1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bauer, Joan. 2000. HOPE WAS HERE. New York, NY. Scholastic. ISBN: 043952346
2. SUMMARY
Life is nothing short of uneventful for 16 -year old Hope, formally named Tulip (that name HAD to go). Life began for Hope as a premature baby that was abandoned by her mother and left to be raised by her Aunt Addie. As Hope and Addie move around the country to waitress at greasy spoons they find themselves at The Welcome Stairways Diner in Mulhoney, Wisconsin. Shortly after arriving at the diner, Hope learns that the owner, G.T. has leukemia and to make the whole situation more interesting, he is running for mayor against previously undefeated, longtime mayor Eli Millstone. Hope discovers a crooked politician, a boyfriend, and the love and stability of a family, something Hope has spent her life looking to find to ease the pain of her troubled past.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Author, Joan Bauer tells a story complete with real life social issues rounded out with bits of humor, to add to Hope’s persona. While the book is easy to read, the reader will work through several issues that teens find appealing; love and loss. Typically teen girls can find this type of novel easy to relate to, and a character to connect with as Hope struggles through her past and the accomplishments she makes regarding her not so perfect upbringing. In the end Hope finds what it is she has been searching for, her own voice, someone to love and someone to step in and take the place of a father figure in her life. The reader will find strong characters and a theme based on working hard in life and that anyone can make a difference.
Using the diner as a setting for Hopes transient life allows people to come and go as customers would but also allows for the "regulars" to stay and become part of the plot. Waiting tables, viewed as hard work with long hours and low pay, shows the character of both Hope and her Aunt as individuals willing to work hard and display passion for what they do. As Hope's Aunt Addie comments when visiting the cafe as a customer for the first time, "The dessert case is unacceptable," and discusses plans on how to add new menu items before she has even worked a day depicts her work ethic and the pride she takes in her job. This care and pride has carried over into Hope's life as well.
Realism plays a major role in this story and how Hope's life is portrayed. Hope suffers from being abandoned as a child and not knowing her biological father. To get another perspective, Braverman (Hopes boyfriend and cook at the diner) has had both his parents since birth, but his father eventually leaves him and his mother. It seems both characters were developed to give the story a larger variety of issues that readers can identify with, as both characters struggle to deal with the feelings they have for their parents.
Bauer rounds out the book with conflict and suspense by adding the 'less than ethical' election of the town's mayor. Hope steps forward to right the wrongs, but a happy plot ending doesn't surface. A great book like this doesn't need a happy ending to teach a valuable lesson about humility.
4. AWARDS/REVIEWS
2001 Newbery Honor Book
ALA Notable Book
Winner of the Christopher Award
ALA Best Book for Young Adults Selection
SLJ review: “Teens who have come to expect witty, realistic characters and atypical (but very funny) story lines from Bauer's previous books will not be disappointed and new readers will be sure to come back for seconds. Tracey Firestone, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
BOOKLIST review: “Ever since her mother left, Hope has, with her comfort-food-cooking aunt Addie, been serving up the best in diner food from Pensacola to New York City. Moving has been tough, so it comes as a surprise to 16-year-old Hope that rural Wisconsin, where she and her aunt have now settled, offers more excitement, friendship, and even romance (for both Hope and Addie) than the big city. In this story, Bauer has recycled some charming devices from her popular Rules of the Road (1998): Jenna's road rules have become the Best-of-Mom tips for waitressing; the disappearing parent is Hope's irresponsible mom; and the villains are politicians, not corporate America. Like Bauer's other heroines, Hope is a typical teenage girl who works hard, excels at her part-time job, and plans for her future. The adults around her, though mostly one-dimensional, together create a microcosm of society--the best and the worst of a teenager's support system. It's Bauer's humor that supplies, in Addie's cooking vernacular, the yeast that makes the story rise above the rest, reinforcing the substantive issues of honesty, humanity, and the importance of political activism. Serve this up to teens--with a dash of hope. Frances Bradburn
5. CONNECTIONS
Pick a vivid passage from the book that stands out in your mind. Then, draw a picture of that scene with markers or other materials - making sure to use lots of color. Next, show the picture to a friend and ask them to describe what they see. How is what they describe different from what actually happened in the book?
Delicious, homemade food can lift someone's spirits; make them feel better - just as it does at the Welcome Stairways Diner. Perhaps that's why it's called "comfort food." Is there a favorite meal that always makes you feel better? Make a menu of some of your favorite foods, and describe whether that food has any special healing powers.
Write a letter to someone you see and talk to every day, someone who's very important to you. Tell them why you're thankful they are a part of your life. Try to describe feelings and emotions that wouldn't normally come up in conversation, or point out good qualities of theirs that you might often take for granted. You don't have to send it, but you may want to.
Tell the class that they are going to create sandwich names for each of the main characters in the book. Each sandwich name should be descriptive enough to show that character’s personality.
For each sandwich on the "menu" students should:
· Describe the sandwich. What will you put in it? How much will it cost?
· Name it appropriately and explain how the sandwich name tells about the main personality traits of the character.
· Have students make one of their character sandwiches and bring it to school. Label each sandwich name with a toothpick and piece of paper. Have students explain and discuss their sandwich names.
Other Books with Strong Female Characters
Chocolate for a Teen's Soul: Life-Changing Stories for Young Women About Growing
by Kay Allenbaugh
Inspiring true short stories about growing up.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
A teenage girl faces the challenges of high school. This novel involves sensitive issues.
Other Books by Joan Bauer
Backwater
Rules of the Road
Squashed
Thwonk
Sticks
Links
http://www.leukemia.org The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society provides readers with recent medical news, press releases, disease information and patient services.
http://www.dinercity.com This fabulous online guide includes a state by state directory to diners, reviews of diners, diner facts, links to other diner sites, and even diners for sale.
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