Hopeless in Hope

Fourteen-year-old Eva Brown is a Cree teen living in a small town called Hope. Not only does Eva have to deal with being the target of the popular mean girl, she has to deal with her mother’s drinking and yelling. Luckily, she can always rely on her cat, Toofie, her nohkum (grandmother), and her secret passion for writing. But following the unexpected hospitalization of Nohkum, Eva’s mother struggles to maintain a safe environment at home, which leads to Eva being sent to a group home while her little brother is placed with a foster family. Eva is furious at her mother for separating the family, but then Nohkum gives Eva her mother’s diary, leaving Eva to wonder if reading it will help with understanding her mother’s point-of-view.