Call Me Hope

by Gretchen Olson

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.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, Abuse, Childrens, Contemporary

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2007

Reviews

[Gretchen Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the gratifying response to my book, Call Me Hope. I am pleased it is reaching deep into readers' hearts & souls.

My goal was to acquaint readers, as young as possible, with the insidious nature of verbal abuse. I have yearned to sweep children into my arms after I've witnessed parents yelling, swearing, and humiliating them in public; I have wanted to wipe their tears and assure them that they are NOT dumb shits, stupid, worthless, idiots; to assure them that they are valuable and competent and can follow their dreams.

I could go on and on about the destructive nature of verbal abuse. Call me Hope is a step toward awareness. (I am now hearing of school libraries unable to keep their two copies checked in, and of schools ordering classroom sets!!!!) After
that, maybe we can move toward eliminating it altogether!

Thanks again, and remember -- may your words be filled with kindness and compassion,

Take Good Care,
Gretchen Olson

[Kerry Cerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleven-year old Hope Elliot takes a lot of abuse, but being called hopeless, or sworn at doesn’t hurt nearly as much as being called stupid. What’s worse, it’s her own mom who hurls these insults at Hope on a daily basis. Sadly, Hope is so used to it, she’s learned to live in her bedroom, tiptoe around the house when Mom’s home, and never, ever ask her mom for anything. That is, until the permission slips for sixth grade Outdoor School are handed out. Hope’s been dreaming about the five day camp-out with her classmates for years. But will her mother sign the papers?
Hope tries harder than ever to stay on her mother’s good side, but fierce insults fly constantly. With inspiration from her required reading book, Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl and Joshua’s dad in the film Life is Beautiful, Hope comes up with her own plan—“Hope’s Point System”—for surviving the verbal abuse.
Though it’s not easy to ignore the comments, she’s content adding points to her notebook each time she bites her tongue rather than replying to Mom. And, she’s staying out of her mom’s way by working part time at Next To New, a consignment store, to pay off her layaway debt for a pair of purple hiking books she fell in love with. After all, the boots will be perfect for Outdoor School.
Her plan is working beautifully. But she’s afraid to get too excited because, as Mom often points out, Hope’s no good at anything. And sure enough, when Hope makes a decision that backfires and sends her Mom into a rage, Hope’s chance of Outdoor School vanishes like the prisoners who were carted off to the concentration camp gas chambers.
But, Hope knows from lessons learned in studying the Holocaust, she can choose to be strong, or choose to give up and she digs deep inside herself to find the words to finally confront her mother about how much the name calling hurts. It’s a truly powerful scene—one in which the tears fell and smudged the pages of my book. I found myself cheering for Hope’s courage and simultaneously bracing myself for her Mom’s reaction.
Author, Gretchen Olson, shines a new light on the issue of bullying. Words can be destructive no matter who hurls them, but it’s even harder to read about when the person saying it is the one person who’s supposed to take care of you, love you, and protect you most.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those "Couldn't put down books." The kind you read before class and on the way home from school. I was not excited about having to read the Oregon Battle of the Books, books in 6th grade, but I'm glad I did because I got to read one book I really loved, Call Me Hope.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! The author works for the "Hands and Words are Not For Hurting" project (or at least I think that's what it's called) which fights against verbal and physical abuse. Something I thought was interesting about this book was that it was about verbal abuse. For most people, whenever they hear the words "child abuse," they think physical abuse. But really verbal abuse has just as much impact on the child. Words can hurt just as much.

This book is about a girl named Hope who lives with her mother and older brother. She has always noticed that her mom treats her differently that the other moms. She yells at her a lot, and frequently calls her names like "hopeless" and "stupid." This has always bothered her, but in the past she learned to deal with it. But she didn't realize until lately how uncomfortable it made her. So she thinks of a plan on how to stop it.

[Anyce Paul-Emile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you want to read a book that makes you really think about life, and wonder how other people live? A book that can make you feel like your the character making a decision on what to do? If this is the kind of book you want to read, then this is the book for you. This is a realistic fictional book that can touch your heart.This is a great story that can really change your thoughts.
This story takes place sometime around the 21st century, in a small town. It is about a 6th grader who is struggling at home with a mean mother. She is trying to do her best not to upset her but be happy for herself, which is hard for her. Ever since she was little Hope has been abused, (with words) by her mother, and it hurts Hope very much. This book is the kind of book that if you read it you can somehow feel her pain. ***SPOILER ALERT*** Towards the end of the story Hope stands up for herself, which is amazing. Hopes mom starts to be a better mom to Hope after Hope tells her mom how she feels. Hope and her mom finally have a special bond. Some of the problems in the story are that Hope is bullied, Hope steel her moms dress, Hope wants to run away, etc. ***END OF SPOILER ALERT*** I do think that this was a great book because of the events that happen in the story, like how Hope makes two new friends. If you like a book that you can be curious with, this is a good book that falls in the category. This book also has some bullying in it which is surprising coming from who the bully is, her mother. This is a great book and I hope others will read this book and think about what happens afterword.
I liked the way the author wrote about Hope because the author writes in a way hat makes you feel as if the character is you. This story to me is myself in a form of someone else, because you are hearing about someone else life. I say this because this is the kind of book that if you read it, you really understand it. This is a sad story about a little girls life and the struggles she goes through. I think that this is a great book because of the thoughts that it puts into your head. This is good because instead of just thinking about you self, and your struggles, you think of how someone else is struggling and how they are.
A major event that changed the character was at the end her life changed.I liked this because she has been having a hard life, and having this amazing change happen really made the story brighter.I enjoyed it because of all the happy moments that had happened throughout the story. These are some of the most important times in the story because there are so many bad/sad things that happen that the good times, even if they are small, are really big and important in the story.
In conclusion I would rate this story 5 stars because I really love books that I am able to take the place of the character in and really understand and get a visual of what is happening. I would recommend this book to anybody who gets the feeling that I feel when you read a book and take the place of the character. If you are the kind of person that can really understand, take the place of the character, and like a book that has you feeling the emotions that the book places for you, then this is the kind of book you want. Call me Hope.

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

in my opinion, this book was one of the best I have ever read. It was tense dramatic, terrifying, and funny all at one. The story is about a teenage girl who endures verbal, and sometimes physical abuse by her mother, all the while her older brother is just a bystander. This issue is extremely relatable to many girls, and even boys in our society today. This book was literally heart breaking because of the negative and degrading language Hope's mother uses in order to talk to her daughter. The story became mush more serial to me whenI found out the that book was based on a true story. i realized how many girls my age do actually have to deal with burdens such as domestic violence. In conclusion, Call Me Hope is a heat wrenching book, in which the reader spending the entire time hoping that Hope will have the mental and physical strength to pull through and overcome her mother's verbal and physical violence.

[wanderer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Hope (sometimes called Hopeless) revolves around the diary of Anne Frank, which is really cool. I loved the way the author worked in some Holocaust history and wove two very different story lines together. And I have to say, Hope's teacher was awesome!

Hope is the victim of verbal abuse. The parts where Hope's mom cussed her out and called her names didn't make me the saddest, though. What made me saddest was how pitifully pleased Hope was when someone said someone nice to her. Honestly, a "good job" could make her week.

But those sad parts are what taught me the most from this book: be kind, seek out the quiet, hurting, bedraggled ones. Because they might be victims of nastiness at home, and because you might be able to make their day and smooth their path a tiny bit. I think the author's goal was probably to make the Hopes of this world realize they're not alone, and maybe to help the Moms of Hopes realize what they're doing to their kids, but I'm going to try to remember to be kind.

My only criticism, and it didn't really affect my reading enjoyment, is that a very sad story wraps up just a bit too neatly. I don't think the Moms of the Hopes of this world can change that quickly, though I wish (maybe even hope?) they can.

[Brandi Rae Fong · Rating 3 out of 5]

In many ways, I found this to be an incredibly sad and touching book. Many kids, like Hope, don't even realize that being called stupid, hopeless, dumb, loser or being sweared at or talked to with sarcasm is verbal abuse; causing it to become one of those problems that exists, but not acknowledged. When not confronted, it can lead to other issues, such as depression.

Hope was a great character who was able to find support both in books and from the people around her, and I think that her situation will ring very true and realistic with students in similar situations.

The only exception to the realism was that I think that the mother realized that what she was doing was wrong a little too quickly. I don't think that just one visit from the guidance counselor would have made her see her errors and turn around so quickly. Situations like this don't get fixed that quickly.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Made me think... what reading does for me, what I want it to do for my students. It transports me and makes me reflect. It was a story within a story for me. The MC and her plot: Hope is verbally abused by her mom and seeks a variety of refuges. Her 6th grade class is studying the Holocaust and Hope finds it no stretch to identify with Anne Franke in her hiding out though recognizing how much worse Anne had it and how hopeless the Jews' situation was. Her teacher also shows the class the film, Life is Beautiful, inspiring Hope to award herself points for enduring her mom's abuse. The system crashes though when her mother takes all of Hope's rewards from her. She, as the parent, has and exerts absolute power. When she takes away Outdoor School, Hope sinks. Surprisingly, Hope's older brother instigates an intervention in the form of a barrage of visits and phone calls from school personnel and community members. Hope attends ODS and her mother starts attending parenting classes. This book made me cry. And gave hope.

[124maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love and hated this book at the same time. I loved the little girl, Hope, and adored her for being so strong. Hope is in the 6th grade and she is at the top of her school. Her mother is abusive, but not in the way you would think. Her mother abuses her vebally. These horrible words leave Hope trying to practically live in her closet trying to escape them. Hope imagines running away from home everyday to live with someone nicer, whether they are from her school or the shop she loves to go to, Next-to-New. The only thing that keeps her at home is her older brother, Tyler. Hope's school has something called outdoor school that allows all the sixth graders to go on an educational camping trip. With her mom not allowing her to go to outdoor school, all of Hope's teachers pitch in to help. Hope's mother only gets more angry than before. With everyone trying to help Hope she has only Anne Frank's brave diary influencing her to continue on with lots of hope.

[Emma H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call Me Hope is an inspirational book about a 12-year-old girl named Hope Elliot. Hope has the life of any average sixth grade student. She rides the bus to Eola Hills Grade school in Washington, has friends, does her homework, and gets along well with her older brother Tyler. There is only one problem with her life. Hope is under constant pressure from her mother, who verbally abuses her nearly every day. To cope with the constant name-calling and putting down, Hope creates a point system for every time her mother hurts her feelings. 50 points for not crying, 200 points for being called stupid. Will Hope's mom ever stop? Call Me Hope is an amazing book about having the courage to stand up for yourself, and to keep persevering. If you like realistic fiction, I promise that you will love this book.

[El Addams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is what made me realize that my father is abusive. It is the best piece of fiction about emotional abuse I have ever read. It clearly presents the mother as being in the wrong, and shows possible supports for children being abused. Reading it made me realize that just because my father did not hit, he was not automatically in the right. I still struggle to this day with facing his abuse of both me, my mother, and my sister, but this book put me on the right track to deal with it.

Ironically, after telling him I was reading this book and telling him the mother's favorite insult, he responded in a fight a day later by calling me that insult. To anyone out there questioning the abuse of a loved one, this is a clear indication, and I recommend reading this book.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't take an intense subject and water it down for an audience of children! You can't water down emotional abuse and trying to do so takes away from the issue at hand. I felt the author could have researched the issue more and written a book for young adults that showed the complexity and intensity of emotional abuse.

[ElsaMakotoRenge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was all set to give this book 5 stars until the very, very end. I just found it really unrealistic that Hope’s shitty mom would abruptly realize her shitty abusive behavior like she did. I WISH it was realistic. But it just isn’t. That being said, I understand it’s a MG novel and the author wanted to give Hope a happy ending. I was delighted Hope had such a good support system from the other adults around her, her big brother, and her friend though. That made me happy.

[Mackenzie Marrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book over and over when I was young and in a bad place like Hope. And the story gave me hope and the strength to be kind <3

[David Onadipe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call me hope is a book about a girls struggle with verbal abuse coming from her mother. This book is a book that digs deep in how parents can often be your worst enemy. What made this book so emotional was reading about the detachment Hope and her mother face. Hope's way of coping was to make a point system to document all the types of abuse. She gives points in her book for every slap, demeaning comment and so much more. This book is very inspiring because as a reader i was a able to see Hope triumph in the end when she confronts her mother and deicides to stand up against her. It was mind-blowingly empowering to read about an 11-year-old girl who decided enough was enough.

[Angie Fehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Read for the 2017 Anti-Bully Readathon week: November 13th-19th


As of late, Eleven year old Hope Elliot has seriously been feeling the strain of living with a verbally abusive mother. Just for example, we learn that Hope's middle name is Marie, named after "a famous opera singer" (I'm assuming Maria Callas?) but her mother says it was a silly choice since Hope is actually pretty "hopeless" and can't carry a tune in a bucket. Oh, and Mommy Dearest here also spits out that Hope's father left them because Hope cried too much as a baby. Seriously. Hope also shares that her mother treats her as if she were a constant inconvenience, "like a 7-Eleven that closed at ten." This is on the more mild side of what Hope endures. Hope has her own theory that much of her mother's venomous talk is mostly just bitterness at never achieving her dreams to become a famous actress.

Hope starts developing physical pain from the stress of her home life, mainly in the form of severe headaches and jaw discomfort. A visit to the dentist reveals that her teeth show hardcore evidence of nighttime teeth grinding. Keep in mind, this girl is ONLY 11! When the dentist talks with Hope's mother and says it's often a result of stress, mom's response is basically That's ridiculous, stress isn't even a thing for someone her age. Well, this reader begs to differ!

To combat her mother's daily barrage of insults and put-downs, Hope initially finds comfort in numbers -- literally! She especially likes even ones. She shares with the reader that 6 is her favorite number of all, the way it spirals around for awhile and then spins out. Hope takes this as something to aspire to in life: you may spin around for awhile but hang in there and hopefully life will spit you out in a direction towards something wonderful!

Additionally, Hope goes on to find inspiration for healing from an unexpected source: a unit her class is doing on the Holocaust. After viewing the movie Life Is Beautiful in class, Hope gets the idea to create a point system where she awards herself points for every pain she endures without complaint. Tragic that a child has to bring herself to this but it does get her through her days! (BTW, if you haven't seen the film, just a heads up there are spoilers for that movie in this book). In addition to that, Hope also finds comfort and commonality in reading The Diary of Anne Frank.

Outside of school, our protagonist finds strong female figures in Anita and Ruthie, the owners of Next To New, the local consignment shop where Hope is working part-time in order to buy some boots on display there that she feels she needs for an upcoming outdoor school experience. Hope is also given a lesson in "I Statements" (when someone hurts you, you are supposed to address it by saying 'When you do ______, it makes me feel ____" or "I am ____ when you say ___"... that kind of thing).

This one is most definitely a tough read to get through if you've at all experienced some of the things mentioned here. Author Gretchen Olson does an impressive job conveying the stress of the environment without going TOO dark for young readers. The abuse from the mother is kept to the verbal variety, but the strain of Hope's life is no less evident. It's crushing to read of such a young character ALREADY at a point in her life where she is fighting to cling onto even the smallest bits of joy within a day. Still, the book lives up to its title and readers can be rest easy, knowing they will be on a journey with one inspiring protagonist!

I thought it was a pretty cute touch that on the back cover featuring the author blurb, Gretchen Olson chose to use a photo of herself at Hope's age! :-)

NOTE TO PARENTS: Because this book deals with the topic of verbal abuse, there are moments of profanity featured in this book. If you're particular about how much your child is exposed to before their teen years, you may want to give this one a pre-read through.

TEACHERS / HOMESCHOOL PARENTS: A reading guide is included at the back of the book, should you want to use this story during a unit on bullying. This reading guide includes a list of discussion questions as well as "Hope Notes", tips on how to cope for children who are going through a similar experience to Hope's.

[majesticswan3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call Me Hope by Gretchen Olson is such an amazing book that I recommend everyone should read it. This is actually my second time reading this and I was a lot more emotional this time that last time. When Hope said "I just want to be loved. ", THAT. That shattered me because a child should never have to question if their parents love them. Their actions would show them that if their parents care about them and love them and I believe because of her Mother's abusive words and negative body language, really made Hope feel otherwise which is not okay.
The characters were excellent especially Ruthie and Anita. I would kill to have friends like them or have a friendship like theirs. Even Hope's mom known as DD was written well as Olson brought to light the harsh reality of verbal abuse which many people don't discuss. Mrs. Nelson, Tyler, Mr. Hudson, Gabriela Feliciano and Brody were wonderful as well and all played their parts in helping Hope in her situation. Despite my 5 star rating, my only critique is that I wish Mrs. Nelson educated the students about abuse early on instead of waiting till grade 6 to finally let them know that it has a name and it's not right.
Abuse is always a touchy subject that people tend to walk on rocks about, but I think it's time that we talked about it the way that Olson did. Because if we don't, we'll just be saying that it's okay and it's right when it's everything but. In the world's of Matilda the Musical, 🎶Just because you find that life's not fair, it doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it. If you take it on the chin and wear it, nothing will change. Even if you're little you can do a lot you mustn't let a little thing like 'little' stop you. If you sit around and let them get on top, you might as well be saying you think that it's OK and that's not right. And if it's not right, you have to put it right!!🎶 P.S.The lyrics are from the song- Naughty
I know that's random, but while writing this whole essay, it popped into my head and it makes me wonder. Would Hope and Matilda good friends because they had verbally abusive parents and tried to take matters in their own hands? I think Hope and Matilda would be amazing friends, wouldn't you think?

[Taney Hennick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a very frustrating story because she would not tell her mom to stop calling her bad words like stupid and many more mean words to her. But i also thought it a very good book. And that a lot of things that happened to her a normal sixth grade girl would not have to pass through that like her mom not letting her go to outdoor school and calling her hopeless instead of her real name:Hope or having to buy your own boots since your mom would not help you with it or not letting her come out her room not even to make a very important phone call i thought that also when her mom was being all nice and all of the sudden she would start yelling at her for no very big reason but she would yell at her like it was the end of the world. I think she was very strong even in the hard times of her life. And it was a very good book.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that the message in this book is very important: get help when you are in trouble. This is especially great advice for children who are also experiencing abuse as Hope is. However, Hope as a character is not very believable. First, there's the inconsistency with the obsession with numbers (I thought it was because she only did that in times of stress, but as the book progressed, she used her labelling numbers as good or bad less). Second, the story doesn't feel like it's from a sixth grader's perspective. Hope's emotions appear thinned out and forced. In theory, it should be youth reading this book. I don't remember me or anyone I knew being so in control of emotions and thinking in such a formal way when I was in grade six.
TL;DR: I like the message of this book, but I didn't much enjoy the manner in which it was presented.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moriah got this book at a book exchange for Christmas. She read it and kept telling me that I needed to read it, that it was so good. Finally, I sat to read it and cried and cried and cried. I kept asking her if it got any better and she just kept saying keep reading. It did get better, but it was a very sad story! I do think it is a good book for kids Moriah's age to read, but a mom should read it with them to have a good little chat after. Just prepare to cry.

2019
I just re-read this book to Nelly. I tried to not cry as I read it aloud. It had been too many years that I could not remember how the story ended. I think the author does a really good job addressing this issue. It is not easy being a parent. Kids need to know we can make mistakes too.

[poop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all time favorite book and no one can change that. This book is such a tear-jerker and I was in love with this book all the way through. I read this about 5 times and the ending was such an amazing ending and made me so happy and gave me so much compassion. I personally think the boots meant more than just shoes if you know what I mean and I can’t get over this book. I recommend this to everyone. This book overall was so soft in the way she wrote it and made me just fall in love with reading as I read this a long time ago when I was younger.

[Sarena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call Me Hope is a touching and inspiring story about the power of courage, strength, and hope. Sixth-grader Hope Elliot struggles with being verbally abused by her mother while her older brother receives normal treatment. Though she often wants to run away, she always picks herself back up and fights through the pain, showing that even an eleven-year-old can find the determination and hope to stay strong. The book is sad, but teaches a very valuable lesson that everyone could learn from.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved that this author tackled the very important and often unseen issue of verbal abuse. The plot was engaging and the pacing was tight. She even -- gasp! -- used the curse words that kids who endure verbal abuse hear daily, despite the taboo against using such words in MG novels. Despite all these accomplishments, Olson lost me at the end. The ending was just too pat, too perfect -- unlike the rest of the book, which "told it like it is."

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me understand that other people are doing through the same things that I might. I was very skeptical at first but I soon became obsessed with it. If you are thinking about reading this book READ IT. It is so good and I will recommend it to anyone that is having family issues or mental issues.

[Sushin Dahal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so interesting and also sad. I at least cried ten times while reading this book, and this could have happened to anyone, sadly.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is truly amazing. I fell in love with it instantly. It's pulls you I'm and somehow you just connect with hope. I know I did.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call Me Hope is a book about a girl named Hope, and her struggles with her verbally abusive mom. Hope is a girl that tries her best to always please her mom, but she never seems to make it. To speak generally, it is about what it feels like to be in her position and what she does to help herself feel okay.
This is a book that I think lots of people should read, and not just for the sake of entertainment. If you usually read action novels or sci-fi type books, then this book may not be very fun, but it’s short and gives very useful insights into what verbal abuse is and how people going through it can feel. For example, how things add up. If you only read one scene in this book in which Hope’s mom was angry at her, you might not understand why it hurts her so much. We all have arguments and problems. Right? But what makes it so hard and painful is their frequency, making it feel like she isn’t loved and that no matter what she does she will never be good enough. I think that’s important to understand for the sake of empathy and awareness.
The writing in this book is first person, and it gives some of the most important insights into what it feels like to be in Hope’s position. She often describes pounding in her head, panic, trying to keep in her emotions, and this can make you feel the same way as her: bottled up. This understanding makes the book more heartfelt and personal. I also really like how the author included moments of kindness and reasons for stress in Hope’s mom, because as much as she’s hurt Hope, you can understand that she’s a single mom, not realizing what she’s doing, and this can have great implications on what people take out of the book because overall problems like verbal abuse aren't going to be fixed if we can’t understand one another. People can shut down if they feel antagonized.
The only problem I had with this book is that I did feel somewhat bored while reading it, but I think that the benefit and insight made it worth it, especially because it was so short.
Overall, Call me Hope is an informative, heartfelt novel that can be beneficial to everyone.

[Ashlynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call me Hope by Gretchen Olson is a fiction. The main character is Hope Elliot. Hope is an 11- year old girl who’s in 6th grade and getting ready to go to outdoor school. Hope’s older brother Tyler says outdoor school is fun and Hope would really like it. Tyler and Hope always nag and pick fights with each other like most siblings so, and instead of the parent always taking the younger ones side, Hope always is the one who gets the discipline. With all the school work Hope has, she has to deal with problems at home with her abusive mother. The only thing Hope wants is a mother who loves her, but Hope wants to runaway from home to a fresh new start. One day when Hope was on the bus she got into trouble and couldn’t ride the bus to school for 1 week. So, Hope had to walk to and from school in the rain, one day as she was walking past a store Next to New she noticed some purple rain boots she wanted so she had to save up her money, later on in the story Hope practically lived with Anita and Ruthie who are the owners of the store. Hope went to her house and got rid of all her old clothes just to earn money for the boots she wanted for outdoor school. But Hope did something really bad that her mom did not approve of. Hope now couldn’t go to outdoor school and things only got worse for her.
Hope Elliot is a strong 11 year old who stood up for herself when it came to her bully, which was her mother. Hope’s mom called her rude names and always made her feel bad, so Hope made a point chart and over 7 months she reached over 6,000 points.
This book is one of my favorites. It’s the first book I’ve finished within 2 weeks. So many children go through abusive at home and don’t know how to take it and stand up to their bullies even if it is their parents. But Hope Marie Elliot had the guts and it led her to accomplishing something very important. What could that have been? How did Hope do it?

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not expecting this to be a five star book. I mean yes it’s a middle school book but it was amazing! I think it just hit on such a hard and delicate topic in a such a good way is why it deserves this rating. I really couldn’t put it down (and I almost got rid of it after having it on my shelf for years!). It’s about a girl named Hope in a verbally abusive household with her mom and how it effects her everyday life. She doesn’t make much friends in school but reaches to thrift store when she really wants a pair of boots and eventually her teachers in school. To try and cope she creates a point system of trying to behave and if she does her mom will stop being so abusive. Throughout the story she talks about how her point system and her life is related in some ways to the Holocaust and how deeply she is touched by Anne Frank. Hope is a very sensitive girl for being so young but not in a bad way, she just feels for others and herself. At times this book you feel so bad for her and can understand why she is so sad. Even though I didn’t have a situation like her, I could relate to hope feeling upset when her mom isn’t proud of her, using hurtful words, and trying hard but always coming short. The tipping point for Hope was not getting to go to Outdoor School, she worked so hard all year and just for one mistake of steeling her mom’s checkers dress is what throws her over the edge. In the end it was her brother and school counselor or helped give her the courage to tell her mom how she felt. How she don’t feel loved and looking at the dress made her angry and sad. Her mom let her go to Outdoor school and when she comes back the mom has the dress to welcome her daughter and tells Hope how she is working on being a better parents and they create a points system.