No doubt about it: Crank will draw you in and sweep you along. Like crystal meth, the book's silent antagonist, Crank is quick to occupy your mind and hard to walk away from.

But it's not scary enough. I was ready for a harsh look at how the drug can destroy a teen's (or anyone's) life. That's not exactly how it turns out, despite the author's dire warnings.

Kristina, the main character, is a Good Girl. But one trip to see her druggie, estranged father, and she becomes Bree, a Bad Girl. Bree does meth. Bree flirts. Bad enough, sure, but that's really the worst Bree does for most of the book.

Back home, Bree has a hard time re-adjusting to Kristina's world. And all she wants is meth.

Spoiler: Things should have gone from bad to worse to worst. Instead, they go from bad to worse to just fine. So Bree/Kristina gets raped, but later she implicates herself because she wanted drugs from the boy (nevermind that he was a clean-cut, nearly Good Boy himself). From the rape, she gets pregnant. But the pregnancy is a blessing in disguise, because it forces her to kick meth, and tobacco, for the sake of her baby. And though she considers abortion, she miraculously feels the baby kick and decides to be a mother. She briefly considers adoption, but her friend knows someone who almost did that, changed her mind and then murdered the baby, so that, apparently, is a good reason to abandon that path.

In the end, she graduates with her class, has a beautiful (albeit not perfect) baby, and the support of her family. Oh, and she finds true love with a smart, successful, undyingly supportive guy along the way.

Give me a break. The girl doesn't even get arrested (she goes to juvie once, but it's only because she was out late. Seriously.). Whether or not she ultimately kicks her habit is left somewhat unresolved, but she is, at worst, a functioning addict. This is a stylistically interesting book, and an involving story, but is pretty weak in its attempt to serve as a warning against using drugs (I recommend the superior "smack" by Melvin Burgess).

This story of a teenager who becomes addicted to crank is a book that parents as well as teenagers should read. The sparse poetry conveys the power of the addiction so much more intensely than prose ever could.

As a parent, it was especially scary to see how quickly "the monster" claimed this young girl. The message of this book is so strong because it is never preachy or overdramitized. It comes across very true and real.

I read "Go Ask Alice" when I was a teenager and this book strikes the same emotions.

Have your teen or preteen read this book. The size of the book makes it look challenging, but the first page reaches out and grabs you for a fast, powerfully frightening read. I had my girls read it and they were both deeply impressed with Kristina/Bree's downhill slide into drug abuse. It's hard edged and realistic, so it's scary. Ellen conveys the emotion of the roller-coaster ride called Crank with honesty, vivid imagery and a style that will keep you asking for more.