Hope Was Here

Hope's mother was meant to be a waitress more than a parent. That's why after Hope was born prematurely, she left Hope with her aunt Addie and never looked back (though she does send Christmas newsletters). Just about the only thing Hope's biological mother left her was a bad name (Tulip) which she has had legally changed... plus a talent for waitressing, and frequent tips on how to get good tips. Addie has been the best mother a girl could ask for. Her pancakes are legendary, her pies are criminal and her meatloaf is drool-worthy. It's Addie's job to show up at diners that need help, get them back on their feet and then take off for parts unknown again. Which means she has dragged Hope and a U-Haul all around America - and Hope has made friends and said goodbye to them in countless states, always leaving behind the scribbled words `Hope was Here' in some unassuming place. Now Addie and Hope are coming to Wisconsin, to help out a man called G.T. - owner of the "Welcome Stairways" diner who has recently been diagnosed with leukaemia, and needs a helping hand to keep the restaurant going while he recovers. But that's not all G.T. needs help with. He figures that since he's dying, he has nothing to lose - so he's taking on the local mayor, Eli Millstone, and the big business Dairy factory and running for local candidacy. G.T. intends to take on the corruption that is rife in town, bring down the tax-evading dairy factory, and Eli who is lining his pockets with dirty dealings. Helping G.T. accomplish his clean political campaign is young cook, Braverman, who Hope develops a small fascination with. Local pastor and best friend, high school politician called Adam and a slew of small-town customers. Hope isn't really used to permanency, or trusting people. But since coming to Wisconsin and seeing the integrity with which G.T. is trying to win a hopeless campaign ... well, it's got Hope trying to live up to her very big name. `Hope Was Here' is a Newbery Honor book, written by Joan Bauer in 2000. `Hope Was Here' is continuing my love of Newbery Honor books, another sweet gem of the middle-grade readership that I gobbled up in one train ride. The book begins with sixteen-year-old Hope leaving New York behind and heading out to Wisconsin with her adopted mother, Addie, for yet another new food adventure. But when we meet her, Hope is becoming weary of the road and her and Addie's always-changing homes. Hope is feeling particularly disgruntled at this latest move, because it came after their NY diner business partner, Gleason Beal, took off with another waitress and all of Addie's life savings. Hope is a most interesting character; because when we meet her life has already beaten her down and moulded her some. She admits that it took a short boxing career to punch out her built-up anger at her mother; anger for leaving her as a sick baby, anger for not being the mothering type, anger for still calling her `Tulip' when she changed her name to Hope. After the Gleason Beal debacle, Hope is both saddened but not all that surprised at the betrayal. Here we are meeting a kid who is already world-weary, and if it wasn't for Addie being her constant and comfort, she would have a completely negative outlook on life. Hope's low-expectations of people are confounded by her having to leave the best ones behind. She finds that making friends is the first step to accepting a new place as home, but having had to leave so many people she loves behind, she has taken to not making promises of seeing them ever again (though she does write them). When we meet her in Wisconsin, she's really feeling down and out; So, of course, the stickler of `Hope Was Here' is reading Hope change her outlook on life, and try living up to her name. The journey Hope has to go on has an obvious end-result, but it's the way Joan Bauer gets her there that's so darn great. When Hope and Addie arrive at the "Welcome Stairways" diner, they don't realise they're stepping into brewing political warfare. Diner owner, G.T. is dying and intends to fight against small town corruption with his last breath. He is the embodiment of everything Hope isn't right now - he may not be a permanent fixture of this earth for much longer, but he's intending to do the most he can with what little time he has left. He can't promise people that he'll even be able to complete a full term if elected, but he can show them that he intends to do the best job he can for however long this illness he's battling will let him. I loved this book. Hope is an exceptional narrator - I sort of see her as this girl who's fighting a grin, so sometimes it looks like she has pursed-lips from sucking on sour grapes so long, but really that grimace is just a smile waiting to break out. Her thoughts sometimes turn dark - when she thinks about the mother that didn't want her, or the people she has had to leave behind - but her namesake is often bigger than her woes and she's this girl who is constantly breaking out in sunshine, despite the rain. I loved her. And I think she's the main reason that, despite being a 16-year-old narrator, Joan Bauer's `Hope Was Here' is a proud middle-grade book. This one also had me crying buckets by the end - as much for the story as to be leaving behind this cast of characters who I so enjoyed spending a little bit of time with. This is a beautiful, heartfelt book that asks big life questions in a small-town setting. Hope is one of the best narrators, and Joan Bauer's book is being added to my list of favourite Newbery's

Recommendation 'Hope Was Here' is an original, creative, meaningful novel. Hope Yancey's life is so realistic that it is hard to believe that it is a fiction story. It is like watching a movie that the actors are acting so well that it doesn't seem like they're even acting anymore. Joan Bauer wrote this story, so that you could reflect it into your own life. So that you could reflect hope into your life... Personally, I though that at times the book had a little slow of a plot, but I don't dislike it because of that, because it is not an adventure or action story, but rather a story about life and people. People that want to cry and laugh at the same time, people that want a story about ambition and hope, a story about people that are out there in the world and maybe just like them should read "Hope Was Here". Protagonist vs. Antagonist Hope Yancey has always been a very hopeful teenage girl, that's why she changed her name legally from 'Tulip' (the name her mother had given her) to Hope. She thought that having that name would make her have more hope because there are definitely things that make her need it in her life, moving around the United States constantly with her Aunt Addie, her mother that gave her to Hope's aunt when she was a sick, helpless baby, not having the slight idea who her father is. She is definitely the protagonist of 'Hope Was here'. Ten characteristics that make Hope the protagonist are: compelling courageous/vulnerable hopeful sympathetic/empathetic relatable a survivor likable honest (she has integrity) tenacious (not giving up, determined) patient The antagonist of 'Hope Was Here' could be a person or an abstract idea. A person: Eli Millstone, the mayor, is a perfect example of an antagonist, but he is not the only one... Millstone is the current mayor in Mulhoney, Wisconsin, where the biggest industry is diary. He gives the diary company tax breaks, he lets them take their trucks on roads where there are residents. Five words that characterize him are: unfair disloyal greedy conservative (not willing to be diverse) corrupt The abstract idea of an antagonist for the story could be reality, past, or life in general. Supporting points for antagonist: Hope's mother left her when she was a sick baby of two pounds She doesn't know who her father is G. T. Stoop has leukemia and is running for mayor G. T. Stoop loses the election for mayor Braverman, the grill man at G. T. Stoop's diner, gets beat up by some other teenagers because he is campaigning for a man with leukemia Hope changes from the beginning of the book to the end in a couple of different ways. Firstly, Hope is faced with her past as she campaigns for G.T .Stoop. Sometimes, we have to face something before moving on. At the end of the book, Hope has faced it and she learns that she can have a troubled past but still be happy. Secondly, she has found somewhere that feels like home and that she loves. She has found a place where people love her and she is not lost. Author's Message Anyone can make a difference. Think of someone in your life that has changed you, teached you to grow, inspired you, they have made a difference. Maybe even a book, or movie, or even a thought. And then you, you inspire others, help them to grow. Everyone is connected, start small and you can always make a difference. I hear people say'you can make a difference'. I know it's true, but I just can't imagine how. Well, I can, but I don't know where to start. After I read 'Hope Was Here' I found that it is true that anyone can make a difference. All you need is a motivation, a commitment, and teamwork. I realized that you don't have to change the world to make a difference. Each and every one of you makes a difference, we all impact each other, we all inspire each other... even if we didn't try or even realize. Looking at something from a different angle, can make something seem easier, not as impossible. 'Hope Was Here' definitely proved this to me, and I hope I can prove this to you and make a difference! I think that the author was trying to pass this message on to everyone, but I think that not all the readers will interpret it in the same way. It depends on who you are, what your reflections on life are, your interpretations of writing... Also, there are other messages, that could stand out more for you, like: fight for what's wrong even when it seems impossible, hope is always there, honesty is always best, live for every day like it's your last, stick to what you have and quite a number of others.

Our 10 year old grandson read this book recently, and I read it as well so that we could discuss it. It is a wonderful peak into a world where most children have little knowledge. The young protagonist who has been given up at birth by her mother is raised by a loving aunt but has to move continually because of the aunt's jobs. The story tells of a child's struggle to find a way to feel that she has roots somewhere. Normally, I would have said that this is more of a book for girls. However our grandson was fascinated by the story and introduced to some sensitivities that all children can identify with regardless of their gender.

Good 😌

The paper quality on this one is definitely off. There are some pages which are not aligned and seem to be not well binded. For a book printed in the US, this is a big disappointment. Got this as a gift for my cousin, after getting a recommendation for this book.