Rumble

Rumble by Ellen Hopkins

Rumble by Ellen Hopkins. Margaret K. McElderry Books, New York City, 2014. ISBN: 978-1442482845

Summary

Written in verse, Rumble is the story of Matthew Turner. Matt's younger brother, Luke, just committed suicide after one of his friends embarrassed and outed him to his school.  Matt blames himself for not being there for Luke, as well as his supposed ‘friend,’ who started the bullying.  Matt’s family is also falling apart: not speaking to each other and not taking the loss of Luke too well.

Family, friends, and classmates are all telling Matt it will get better. But hearing that is almost as worse as hearing “God has a plan.” An atheist, Matt doesn’t believe in any sort of god, or that everything happens for a reason. How can anyone explain that what happened to Luke was good or right? As he lashes out against the idea of religion, Matt’s girlfriend, Hayden, grows concerned. She’s a strong, born again Christian who never understood why Matt doesn’t believe in anything. But despite this huge difference, Matt and Hayden love each other and respect each other for the most part—until Hayden’s father speaks out against gays in their community, and challenges library books dealing with gay and lesbian content.

Critical Evaluation 

While there are many subject themes going on in this novel—religion, bullying, the loss of a sibling—Hopkins manages to give enough attention to each of them. The characters themselves also juggle this multitude of themes well, with no stereotypical or flat beliefs to be found. Despite his initial anger at the beginning of the novel, Matt is believable and vulnerable throughout his grieving process. While his brother’s suicide is a main focus of the novel, its themes go beyond grief and loss. One of the strongest themes is religion, and how Matt, Hayden, and Matt’s parent’s view religion and God.  The frank discussions and emotions toward organized religion and faith make this novel stand out from other similar titles. And while Matt doesn’t sway in his values nor has a ‘come to religion’ moment, he does have an understanding that even he cannot explain everything out there.

The subject content and strong language makes Rumble a better read for older teens. With plenty of hot button issues and beautiful verse, Rumble is perfect for Hopkins fans, old and new.

Reader’s Annotation

After his brother commits suicide, Matt struggles with his grief and lack of faith for something better.

About the Author

 “I was adopted at birth and raised by a great, loving older couple. I grew up in Palm Springs CA, although we summered in Napa and Lake Tahoe, to avoid those 120 degree summers. After my adopted parents died, I did find my birth mother, who lives in Michigan with my half sister. 
I studied journalism in college, but left school to marry, raise kids and start my own business--a video store, before the mega-chains were out there. After a divorce, I met my current husband and we moved to Tahoe to become ski bums and otherwise try to find our dreams. At that time, I went to work for a small alternative press, writing stories and eventually editing.
When we moved down the mountain to the Reno area, I started writing nonfiction books, many of which you can see here. The rest are viewable on my personal website. I also continued to freelance articles for newspapers and magazines. All that has changed, with the publication of my novel, CRANK, which has led to a valued career writing YA novels.”

 (Ellen Hopkins.  Retrieved October 30th 2014 from http://www.amazon.com/Ellen-Hopkins/e/B001H6OOSA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1)

Genres

Verse

Contemporary

LGBTQ

Religion  

Curriculum Ties

Poetry/English

Booktalking Ideas

1: Why did Matt blame himself so much for Luke’s death and his family falling apart?

2: The religious aspect of the plot: how it changed the story.

Reading Level/Interest Age

Ages 15+

Grades 9+

Challenge Issues

Religious Content

Language

Mentions of suicide and violence

Sexual situations

Defense File

1—Ensure that policies such as “Freedom to Read,” “Collection Development,” and “Challenged Materials” are available for patrons and staff to read and research. Have list of awards and reviews for titles, as well as a “Reconsideration Form” on hand at all branches.

2—Listen to challenges and complaints openly and without judgment. Allow the patron to express their thoughts without inputting your own.

3—Have patron fill out reconsideration form. Provide information and background on challenge material’s author and title.  Forward reconsideration form to appropriate supervisors.

PPLD’s Challenge Materials Policy: http://ppld.org/challenged-materials-policy

PPLD’s Collection Development Policy: http://ppld.org/collection-development-policy

Why included?

I included Rumble because Ellen Hopkins is a favorite YA author in our district. I also liked the different plot aspects and how the book was written in verse.