Hopepunk

November 15, 2021
Sisters Faith and Hope Cassidy, both white, are best friends, but when science fiction enthusiast Faith, 17, is outed as gay by devout younger sister Charity, and their conservative Christian mother decides to send her to conversion therapy, Faith disappears. To cope, Hope, 15, who has recently discovered a passion for punk rock, begins singing. After classmate and fellow musician Danny, also white, is kicked out of his own home for being gay, the grieving, newly reformed Cassidy family takes him in. He and Hope join forces with Angus, who is Black and gay, and Vietnamese American Astrid Nguyen to form Hope Cassidy and the Sundance Kids, a band dedicated to hope, progressive disruption, and taking on the bigoted band Alt-Rite in their Wyoming school’s annual Battle of the Bands. Flimsy characterizations, unresolved side plots, and a lack of clear motivation behind ideological shifts undercut the book’s believability and political message. What it lacks in nuance, though, Norton’s (Where I End and You Begin) novel of political engagement makes up for in sharp humor, an infectious love of music, and an encouraging message: with hope, change is always possible. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jenny Bent, the Bent Agency.

December 15, 2021
Grades 9-12 In this voice-driven novel, Hope wrestles with the grief of losing her sister, Faith, who ran away from home. After being outed, Faith chooses to leave rather than endure gay conversion therapy (at the demand of their mother), and she leaves behind a void. But while Faith was discovering her first love, Hope had been discovering her love of rock music. When Hope is left with nothing but grief and guilt, music and a healthy amount of rebellion in the form of taking in a classmate who was kicked out of his home for coming out as gay help her through it. There's a lot packed in the pages of this novel, which demands the reader's full attention. Hope's expletive-laced first-person narrative carries the reader through the highs and lows in a way that's funny, endearing, and engaging, and readers will want to cheer her on in her fight against her bigoted classmates (the "Alt-Rite") in the battle of the bands. This is a book to sit with, in order to digest all the commentary and enjoy the incredible character development.

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May 13, 2022

Gr 10 Up-Faith, Hope, and Charity are sisters growing up in a conservative Christian household in Wyoming. When Faith is outed to her family as a lesbian by Charity, her parents arrange for her to be sent to a conversion camp. Instead of going, Faith runs away without leaving any clues to her whereabouts. Told from the perspective of Hope, readers watch as a family deals with the consequences of their actions. Hope was extremely close to Faith and struggles with missing her best friend, while blaming Charity for Faith's leaving. As a way to cope, Hope discovers punk and rock music and attempts to help others through the message in her music. Racism, homophobia, and white nationalism are all addressed in this novel. A broad range of characters from different backgrounds add depth and address the themes without being heavy-handed. VERDICT A high school microcosm of today's political climate set to punk music, this is a first purchase for all young adult collections.-Ashley Leffel

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