Fallout

Discussion page for //Fallout// by Ellen Hopkins

Hopkins' books are always popular and we have no need to advertise them at my school. What is the goal of Flume? To put books and authors on the list who are already popular and read frequently or to introduce teens to other options or to select from books that teens have nominated? I'm not being sarcastic in my question; I really do not know the answer, so it's hard for me to critique some of these books. Kelly Budd Keene High School

Interesting question, Kelly. Part of me thinks that a Hopkins book should be on the list because //Crank// is such an all time favorite, but was written before the Flume award came to be. I'd like to see books on the list of nominees that students really want to read, or have read and adored. I haven't read //Fallout// yet. Maybeth Anderson Dover High School

I agree that you raise a good question, Kelly, and one that the Flume Committee should address. We do try to emphasize that this award is teen-driven, so many of the nominations are the popular books that kids read. As the committee comes up with the final list, I know that it tries to balance popularity with lesser-known, but high quality titles. It's hard to strike this balance, though. Ann Hoey--NHSL

Fallout is the third book that Hopkins has written with her daughter in mind who has struggled with Meth addiction. This book shares the "fallout" of the main character, Kristina's, addiction - the children spread around, their feeling of being abandoned, the pain that this type of addiction leaves in its wake. While it can probably stand alone, I think that Fallout is a much more powerful book when read after Crank and Glass. For that reason, I would be in favor of leaving it off the list. ~ Sharon Flesher-Duffy, Nashua High South