First draft

               The book, Crank by Ellen Hopkins, should be banned from middle school libraries because ,  the main character Kristina is a very bad influence on kids . Also , the book is graphic and explains situations that kids shouldn’t really know a lot about yet . Sexual content and the use of drugs are  brought up many times in the book.  These topics are very inappropriate at times and kids should not be reading about these topics at such a young age.

            The book Crank should be banned from middle school libraries because , the sexual content in this book is brought up a lot and is also very graphic. For example , in the book on page 114 (Hands), “ Covered my mouth , rough, held my arms , strong , ripped my clothes, vicious , … Buttons burst , zippers opened , I closed my eyes , braced for the pain.” Explains to the reader that Kristina is getting raped. I feel that this is a very serious topic, but also an inappropriate one. Also on page 168 ( So I Said ), it states , “ And then he took my hand, “Put it right there.” Showed me how to make things right. “Yes , just like that.” For him. But what about me ?” In this part of the text, something sexual is clearly going on . Kristina is a bad influence on kids reading this book because she is making it seem like it’s ok to do the things she is doing.

            Another reason why Crank should be banned , is because of the drug use in the book. For example on page 161 (So of Course I did a Really Stupid Thing ), it states , “He pulled a bindle from his pocket, tapped the sparkly powder inside. “Cooked up fresh yesterday.”  Mother Kristina said no. The monster stormed Bree’s door.” This part of the text shows the use of drugs in the book. In other parts of the book, Kristina has been taking drugs and she was explaining how the drug makes her feel inside. In the article, Darkness Too Visible by Meghan Gurdon , states , “ These books deal with topics kids shouldn’t have to deal with.” Kids shouldn’t have to read about issues like drugs , because things like this make the world seem cruel. Kids shouldn’t being seeing the world that way at a young age.

            Some people might say that, topics like this happen in real life and that kids can learn from these topics. But, in the article , “Darkness Too Visible” , it states , “ If books show us the world, teen fiction can be like a hall of fun-house mirrors, constantly reflecting back hideously distorted portrayals of what life is.” This part of the text states that yes , these books show us how the out side world is but, shows us the dark side of it. In books like Crank , it shows us how life is with the affect of drug or sexual situations.

            All in all, the book Crank should be banned from middle school libraries because, Kristina is a bad influence on kids and the book is graphic and explains situations kids shouldn’t really know about yet. Books like this can negatively affect children. This book contains issues older people go through and kids shouldn’t have to worry about drugs or anything else related to drugs.

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