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When Tulip
changes her name to Hope, she figures that it would make everything
okay in her life. She soon discovers that a name, no matter how positive
it is, doesn't always ensure a perfect life. Nevertheless, she keeps
hoping that her life will change as she tries to be the best waitress
in the world --- that is Hope's challenge, and turns out to be one
of her best assets in Joan Bauer's new book, HOPE WAS HERE.
Ever since Hope's mother abandoned her as a baby, Hope has followed
her Aunt Addie around the country, longing for a permanent home and
always looking for the father she doesn't know. However, she and her
aunt, who is an extraordinary cook, go where the jobs and the money
are. This last move is to Mulhoney, Wisconsin. Leaving the greatest
diner in Brooklyn --- after Aunt Addie's partner, Gleason Beal, cleaned
out the business bank account --- is the hardest challenge Hope has
had to face. Hope says good-bye to New York by leaving her usual calling
card, "Hope Was Here" written in half-inch tall letters on one of
the boards.
Hope does find a lot of hope in Mulhoney, though. She falls in love
with Braverman the cook, and she helps G. T. Stoop with his election
campaign. But even hope can't always assure success. G. T. loses the
election, and crooked politician Eli Millstone is reelected as Mayor
of Mulhoney. However, everything looks brighter when G. T. finds out
that his leukemia is in remission.
Will Hope find her father? Will Aunt Addie and Hope find happiness
and permanence with G. T. Stoop and the Welcome Stairways Diner? Hope
struggles with these questions as she tries to grow up and remember
that, although she has a lot to overcome, she also has a lot for which
to be thankful.
HOPE WAS HERE is a deliciously funny look at Mulhoney's corrupt small-town
politics and Hope and Aunt Addie's struggles to be successful in the
food service industry. It is sometimes sad and always poignant as
the characters try to work out their problems. G. T. Stoop fights
to overcome his leukemia. There's a mouse in the salad, and a hearse
following G. T. around town, parking outside the diner. Braverman
is beaten for standing up for what he believes is right, and Hope
keeps fighting her past and looking for her future. Once again, Joan
Bauer delivers a fast-paced and satisfying young adult novel.
--- Reviewed by Audrey Marie Danielson
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