Call Me Hope

by Gretchen Olson

Overview

As 11-year-old Hope struggles to live under the pressures of her verbally abusive mother, she's tempted to run away but instead chooses resilience. She creates a secret safe haven and an innovative point system (giving herself points for every bad thing her mother says to her); finds comfort and inspiration from Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl; and gains a support team. Ultimately, Hope is able to confront her mother about her hurtful words and help her begin to change.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316085458
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/26/2009
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	720L (what's this?)
File size:	568 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Gretchen Olson is the author of the YA novel Joyride (Boyds Mill Press) and on the board of directors for The Hands & Words Are Not for Hurting Project. She received the University of Oregon's Community Award for her work with the Hands Project. Gretchen lives with her husband on their blueberry farm in Oregon.

Editorial Reviews

Anyone who equates child abuse only with physical blows may think in broader terms after reading this moving story of a sixth grader tormented by her mother's hurtful words. Hope, whose father left when she was a baby (because she "cried all the time," according to her mother), has been called stupid so many times she gets a "stinkin' stomachache" every time she hears the word. She can't seem to do anything to please her mother, but luckily there are others-Hope's teacher, her school counselor and classmate Brody, for instance-who believe she does have value. Hope reaches a turning point after making friends with two women who run a used clothing store. Deeply affected by their kindness and inspired by Anne Frank's diary, Hope gradually begins to believe in herself, even when her mother dishes out her cruelest punishment by not allowing Hope to participate in the Outdoor School program. Without giving too pat a solution to Hope's internal and external conflicts, Olson (Joyride) provides signs that her protagonist's future will be considerably brighter than her past. Children who can identify with Hope's predicament will find solace in this book as well as tips for survival, listed by Hope in the final chapter. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

Gr 4-6 - Hope is a bright 11-year-old, eager to please and looking forward to a week at camp with her 6th-grade class. With ingenuity, she manages to fulfill the requirements, despite lack of support at home, but she has not fully reckoned with her unhappy and punitive mother. Anything can set Mom off, and when it does, a scorching tirade and cruel punishment follow. "Hopeless" is the kindest word that her mother hurls at her. This portrait of a verbally abusive parent is acute and painful. Readers will cheer for Hope as she finds ways to comfort herself and to shore up her damaged self-esteem. Especially important is her new friendship with two older women who run a thrift shop where Hope works to earn the boots and clothes she needs for the trip. When Mom punishes her by refusing to let her go to camp, it takes the intervention of caring adults to give her back her dreams and to stop the abuse. While Hope is away, her mother enrolls in parenting classes. That a troubled adult would turn around in one short week is a fairy-tale ending, but this didactic story is nonetheless a compelling and rewarding read. The back matter contains a list of "Hope Notes"-ideas for ways that readers can build their own resiliency.-Carolyn Lehman, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

School Library Journal

Hope's mother verbally abuses her, calling her hopeless, an accident, stupid, the reason her father left, as well as innumerable profanities. When she's brought into the principal's office for calling another student a "dumb shit," her mother arrives, speaking demeaning profanities about Hope to the principal. So the reader gets the picture right away. Because her sixth-grade class is studying the Holocaust, she begins reading Anne Frank, and watches the film Life is Beautiful. Hope begins to develops coping methods, as did Anne in her attic and Guido in the internment camps. All the while, readers see her as a good girl, smart and hardworking, while her mother continues to denigrate and dismiss her. Fortunately, she has support from other adults and an older brother who knows her grief. The abuse remains erratic-like living with a rattlesnake-and finally, Hope's mother refuses to give her permission to attend the most important event of the year, the Outdoor School. Her brother contacts educators and friends, who intervene and convince her mother to change her mind. When Hope comes home, her mother has begun counseling and is beginning to change. Written for the purpose of helping other abused children, this has a hopeful, though rather facile ending; sadly, such is not the case for every abused child. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Call Me Hope:
A Borders Original Voices selection
A Book Sense Pick

"Hope is a winsome character whose bravery and determination will resonate with middle-grade readers." — Booklist

"Children who can identify with Hope's predicament will find solace in this book as well as tips for survival." — Publishers Weekly

"A compelling and rewarding read."—School Library Journal

"The resilience of Hope Elliot will inspire and console readers of all ages."—VOYA

Praise for Joyride:
A Booklist Top Ten Notable Book
Society of School Librarians International Honor Book
Oregon Book Award finalist

"Olson knows how to keep readers turning the pages."
-Kirkus

From the Publisher