Bauer, Joan. (2002). Hope Was Here. New York: Putnam, 192 pp.

Grade Range: 6-12

Genre: contemporary fiction

Summary and Critique

As a twelve year old girl, Tulip officially changed her name to Hope with the blessing of her guardian and aunt, Addie. Hope is exactly what emanates from this story about the challenges of one teenage girl deserted by her mother as a baby. Addie, an amazing diner cook, and Hope, a waitress from the age of fourteen, leave the city behind and head for a tiny town in Wisconsin to work at the Welcome Stairways Diner. They have no way of knowing how their lives are about to change. Together, they transform the diner from food service into soul service, while being deeply impacted by the town itself. In Wisconsin, Hope finds a voice, finds love, and finds a father. This story of perseverance, abandonment and fulfillment, love and loss, and understanding human nature is full of hope.

Joan Bauer presents a story that is both readable and fulfilling. While the text is not difficult, the layers of this story act as one of Hope's namesake sandwiches, the Keep Hoping. The idea of eating well as service to the soul supports the love and loss theme that Teens , especially girls, find so appealing. Critics highlight the warmth, humor, and multi-leveled characters in Bauer's almost old fashioned novel. Readers can relate to Hope's struggles and accomplishments.

Awards

2001 Newbery Honor Book

ALA Notable Book

Themes/Topics

Families

Friends and Enemies

Challenges and Triumphs

The Individual vs. Society

Love, Sex, and Romance

Author/Illustrator/Editor Information

Joan Bauer was born in River Forest, Illinois in 1951. From an early age, she sensed the importance and awe of comedy from telling jokes with her friends to listening to her Nana's wonderful stories. She began her career in sales and advertising before switching to journalism and screenwriting in the early 1980's. A terrible auto accident changed her life. During her recovery time, she wrote her first novel for young adults called Squashed and discovered her gift for comedy. That novel and subsequent novels have been award winners. She now lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband.

For more information on Joan Bauer:

http://www.joanbauer.com The Official Joan Bauer Web site offers biographical information, essays, information on appearances, quick and easy book synopsis, teaching tips, writing tips and much, much more. Fabulous!

http://www.penguinputnam.com Web site offering an autobiography as well as an author interview.

Media Connections

Movies/Documentaries

War at Home (1979) This documentary shows what was going on in the late 1960's and early 1970's in Madison, WI as the community and students demonstrated against the United States'involvement in the Vietnam War.

Romero (1989) A disturbing movie about Oscar Romero, a Catholic priest who preaches peace and equality in El Salvador in the late 1970's. This movie highlights the power and corruption the wealthy are capable of exerting over the poor. It shows the lengths people and governments will go to quiet those challenging their regime.

If It Fits (1978) John Marshall's documentary covers the 1976 mayoral race of a small and dying industrial town in Massachusetts.

Frankie and Johnny (1991) Set in a New York diner and based on the stage play by Terrence McNally titled Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune, a convict turned diner cook befriends a waitress. Their budding relationship is slow to develop due to the baggage both carry.

Tuck Everlasting (2002) With themes of overbearing family, the need for adventure, loving families, first loves, and eternal life, Natalie Babbitt's book is brought to life. Winnie Foster finds love, acceptance, freedom, and adventure with the Tuck family, who have a secret of their own, the spring of eternal youth.

About a Boy (2002) While the focus of this movie is on an adult male, a preteen acts as a catalyst while simultaneously coming-of-age himself. Marcus, fatherless and with an eccentric and depression prone mother, befriends Will, a very eligible bachelor. The storyline includes love and friendship, finding oneself at 13 and 30, and the joy of accepting your family.

Television

The O.C. – any episode (feeling out of place, family relationships, love)

Dawson's Creek – any episode (adolescent relationships in a small town)

Music/Audio Recordings

"Me Without You." Rebecca St. James. From God. Forefront/EMD, 1995. This song about God fits nicely with Hope's search for her father, life without her mother, new found love, and finding a father.

Hope Was Here, Random House Audio; abridged edition, 2003.

Hope Was Here, read by Jenna Lamia. Listening Library; unabridged edition, 2003.

Online Resources

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/winter96/bauer.html Joan Bauer discusses including humor in book writing in this article,"Humor, Seriously."

http://www.wistravel.com The Wisconsin Directory of Attractions provides readers with many details about the state of Wisconsin and can help readers acquaint themselves with the setting of Hope Was Here.

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.

http://www.leukemia.org The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society provides readers with recent medical news, press releases, disease information and patient services.

http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2001/nov/recipe/011106.comfortfood.html National Public Radio's"All Things Considered" aired a segment on comfort foods that can be listened to online. This site also includes favorite recipes for comfort foods.

http://www.quaker.org For more information about the Society of Friends, or Quakers, this site offers historical, biographical, and demographic information. Contact information could also provide an avenue for facts about friendship stairways.

http://www.joanbauer.com/hopeguide Bob Bergstrom has compiled ideas for classroom and individual use for teachers, parents, librarians and students.

Related Texts

Franco, Betsy and Nickels, Nina. Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writings by Teenage Girls. Boston: Candlewick Press, 2001. This collection of prose and poetry by teenage girls is accompanied by Nickels', black and white photography in a compelling story of female adolescent life. Both poignant and gritty, it complements well You Hear Me? Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys (Candlewick Press, 2000).

Carlson, Lori. American Eyes: New Asian American Stories for Young Adults. New York: Henry Holt, 1994. Just as Hope feels out of place in the small Wisconsin town, the young Asian American writers in this collection of ten short stories write about the conflict of living among more than one culture as adolescents.

Moehn, Heather. Everything You Need to Know When Someone You Know has Leukemia. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 2000. While this book focuses more on children with Leukemia, it is still a clear and easy to read resource covering topics such as types of the disease, affects of treatment and/or diagnosis, and the emotional affects for all involved. Medical information is presented in case study scenarios making it more accessible even to younger readers.

Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons. New York: HarperTrophy; Reprint Edition, 1996. During a cross country trip with her grandparents, Salamanca, a thirteen year old with Native American roots, tells the story of Phoebe, a girl who has lost her mother. While narrating the events of Phoebe's life, Sal learns to accept the fate of her relationship with her mother.

Paulsen, Gary. Harris and Me. New York: Random House Children's Books, 1995. Spending a summer on his cousin Harris'farm provides plenty of adventure and opportunity for this eleven year old city boy. The country setting is new and unknown but provides a sense of belonging.

Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2002. A unique girl who had been home-schooled discovers popularity and painful ostracism when she enters a public high school.

Mckinley, Robin. Hero and the Crown. New York: Puffin, 2000. In this Newbery Medal award winner, Arin is an unwanted princess many consider to be unfit to rule. Her perseverance, courage, and willingness to find herself finally gets her the birthright she deserves.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "Using Fictional Voice in Literary Analysis" Have students analyze writing in a voice other than their own. Some examples are a fictional character analyzes another character, a fictional character analyzes the author's craft (characterization, plot structure, syntax, diction, symbolism, point of view, etc.), or by fictional characters recommending alternatives or illustrating similarities and differences to his/her own characterization. This activity helps students develop an understanding of voice and characterization as well as experience analyzing a text.

[Summarized from "Using Fictional Voice in Literary Analysis" by Cheron Teirney in Ideas Plus Book 14 (1996). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, pp. 39-40.]

(2) "Reviewing a Novel Through Collaborative Illustration" This activity works well with middle and junior high students and generally takes 2 days. You will need pencils, markers, colored pencils or crayons, large sheets of white paper or ideally, roll paper. Put students into groups of four. Have those groups list the 6 most important events in the story you are using. Divide the paper into six equal squares and draw the events listed. Tip: Don't tell the students they will be drawing before they pick their six events as they tend to choose events based on what they think can be drawn.

The students will discuss the events together and to determine how to depict them. Remind students that any form of sketching and diagramming is okay. The groups present their 6 events to the rest of the class at the end of the second day. This lesson requires students to use their imagination while thinking carefully about characters and events of the story.

[Summarized from "Reviewing a Novel Through Collaborative Illustration" by Kelly A. Wolslegel in Ideas Plus Book 15 (1997). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, pp. 28-29.]

(3) "Talk Show" The teacher serves as the host of a talk show using the characters of a novel, play, or short story that the class is presently studying. Have students brainstorm questions to ask the characters. Choose volunteers to play the role of the characters on your talk show. Typically, students ask insightful questions and volunteers provide well thought out responses.

[Summarized from "Talk Show" by Kelli Donais in Ideas Plus Book 19 (2001). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, pp. 33-34.]

(Review written by Carrie S. Bert and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)