From the Publisher
"A strong, painful and tender piece about wresting hope from the depths of despair."
Smoke
by Ellen HopkinsView All Available Formats & Editions
Pattyn’s father is dead. Now she’s on the run in this riveting companion to the New York Times bestselling Burned.
Pattyn Von Stratten’s father is dead, and Pattyn is on the run. After far too many years of abuse at the hands of her father, and after the tragic loss of her beloved Ethan and their unborn child, Pattyn is
… See more details belowOverview
Pattyn’s father is dead. Now she’s on the run in this riveting companion to the New York Times bestselling Burned.
Pattyn Von Stratten’s father is dead, and Pattyn is on the run. After far too many years of abuse at the hands of her father, and after the tragic loss of her beloved Ethan and their unborn child, Pattyn is desperate for peace. Only her sister Jackie knows what happened that night, but she is stuck at home with their mother, who clings to normalcy by allowing the truth to be covered up by their domineering community leaders. Her father might be finally gone, but without Pattyn, Jackie is desperately isolated.
Alone and in disguise, Pattyn starts a new life as a migrant worker on a California ranch. But is it even possible to rebuild a life when everything you’ve known has burned to ash and lies seem far safer than the truth?
Bestselling author Ellen Hopkins continues the riveting story of Pattyn Von Stratten she began in Burned to explore what it takes to rise from the ashes, put ghosts to rest, and step into a future.
Editorial Reviews
Booklist
"Hopkins' riveting story line is full of the perpetual premonition of danger, and the simple free-verse format belies the complexity of both plot and craft...a compelling and thought-provoking read."starred review VOYA
"The book is rife with real issues and demanding attention, leaving the reader to realize that when the smoke clears, redemption is always possible. In the end, voices are heard that refuse to be silenced and the empowerment that comes with the character’s decisions transcend the page and leave much to be discussed and contemplated among readers."VOYA - Stephanie Wilkes
After a cliff-hanger left readers completely breathless in Burned (Simon & Schuster, 2006/Voya June 2006), Smoke picks up immediately and does not disappoint. Pattyn von Stratten is on the run, and her abusive father is dead. Brokenhearted after the death of her lover and unborn child, Pattyn finds refuge disguised as a migrant worker and as a maid to a family with a teenager living a dangerous lifestyle. Pattyn's sister Jackie, left behind to pick up the pieces of their broken family, has secrets all her own and holds the key to what happened that fateful night of her father's death but has been advised by leaders in the Mormon community, as well as her own mother, to remain quiet. In traditional Hopkins's style, Smoke is in free verse but leaves nothing out; the book is rife with real issues and demanding attention, leaving the reader to realize that when the smoke clears, redemption is always possible. In the end, voices are heard that refuse to be silenced and the empowerment that comes with the character's decisions transcend the page and leave much to be discussed and contemplated among readers. Reviewer: Stephanie WilkesChildren's Literature - LeAnn Deel
For Pattyn Von Stratten, life has not been a crystal stair. At seventeen, she has experienced more heartbreak than most people do in a lifetime. In this sequel to the 2007 hit Burned, Pattyn goes on the run after the murder of her abusive father and the deaths of her boyfriend Ethan and their unborn child. Pattyn’s younger sister Jackie also narrates her struggle to put the pieces of her life back together after she is raped. Pattyn finds refuge with a family of Mexican immigrants manning a fruit orchard in California, but her tenuous hold on peace shatters when the family becomes victims of a hate crime. Pattyn and two friends are gunned down, but Pattyn survives along with her new boyfriend Angel. Pattyn’s story is one of heartbreak and recovery. She comes to terms with her father’s abuse, death, and the loss of Ethan. Jackie also finds the courage to report her rape. This story is one of abuse, suffering, and eventual redemption as Pattyn heals her many wounds. Her strength is admirable, and Hopkins’s experience with abusive relationships is evident and haunting. The novel also touts her liberal views and criticism of the church, but the message is not preachy. Hopkins’s emotionally brilliant verse will capture readers. This sequel is a nice placeholder, but is not quite as cinematic and harrowing as its predecessor. However, Pattyn’s character development shows, and Jackie’s newfound strength also reshapes her character. The new characters—Angel and Gavin—enrich the drama. Reviewer: LeAnn Deel; Ages 12 up.Kirkus Reviews
Two sisters wrestle with guilt and fear after one kills the father who battered them. Readers last saw 17-year-old Pattyn at the cliffhanger ending of Burned (2006), immediately after her beloved boyfriend and their unborn baby were killed in a car wreck. Stunned with grief and fury, and with nothing left to lose, Pattyn vowed to shoot her long-abusive father, whom she blamed for the accident. This much-desired sequel begins two weeks later--and Dad's dead. Escaping town, Pattyn meets a warm, welcoming family of mostly undocumented farm laborers. They find her a ranch job, where she hides from law enforcement. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Jackie is stuck at home, narrating her own half of the story. Through free-verse poems thick with the weight of trauma, the shooting's details emerge. A schoolmate raped Jackie; blaming Jackie, Dad broke her ribs and loosened her teeth; Pattyn's gun stopped Dad forever. Now Pattyn faces "blood-caked nightmares," while Jackie fights a mother and two LDS church leaders who insist she forget her rape. Waiting for the past to "tackle [them] from behind," both girls struggle toward fragile new connections and inner strength. The lives of undocumented Americans, a renegade hate movement and a wild horse wary of trust are all organic to the plot. A strong, painful and tender piece about wresting hope from the depths of despair. (author's note) (Verse fiction. 13-17)Product Details
- ISBN-13:
- 9781416983293
- Publisher:
- Margaret K. McElderry Books
- Publication date:
- 02/03/2015
- Edition description:
- Reprint
- Pages:
- 576
- Sales rank:
- 48,586
- Product dimensions:
- 5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.70(d)
- Lexile:
- HL710L (what's this?)
- Age Range:
- 14 - 17 Years
Read an Excerpt
Smoke
Pattyn Scarlet Von Stratten
Some Things
You can’t take back, no
matter how much you wish
you could. No matter how
hard you pray to
some
all-powerful miracle maker.
Some supposed God of Love.
One you struggle to believe
exists, because if he did,
things
wouldn’t be so out of control,
and you wouldn’t be sucked dry
of love and left to be crushed
like old brittle bones that
are
easily ground into dust.
Hindsight is useless
when looking back over
your shoulder at deeds
irreversible.
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