Author Bio: Ellen Hopkins was born on March 26, 1955. She is age 61. She was adopted by an older couple. She grew up in Palm Springs, CA. She was basically a straight A student in school and had been writing poetry for most of the time, she didn’t start selling her writing until about 1992. She had her first child in 1976. Her first husband left her after their second child and later dies from his alcoholism. She later married another man and had more children. Her music interests include rock and grunge (which i find amazing.) She also loves fries, they're her favorite.

Quotes: "I sit very close to her, and I'm glad when she doesn't take take away her hand. It's warm. Soft. Girly. Like in the movies. I lift it, kiss softly." This is one of the stanzas from Tony's point of view. Here you can tell he acts a little more than just friendly with Vanessa. This is kinda a foreshadowing move from Hopkins, later in the book this action will make more sense. "Are you strong enough to make it through the weekend without propping yourself up on antidepressants? Her eyes reflected a boatload of doubt. I shrugged, kept my mouth shut. Nothing I could have said--at least, nothing totally true--would have made her feel any better." This is a stanza from Conner's point of view. It really captures some of the moments of when his mom is a real, you know what. She clearly isn't going to win the 'Mother Of The Year' award. It really shows why he feels confined when he's around her. She is not understanding or anything, she's actually really mean, and doesn't take Conner's feelings into consideration.

Setting: The story takes place over the span of about a year. They get emitted to Aspirin Springs, a mental care facility, in what seems to be may. The book never really specified when they actually came to the facility. They are located in California, the teens are in Aspirin Springs. The teens go home for weekend visits sometimes, which are still located in California.

Genre: The genre of the story is more than likely realistic fiction, nothing else seems to fit.

Theme: The theme is basically trying to overcome bad situations and finding the good in things.

The Conflict is mainly man vs self and man vs man. Conner, Vanessa, and Tony all have to face themselves and their metal illnesses. Conner, and Tony also have to face man. Conner with his parents, and Tony with his.

Summary: This book is mainly about three teens who try to do themselves in, or kill themselves. They all end up at the same mental institution, Aspirin Springs. They all become friends and tell each other what happened to make them try to commit. They all have some pretty bad backstories.

Characters: there are three main characters in this story. They are named Conner, Tony, and Vanessa. All of these characters are teens and they have all tried to kill themselves in some way. Conner tried to shoot himself in the chest while in his family's living room. Vanessa tried to cut herself deep enough to bleed out in her grandmother's bathroom. Tony tried to overdose and was found in the ditch by a police officer. Conner has major depression, he is constantly pushed to perfection by his parents which doesn't help him at all. Vanessa has bipolar disorder, she is constantly haunted by the image of her mother trying to overdose in the floor. Tony has depression and was abandoned by his father and is trying to get over that. Conner is your typical hot prep, Vanessa is kinda a loner but funny, Tony is average and questioning his sexuality.

Vocabulary - 1.) tapestries - complex combination of events. 2.) Proximity - nearness in time or space. 3.) Antiseptic - clean and pure, no character. 4.) Finis - the end. 5.) Arterial - relating to arteries.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who takes interest in the human mind and how different people handle similar situations. It is one of my favorite books, definitely a top ten. I hope other people will realize how wonderfully written and made this book is.