Closer to Nowhere

Written by Ellen Hopkins

Narrated by Dan Bittner and Brittany Pressley

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins's poignant middle grade novel in verse about coming to terms with indelible truths of family and belonging.

For the most part, Hannah's life is just how she wants it. She has two supportive parents, she's popular at school, and she's been killing it at gymnastics. But when her cousin Cal moves in with her family, everything changes. Cal tells half-truths and tall tales, pranks Hannah constantly, and seems to be the reason her parents are fighting more and more. Nothing is how it used to be. She knows that Cal went through a lot after his mom died and she is trying to be patient, but most days Hannah just wishes Cal never moved in.

For his part, Cal is trying his hardest to fit in, but not everyone is as appreciative of his unique sense of humor and storytelling gifts as he is. Humor and stories might be his defense mechanism, but if Cal doesn't let his walls down soon, he might push away the very people who are trying their best to love him.

Told in verse from the alternating perspectives of Hannah and Cal, this is a story of two cousins who are more alike than they realize and the family they both want to save.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9780593288061

Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous young adult novels, as well as the adult novels such as Triangles, Collateral, and Love Lies Beneath. She lives with her family in Carson City, Nevada, where she has founded Ventana Sierra, a nonprofit youth housing and resource initiative. Follow her on Twitter at @EllenHopkinsLit.

Reviews for Closer to Nowhere

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ellen Hopkins moving into middle grade is a good thing. She's very good at telling hard stories in verse, and at keeping them realistic. She's got a real gift for connecting with readers.

This book tells the story of Cal and Hannah -- two sides of a family story, with dual viewpoints. Hannah: accomplished gymnast and dancer, stable family, popular in school. Cal: has lost his mother to cancer and his father to a combination of addiction and incarceration. Cal's inclusion into family life is hard on everyone, and he finds it hard to trust that he's landed in a safe place. Meanwhile, Hannah's parents are going through a rough patch, and the grandmother is mean as a viper. Good times. I think Hopkins handles the material well for the age group -- there's a lot going on under the surface, and while some specific abuse is mentioned, Cal mostly keeps the details of his previous life private. Hannah has several moments of coming of age and while everything isn't completely happy families at the end, there is some resolution and growth. I have mixed feelings about the school lockdown at the end, where Cal comes into his own and keeps several kids safe. On the one hand, a chilling reminder of that all too realistic facet of every day school life. One the other, somewhat of a convenient deus ex machina to make Hannah's dad and vicious Grandma change their tunes a little bit. Based on Hopkins' adoption of a 9 YO grandchild. Unclear what age the kids are in the book -- probably 6th/12 or early teen.