Ellen Hopkins

Hopkins writes novels for teenagers in free verse, and Crank came out of her own daughter's addiction, which the book follows without giving it a recovery ending. Impulse puts three teenagers together on a psychiatric ward, each admitted after a crisis of their own, and lets them out at different speeds. She is among the most frequently banned authors in American schools, has had school invitations withdrawn, and keeps a public count of the challenges rather than letting them pass quietly. Closer to Nowhere is written for younger readers, about a boy living with cousins after his mother's addiction.