Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins“There are kids who have

been through the same

issues, and they can say,

‘Somebody gets me. I'm not

the only person going

through this.' And on the

other side are readers who

have not had the same

experiences but perhaps

know peers who have, and

want to live vicariously with

them, in some way, through

the novels.”

On Writing...

“These stories pour from me. I

believe in a higher power, and

think I was meant to do what I do,

to write what I write. Few enough

authors are willing to tackle these

issues, but so many readers need

them.”

Biographical Information

Born on March 26th, 1955 in Long Beach, CA

Adopted by an older couple

First poem published when she was nine

Dropped out of UCSB journalism program to

start a family

Has three children - Jason, Cristal, and Kelly

Guardian of her grandchild, Orion

Professional Career

Began writing in 1990

Writer of 56 non-fiction books for children

Writer of 12 YA and adult verse novels

Regional advisor for Nevada

chapter of SCBWI

Crank First YA work, Published in

2004

Loosely based on her

daughters drug addiction

2005 Quills Award nominee

2005 Book Sense Top 10

2005 NYPL Recommended

for Teens

Excerpt from CRANKFlirtin’ with the Monster

Life was good

before I

met

the monster

After,

life

was great,

At

least

for a little while.

Reaction“Hopkins writes in free-verse poems that

paint painfully sharp images of

Kristina/Bree and those around her,

detailing how powerful the “monster” can

be. The poems are masterpieces of word,

shape, and pacing, compelling readers on

to the next chapter in Kristina’s spiraling

world.”

- School Library Journal

Impulse

2008 ALA Best

Books for Young

Adults

2008 Georgia

Peach Award

nominee

Identical 2008 ALA Quick Picks for

Reluctant Readers

2009 YALSA Top Ten for

Teens

2009 ALA Quick Picks for

Reluctant Readers

Hopkins's verse is not

only lean and sinuous, it

also demonstrates a

mastery of technique.

- Publishers Weekly, Starred

Review

My Opinion...

Content is high interest to teens

Creative/unique format

Dependent on the format

Predictable

Works Cited

“Ellen Hopkins.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27 February 2012. Web. 27 March 2012.

Hopkins, Ellen. Ellen Hopkins. Web. 27 March 2012. <http://ellenhopkins/YoungAdult>

Lodge, Sally. "BEA Show Daily 2011: Ellen Hopkins Probing the Pursuit of Perfection." PublishersWeekly.com. Publishers Weekly, 26 May 2011. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.

Taylor, Brent. "The Naughty Book Kitties: Ellen Hopkins on Writing, Her Daughter, and Censorship!" The Naughty Book Kitties. 14 Sept. 2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.