Language: R (22 swears 5 'f'); Mature Content: PG (Mention of sex sounds coming from mother's room); Violence: PG Bullying, mostly mean girls.
BUYING ADVISORY: HS, MS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
14yo Eva (Neveah) lives with her Cree grandmother (Nohkum) and her 4yo brother, and occasionally her alcoholic mother (Shirley) in the small town of Hope near Vancouver. They are barely getting by, but Nohkum keeps them fed - soup and bannock for most meals. But when Nohkum falls on the porch and breaks her hip, mom is left in charge of the children. She promises not to drink until Nohkum is out of the hospital, but while Eva is at school, the police find Marcus miles away from home and discover mom passed out on the couch. Social Services swoops in, and the children are removed to foster care. This is the 2nd time for Eva who is placed in a group home.
I cried several times reading Hopeless in Hope. It's a poignant, heartbreaking story about generational dysfunction mostly arising from the generation of indigenous children who were taken from their parents and put in residential schools. Eva and her family are trying to break the cycle of parents who have no parenting skills. I like that there are several groups who would see themselves in this title - Native Americans (although Eva is Canadian); kids in foster care and group homes, as well as kids dealing with alcoholic or abusive parents. Eva has a roommate at the group home who is non-binary.
Lisa Librarian
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