more, and I never wanted to put the book down. Since I read Crank within a day, I never did put the book down. The author wrote specifically about her daughter, who is Kristina in the book. This is just one of the reasons the novel is so interesting because it is an honest and genuine story. Because Crank was such a great novel, I plan to the sequel Glass.

I recommend this novel to anyone who would like to read a fascinating novel involving real life situations. Crank is a great novel that keeps the reader on their toes with anxiousness to know what will happen next. It is a real page turner and is really interesting. If reading appears boring to someone, they obviously have not read Crank. For all readers out there, once this novel is picked up, it is hard to put down.

-Taylor

Such a Pretty Girl

Such a Pretty Girl is about a fifteen year old girl named Meredith. Her father molested her as a little girl. The court promised her that her father would be in jail until she turned eighteen but he ends up getting out three years earlier. Her mother does not see what her father did was wrong. Her mother thinks it was just a mistake, Meredith knows her father is a child molester. Meredith is dating Andy who was another one of her dad’s victims. Meredith feels like Andy is the only person she can count on. One day Meredith’s mother slaps her in front of Meredith’s grandmother. Her grandmother will not allow her to live with her mother so Meredith moves in with her. Meredith makes a plan, and moves back home. She hides cameras all around her house because she wanted her dad to get caught for good. Sure enough, he did. Meredith takes the tapes to court and her father gets put back in jail for life.

I loved the book. I think Meredith is a great character in the book and what she did was awesome. I would never be able to deal with the things she did. I found myself wanting to go in the book and kill her dad for her. I also wanted to talk some sense into her mother. I didn’t understand why she was in denial the whole time. Everyone saw his personality qualities except for her. I loved the book and I think Meredith is a great character. I’m so glad she stuck up for herself. She deserved it after all of that time. I felt really sorry for her at the beginning of the book but at the end I was really excited that her life was actually good.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. It showed me all the good things I have in my life and how lucky I am. I learned how great my family is. If you like reading darker books this is the book for you. I think girls should read it because it is not the usual love story. This book is actually real and believable. I think it was one of my favorite books.

-Rachael