Well-known author Ellen Hopkins has written another young adult book.
"Tilt," published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, was released on Sept. 11, 2012.
The 608-page book is described:
Witnessing the fallout from the poor choices their parents make and the lies adults tell themselves, three teens are clinging to the last remnants of the secure and familiar world in which they've grown up. But the ground is shifting. What was once clear is now confused. Everything is tilting.
Mikayla is sure she's found the love her parents seem to have lost, but is suddenly weighing nearly impossible choices in the wake of dashed expectations. Shane has come out, unwilling to lie anymore about who he is, but finds himself struggling to keep it all under control in the face of first love and a horrific loss. Harley, a good girl just seeking new experiences, never expects to hurtle towards self-destructive extremes in order to define who she is and who she wants to be.
Inspired by teen characters first introduced in her adult novel, Triangles, Ellen Hopkins crafts a wrenching story that explores the ways we each find the strength we need to hold on when our world's been tilted completely off its axis.
Hopkins wrote popular novels such as "Crank," "Burned," "Glass," and "Identical."
"Tilt" is the teen spin-off of "Triangles," which was published in October 2011.
In an interview with JacketCopy, Hopkins, who writes in poetry instead of prose, said, "In writing 'Triangles,' those three women had teens, so the teen stories became interesting to me too. Writing the adult novel, the adult stories were the heart of the book. But it became an interesting experiment because parents are always trying to figure out what their teens are thinking and teens are always trying to figure out what their parents are thinking."
She spoke about writing teen novels even though she is an adult.
"I have a respect for teens, not that everything they do makes me happy. It's really necessary to write contemporary young adult fiction. It's not about teaching them lessons. It's not about dissecting their psyches. It's about respect. To have that respect for them, to listen to what they're saying, I've become almost like a Dear Abby. It's like you're the mom. They can't tell their moms, but they tell me. It's weird and sometimes depressing and sometimes uplifting too because I get both sides."
The book has gotten rave reviews:
"One would think the range of characters would be enough of a challenge, but the author also tackles a wide range of traditional teen fiction dramas: teen pregnancy, HIV, illness, adoption, physical abuse, sexual abuse, divorce, rape, stepfamilies, abortion, religion, death. And yet somehow, everything flows together. What should feel like a contrived soap opera, feels real-sad, sorrowful, but very real. The 'tilt' of the title may refer to this book's position as a companion novel to the author's adult book, Triangles." - VOYA
On GoodReads, many readers gave "Tilt" four or five stars.
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