Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Hope Was Here

3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 · rating details · 8,305 ratings · 775 reviews

Our Review

What happens when a saucy, optimistic teenager and a terrific short-order diner cook head to Mulhoney, Wisconsin? Great apple pie, a killer mayoral election, and a heartfelt story about life in a rural town.

Readers will immediately fall in love with 16-year-old Hope. She has bounced from place to place, serving plates of meat loaf and frittata specials to diner p

...more Our Review

What happens when a saucy, optimistic teenager and a terrific short-order diner cook head to Mulhoney, Wisconsin? Great apple pie, a killer mayoral election, and a heartfelt story about life in a rural town.

Readers will immediately fall in love with 16-year-old Hope. She has bounced from place to place, serving plates of meat loaf and frittata specials to diner patrons cooked up by her aunt Addie, with whom she lives. Since changing her name from Tulip to Hope, this protagonist always tries to live up to her name, offering readers an uplifting look at politics, love, friendship, and, literally, life, as a waitress at G. T. Stoop's Welcome Stairways diner.

G. T., who is battling leukemia, decides to run for mayor of the town, so his diner, which is perpetually crowded with customers, becomes a hotbed of political activity. It is there that Hope shines as she runs around refilling coffee mugs, soothing customers whose orders have been screwed up, and fielding questions from curious voters. And it is in this small town's diner that she finds what has been missing from her life.

Hope experiences love for the first time with junior short-order cook Braverman. Unlike the brainless relationships found in the Sweet Valley High series, this relationship is more in tune with first romances that real teenagers experience. At first they banter back and forth, but Braverman's winning pork-chop sandwich and his deep compassion for Hope when her mother comes to visit culminate in a passionate relationship built on friendship and trust.

This friendship and trust is also at the heart of G. T.'s mayoral battle. Hope and Braverman, among others, rally together, fighting initially to get G. T.'s name on the ballot and later on, as the corrupt incumbent mayor will do anything (planting a mouse in an entrée at G. T.'s diner) and everything (having Braverman beat up because he is involved in the campaign) to get reelected. And just when the politics get really dirty, Hope Was Here gives readers a reason to believe in the political system.

An underlying thread in Hope Was Here is Hope's secret desire to one day meet her estranged father. While her father never does appear in Hope Was Here, she does get the next best thing -- a father figure in G. T. She fosters a relationship with G. T., who praises her waitress skills and serves as an inspiration to not only Hope, but also all of the people in the town. At one point, the two are strolling outside in back of the diner and looking at the trees that G. T. has planted. G. T. says, "I like thinking [the trees will] be here long after I'm gone. All those fine memories pushing up to the sky."

To which Hope replies, "I hope you're here for the longest time possible, G. T."

It is at that moment, Hope gains a father and a home in this rural town she thought she would loathe. Once accustomed to writing "Hope was here" on an old window ledge or on a wall before she departed from one of the countless places she lived, Hope, as well as her aunt Addie, form roots in this town of good people and finally stay put. Hope Was Here offers a refreshing outlook on being a teenager and gives readers a little hope of their own.

--Soozan Baxter

(less)

Paperback, 186 pages

Published June 2nd 2005 by Puffin (first published September 11th 2000)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Best Teen/Young Adult Books

127th out of 1,203 books — 1,998 voters

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

DCPL's Teen "Gentle" Reads/Books That Won't Make You Blush Booklist

6th out of 111 books — 79 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Nov 04, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews, trt-gold-star-award-winner

Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com

HOPE WAS HERE is a brilliant book by an equally brilliant author, Joan Bauer. When I read this book for the first time (my copy is worn; I've read it so often!), I was an instant fan of the author. HOPE WAS HERE is worth your time, worth your money, and worth anything else that you have to do to get your hands on this book.

Hope is a sixteen-year-old waitress who has lived all across America with her Aunt Addie. Hope's mother (who, upon seeing her t...more Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com

HOPE WAS HERE is a brilliant book by an equally brilliant author, Joan Bauer. When I read this book for the first time (my copy is worn; I've read it so often!), I was an instant fan of the author. HOPE WAS HERE is worth your time, worth your money, and worth anything else that you have to do to get your hands on this book.

Hope is a sixteen-year-old waitress who has lived all across America with her Aunt Addie. Hope's mother (who, upon seeing her tiny baby for the first time, named her Marigold, of all things. Addie's twelfth birthday present to her niece was a name change.) has long been out of the picture, visiting only occasionally with tidbits of advice.

Waitressing at the diner in Brooklyn was great for Hope, but, like all good things, it comes to an end. The owner stole all of the money and ran off, leaving Addie and Hope with nothing. The two of them boarded up the windows, and, just before driving off, Hope left her mark: Hope Was Here, in blue ballpoint pen at the edge of one of the boards.

Addie and Hope are off to a small town in Wisconsin. When they get there, they meet G.T., the owner of the local diner where Addie will be cooking and Hope will be waitressing. G.T is a man the town loves, and he's going to run for mayor and change things. The current mayor, a scheming, dishonest typical politician, isn't standing for that, though. He's got to bring up how G.T. has leukemia, and is dying. How, he says, can a man who is dying take care of an entire town? He might not be alive in a few months.

G.T. isn't alone, though. Hope, Addie, and countless others are trying to get him elected, so that he can do some good for the town. Even though things are hard, they've still got to have hope.

This novel is amazing. HOPE WAS HERE is a book that you will not read only once, but over and over. It sticks with you. Part of this is due to the well thought-out characters, especially Hope. She is a strong character, but also a strong person. She's been through a lot, and she's still around, serving up food to hungry customers.

Her waitressing jobs have a lot to do with who Hope is. Maybe to some people (you know the type--not good enough unless you've got a diploma from Harvard), waitressing seems like a dead-end job, but this book shows different sides of it.

HOPE WAS HERE is a page-turner that will keep you riveted from the first word (which happens to be "somehow"), to the last ("had"), and when it's over, you'll want more. Luckily for us, Joan Bauer has written several other books for young adults, including BACKWATER, RULES OF THE ROAD, and SQUASHED. They're just as good as HOPE WAS HERE, too, and that's saying something! (less)

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 25, 2012 Nadia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 8th-grade, favorites

I don't know exactly why, but Joan Bauer books are just, I don't know, I don't exactly know why I love them so much, but I just do. I think how I feel about her books is you can devour an entire book of her's because it's suspenseful with new plots, fast moving plots that keep you interested, and then you don't realize until the end that it wasn't the most fantastic book ever. But, they are still extremely fun to read, and I think I'm now in the middle of a new Joan Bauer phase. She writes books...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 20, 2008 Lucy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I feel like the big grown up bully attacking the cute, freckled face kid on the playground with this review. However, as a Newberry Medal Honor Book, the playground kind of turns more into a raquetball court and the kid has to be good to play in it. Consider me goggled, racquet in hand, and donning my wrist sweat bands for serious play.

I really don't understand how this is a Newberry Medal Honor Book. The characters were flat and one-dimensional, the plot predictable and the message was dangerou...more

16 likes · like · see review

Jan 20, 2008 Madeline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-and-young-adult

I first read this book in...8th grade, I think. I then went on to re-read it at least five times.
Hope Was Here is about a 16 year old girl who lives with her aunt - the two of them find work at the beginning of the book at a diner in Wisconsin owned by a man with leukemia. Addie is a cook, and Hope is a waitress - a really good one, too, and from the way Bauer describes waitressing, you can tell she's writing from a lot of personal experience.
This book is great for 13-16 year old girls who wan...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jul 20, 2008 Kelly R rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: laugh-out-loud-books, good-read, favorites-rereadable, grp-children-older, grp-young-adult

I love this book a lot. I just picked it up again when I was in a sad mood and immediately remembered how much I had loved it the first time. I adore the way it's written and I love the simple story that it tells.
I love the main character, she is not perfect, but she is entirely likable. Her imperfections make her real and wonderful.

One of the main reasons I love this book is because the Main character, Hope, is just like me. She's my age and temperament. I spend over half of my time cooking a...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 28, 2009 83petersimpson added it · review of another edition

Hope Was Here is about a young, 16 year old girl names Hope who has lived with her aunt, Addie, her whole life because her birth mother, who is a waitress, didn't’t want the responsibility of a baby at the time she was born. She has never met her father and she often thinks about what it would be like to have a father and fill him in on her life by showing him the scrapbooks she has made over the years. Hope, who is a waitress, and Addie, a cook, have lived in many different places across Ameri...more

like · see review

Jun 04, 2013 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Had it not been for the awesome words of truth written in this book, I would have probably given it a lower rating. The setting was quite common, crooked politicians, hopeful youth, love, illness, great food and an ending that I predicted when I was halfway through the book. Yet Hope Was Here won my heart with its truthful words of wisdom. Books like this one are the main reason why I shy away from fantasy, where I know things won't happen. Yes indeed, I read and adore books that reflect reality...more

like · see review

Feb 18, 2013 Maddy Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

First off, I just want to point out that reading this book made me really hungry. So to those of you that plan to tackle Hope Was Here, make sure you have food handy. That is all.

Anyways, onto the important stuff.

Prior to reading Hope Was Here, I read and loved all of Joan Bauer's previous books (Rules of the Road, Peeled, Thwonk, and Close to Famous). Each one of these story lines was not repetitive, had a great heroine to read about, a setting to match, and a great plot line. Hope Was Here is...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 07, 2013 Handan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-discovery, ya, worth-sharing, stargirl

Tore through this in a few hours. I was hooked from the first page, which is always a plus, and I enjoyed the waitressing background. There are so many developed characters that I felt I was in a world, not merely reading a story, which is probably what kept me so engrossed. The long and the short of it:

Hope (who changed her name from Tulip) has always lived with her aunt (Addie) after her mom (Deena, also a skilled waitress) hands her over to Addie knowing she herself is unsuited for motherhood...more

like · see review

Sep 25, 2012 Kyla rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think the book Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer was an exceptional book. One reason why I enjoyed this book is because of the plot. I thought having Hope move to Mulhoney, Wisconsin was very connectable. I also liked it because Hope and her aunt, Addie went to work at a diner called the Welcome Stairways. I thought having G.T. Stoop, the diner owner with leukemia, run against corrupt Eli Millstone interesting. Hope; Braverman (the 16 year old assistant cook) and some friends help G.T. try to win t...more

like · see review

Sep 25, 2012 Camilia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Hope Pulvey is an intelligent sixteen-year old American teenager. She was raised by her ambitious Aunt, Addie, after her mother abandoned her at a young age. She devotes her life to becoming the best possible waitress she can be. Hope is passionate about what she does, but perplexed on the idea of life. When her elderly and ill boss, G.T. Stoop, runs for town mayer, she realizes how valuable her role in the world is. She begins to promote G.T. and question the opposing candidate.

I think Hope Was...more

like · see review

Jul 24, 2012 Gemma Thornley rated it 4 of 5 stars

This story all starts with a girl called Hope. In this story she moves to Wisconsin and the welcome stairway diner. She works there as a waitress, and makes lots of friends ( one of her friends was Braverman, who becomes her boyfriend.)
The main part of this story is when G.T. Stoop enters the elections. He is a kind man and he runs the Welcome Stairway Diner. He has quite a challenge as he gets is booed by Eli Millstone’s ( his opponent) followers. Millstone runs the real fresh dairy ( a huge co...more

like · see review

Jun 25, 2012 Ann Carpenter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic, newbery

A very sweet book. It almost made me want to quit my job and take up waitressing, Hope was so convincing in describing how essential a good server can be to changing people's lives. (She makes it clear that it's hard work too, but it's the joys and triumphs that stick with me.)

I appreciated that this book did not have an unrealistically happy ending. The ending was still happy, but not in a rainbows and sunshine perfect way that would have done a disservice to the rest of the story.

I wonder how...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 02, 2012 Maren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-realism, romance, humor, young-adult-fiction

Hope has been raised by her Aunt Addie since she was a premature baby abandoned by her waitress mother, who originally named her Tulip. As the book begins, Hope is a sophomore and waitress saying good-bye to New York and the diner that Addie had to close down becuase her business partner stole all the money and left. Hope and Addie head to Mulhoney, Wisconsin to work (Addie as a short order cook and Hope as a waitress) at the Welcome Stairways diner. The diner is owned by G.T Stoop, who has leuk...more

like · see review

Dec 11, 2011 Steve Clark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction

This is a simple piece of realistic fiction that works far better than one might expect, given its simple storyline and everyday characters...or maybe that's exactly what makes it work. A teenage girl travels with her aunt from Brooklyn to Wisconsin, where they take jobs in a diner, becoming involved with the owner, who provides all the dramatic action through a campaign to run for mayor while fighting leukemia. It's a feel-good story with heartbreaking moments, but it never, for this reader, fa...more

like · see review

Dec 02, 2011 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: newbery-honor

"I hope, I hope, I hope this will all turn out for the good...Some hopes just get pulverized."

I'm reading right now as a way to escape a little from what's going on in my life, right? How is it that a random book I find on the shelf has a sub-plot with a baby not reaching developmental milestones?? You're kidding me, right? A 14 month old that can't sit up. Great. My personal hell being played out in a novel. At least this one has a better end. Mine won't. I guess that's escapism to a certain ex...more

like · see review

Oct 03, 2011 Allison rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-realistic-fiction, strong-female-lead, ya-teen, tween, award-winning

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 07, 2011 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

Okay, as I write this review, please note that I am a 29-year old male. I would have been approximately 26 at the time I read this book. This was a book that my wife and I picked up at a Scholastic Warehouse sale and so I eventually got around to picking it up and giving it a try.

There, that's the background about me...someone who I would not necessarily expect to love Joan Bauer books, but I do!!

This was my first book of Joan Bauer and I thought it was great.

1) The main character. I've read ple...more Okay, as I write this review, please note that I am a 29-year old male. I would have been approximately 26 at the time I read this book. This was a book that my wife and I picked up at a Scholastic Warehouse sale and so I eventually got around to picking it up and giving it a try.

There, that's the background about me...someone who I would not necessarily expect to love Joan Bauer books, but I do!!

This was my first book of Joan Bauer and I thought it was great.

1) The main character. I've read plenty of books and I've read a variety of female characters. When I read this book, I had a 1-year old daughter (who is now almost 5) and I can't help but say how much I like the character, Hope. For one thing, she's a very real girl written in a very real setting in a very real situation. Furthermore, her greatest assets are not her looks or her athleticism; not some magical power and not even her brains. She is a great, young female character because of the way she cares about her family, cares about her friends, and is willing to work hard to make her community a better place. She has very real weaknesses, but in the end she doesn't let them get in the way of making good decisions.
This is the type of female character that I am excited to have my little girl read some day. (Bonus note: I've now read 2 more of Joan's books and she continuously writes great female characters)

2) Teen Activism/Education. In this book, there is an election coming up in Hope's town. She and her friends feel strongly that change is needed and that one of the nominees is definitely the man to support. Hope and most of her friends, though, aren't even old enough to vote...but I love that their inability to vote does not dampen their ability to share their stories and thoughts and influence the community. Ever since I've read this book, I've wanted to take copies of this book and put them into the hands of Junior High/High School social studies teachers. It is one thing to learn about the election process and discuss local politics, but this is a great book that can help young students understand just what kind of a role they can play even before they turn 18.

3) Content. No need to entice readers with sexual innuendos. No need to sneak in course language. And furthermore, a very compelling story based on the real-world and not fantasy...something that today's writers seem to struggle to accomplish.

Just a great book that I would recommend to anyone.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 16, 2010 Samantha rated it 3 of 5 stars

The name of the book was what lured me in. Hope. Isn't that a very unique name? It's very inspiring to me. Indeed there is a girl named Hope, who in highschool and doesn't have a mother by her side. She was passed to her mom's older sister because Hope's mom didn't think she would've been a good mother. In my opinion, this was a great thing to do because if a mother knows that she cannot give a child a decent childhood, they should give it to someone else who is capable of doing so. Hope is a w...more

like · see review

May 06, 2010 Linda Lipko rated it 5 of 5 stars

This 2001 Newbery Honor award winning book is so breathtakingly poignant that I struggle to write a review that would do it justice.

It is filled with genuinely real people, real pain and honestly portrayed real-life situations.

Sixteen year old Hope Yancey has many reasons to give up hope. Life is difficult. As a tiny baby she was abandoned by her mother. Raised by her wonderfully sensitive and kind Aunt Audie, she learns to persevere.

Aunt Audie is a restaurant cook and manager; Hope is a waitres...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 08, 2010 Louie Hernandez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hope was Here, by Joan Bauer, is a story about a young, 16 year old girl names Hope who has lived with her aunt, Addie, her whole life because her birth mother, who is a waitress, didn't’t want the responsibility of a baby at the time she was born. She has never met her father and she often thinks about what it would be like to have a father Hope who is a waitress and Addie, a cook, have lived in many different places They decide to move to Mulhoney, Wisconsin to work at a diner called Welcome S...more

like · see review

Apr 04, 2010 Alexa SOF2014 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: grade-8-ir-books-betts

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer tells the story of 16-year old Hope. Her unfocused mother left her in the care of her Aunt Addie who travels all over the U.S to work as a cook. Hope is all alone. She finds a deep connection with the people she serves food to as a waitress. She also gains self-confidence. Hope and her Aunt leave New York City to work in a rural diner in Wisconsin. She is very worried that she will be bored out of her mind in the local diner, the Welcome Stairways Diner. But, she has...more

like · see review

Sep 30, 2009 Anniesa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hope Was Here was such a moving book. It taught many lessons like no matter who or what you are you can always be a leader, have confidence, faith, and hope in yourself and you will succeed, live life to the fullest because you never know when your day to die has come. This book was about a girl that moves from city to city based on how long her and her aunt can keep a diner job. She moves to Wisconsin where she meets her boss G.T. Stoop who has lukemia. He is tired of all the lies the mayor in...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 31, 2013 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I wasn't planning on keeping this one after I read it but part way through I changed my mind. I really enjoyed it. I think the girls will enjoy it sometime in the future. Has a lot of good lessons in it.

~ Bill collectors are like cheap tippers--they always leave bad feelings behind.
~ It's more important to get the big concept than be an expert in the small stuff.
~ New places always help us look at life differently.
~ Motherhood should be like driving a car. You should have to pass a test before...more

like · see review

Feb 24, 2013 Shakespearesgirl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

I remember having read this when I was in high school, but I wasn't sure my rosy memory of the book would hold true upon rereading. I remember, when I read it the first time, thinking that this was one of the best things I had ever read. While I'm not sure that still holds true, it was certainly a very good read.

Hope is a sixteen year old girl who loves to waitress. Not many sixteen year olds enjoy catering to angry customers, but for Hope, waitressing is the one thing she's good at. In fact, Ho...more

like · see review

Jan 15, 2013 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hope’s mother was meant to be a waitress more than a parent. That’s why after Hope was born prematurely, she left Hope with her aunt Addie and never looked back (though she does send Christmas newsletters). Just about the only thing Hope’s biological mother left her was a bad name (Tulip) which she has had legally changed… plus a talent for waitressing, and frequent tips on how to get good tips.

Addie has been the best mother a girl could ask for. Her pancakes are legendary, her pies are criminal...more

like · see review

Sep 27, 2012 Matthew Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Constantly on the move, from city to city, state to state, Addie and Hope travel from one failed attempt at restaurant work to another. Addie is Hope’s aunt and also her guardian. Hope is 16 and Addie is middle aged. Hope Was Here, by Joan Bauer is a story about hope and faith. The setting is Mulhoney, Wisconsin. Mulhoney is in rural Wisconsin, which is the cheese capital of the world. In this town of 5,000, everybody knows each other. When Addie and Hope arrive at the Welcome Stairways restaura...more Constantly on the move, from city to city, state to state, Addie and Hope travel from one failed attempt at restaurant work to another. Addie is Hope’s aunt and also her guardian. Hope is 16 and Addie is middle aged. Hope Was Here, by Joan Bauer is a story about hope and faith. The setting is Mulhoney, Wisconsin. Mulhoney is in rural Wisconsin, which is the cheese capital of the world. In this town of 5,000, everybody knows each other. When Addie and Hope arrive at the Welcome Stairways restaurant, they find that they have their work cut out for them. They quickly learn that the restaurant has been failing because its owner and head cook, G.T., is sick and there is no leadership in the kitchen. Addie and Hope step in and take charge. Addie’s cooking begins to attract customers and the restaurant starts to flourish. I really admired Addie’s leadership qualities and how she restored order in the kitchen when everybody was in doubt. I can especially relate to this because this year on my club volleyball team, several good players abandoned our club for a new one. As the setter and leader of the team, I chose to stay behind. I have to lead a new team with a lot of novice players. A lot of people doubt us.
Addie’s success in bringing in new customers, gives G.T. confidence to do what he’s wanted to do for a few years. Although he’s just recently recovered from cancer, G.T. decides to run against the corrupt mayor of Mulhoney, Eli Millstone in the upcoming election. I definitely respect G.T. for standing up to the powerful, unethical local mayor and voicing his opinion, because I believe a man is only as good as his word and convictions. After months and months of campaigning hard, election day rolls around and when the polls close, G.T. learns that he loses. The campaign team is heartbroken. A few weeks later, Hope is talking to some of the customers that were recorded voters and found that some really didn’t vote. Hope learns that Eli tampered with the election results. Voter fraud is actually a very real possibility in real life. In fact, there is pending legislation requiring voters to show identification before they vote. In this story, there is a recall election. I believe that the “bad guy” never wins and the “good guy” always prevails. This is also another theme of this book: good overcomes evil.
I recommend this book for somebody that likes to root for the underdog. As I said before, hope and faith are two of the themes of this book. Hope and Addie persevered with G.T. through the ups and downs. G.T. had faith in himself that he could defeat the corrupt mayor. The citizens of Mulhoney also had faith in G.T. to win and hoped to make their city a better place to live.

(less)

like · see review

Apr 09, 2012 Mariam Taha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hope Was Here (Penguin Group, 2000) by Joan Bauer is a Newbery Honor book, and it is no surprise why. I think that the best books are the ones where I can relate to it to an extent and still have fun exploring this person's different perspective. I also enjoy books that are fictional, yet realistic and comparable to my own life. This book is all about a teenager having the strength and hope to survive through issues with her friends, family, and work, when things seem to constantly be falling ap...more Hope Was Here (Penguin Group, 2000) by Joan Bauer is a Newbery Honor book, and it is no surprise why. I think that the best books are the ones where I can relate to it to an extent and still have fun exploring this person's different perspective. I also enjoy books that are fictional, yet realistic and comparable to my own life. This book is all about a teenager having the strength and hope to survive through issues with her friends, family, and work, when things seem to constantly be falling apart. The narrator has a sense of humor that made me laugh out loud at parts, but she could also get very personal and real that would bring tears to my eyes. There was never a boring moment in this book because just when I thought all the problems have been resolved, a new conflict or event happened that would pull me in again.

16-year-old Hope Yancy lives with her Aunt Addie, because her mother gave her to Addie as a baby. Hope's mother is not even sure who Hope's true father is. Hope's mother was not really ready for a child yet, and figured she would do better with Addie as a guardian. Addie is a chef and works at local restaurants. Therefore, when the restaurant Addie is working at gets shut down, or she gets bored with it, they have to move. This only happened a few times in Hope's life, but it still affects her significantly since she's only a kid. Hope is a confident girl and an expert waitress at 16 years of age. Even throughout her life and the changes she faces, she will always have hope, hence her name. Wherever Hope goes, she leaves her mark by writing "Hope was here" on an old restaurant or table of a place she lived and loved.

Hope Was Here begins when Hope and Addie make a move from a restaurant in Brooklyn to one in Wisconsin due to the fact that the owner of a restaurant had stolen money from the paychecks of Addie and other workers. In this new diner, Hope faces some new competition with an older lady who works as a waitress. The lady, Lou Ellen, is surprised that Hope, a sophomore in high school, is actually a better waitress than her. Hope impresses everyone in the town and makes some new friends with people involved with the restaurant. A young cook, Braverman, catches her eye, and it is perfect because they get to spend so much time working together all the time. Throughout Hope's adventures, she explains her history and her real name, Tulip, and why she changed it. She expresses why she chose Hope, and why she wants to live up to those expectations. It definitely is a positive name and carries a lot of responsibility with it, which Hope has some troubles with, but learns to stay strong and carry on.

Hope definitely beat everyone's expectations in the diner and town. After just a couple days there, she became politically involved in the diner owner's campaign. It was the first time she had really even thought about politics, and she was getting really into it. While campaigning, she teams up with a fellow employee, Braverman, to get people's votes. Eventually, they develop a stronger friendship and become boyfriend and girlfriend. Her Aunt Addie also gets involved in a relationship with a new man she meets. Hope does well in her new school and feels comfort all around her new environment because of her family, friends, and boyfriend. Her new, fresh, happy spirit attracts an overwhelming amount of customers to the diner. This fictional story is told from Hope's point of view, so it helps the readers really get the understanding of everything she has been through, and as a result, it made her stronger. There are ups and downs in the book, but it is expressed in a quote I really like from the book: "'You know what I've found out about disappointments?…I think that if we face them down, they can become our strengths" (pg 113). This is just one of the things that Hope is learning from the restaurant owner, G.T., who is dying of cancer.

G.T. wants to teach everyone to be kind to one another and to always have hope. He also taught Hope that "you don't have to be famous or rich or physically healthy to be a leader. You just have to try to be a true person. We learned that helping other people brings out the good in everybody" (pg 176). I really love this quote because it is so true. It is also the main message of the story and I love books that have positive, happy morals like that. Even though there are a few sad moments in this book, they are immediately followed by inspiring messages and life lessons. There are many other lessons and morals throughout the book taught by G.T. and Hope, so you can read this amazing book and figure them out for yourself!
(less)

like · see review

Jul 03, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a novel about Hope, who is a teen, who has a dysfunctional family and is learning to adjust to living in a new town. Her aunt, who is a short order cook, raises Hope. Together, they make their way to a small town in Wisconsin to run a restaurant for G.T. He is a cancer patient that has grown week and is supposed to relax a little more. However, he decides to run for mayor. Soon, Hope is caught up in his mayoral run and is happily campaigning for him. In comes the incumbent mayor, who is...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 21, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: women or teen girls dealing with loss, foster care, adoption, cancer

Shelves: tween-coming-of-age-girl, tween-girl

Like your favorite cozy diner, Bauer brings together folks with all different backgrounds, stirs them up, and dishes up a heartwarming tale to comfort your mending soul. High school Junior protagonist Hope relates her story with the straight-up, but friendly warmth of a middle-aged diner waitress, but the bubbling enthusiasm of a young woman, who refuses to succumb to raw deals she's been dealt, like an absentee mother, constant relocating, and adult betrayals. This last reluctant move to rural...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Hope Was Here	9	60	Jun 05, 2013 02:48pm

combine
Other Editions (20)

More editions...

Genres

Young Adult

221 users

Realistic Fiction

88 users

Young Adult > Teen

47 users

Contemporary

27 users

Childrens > Middle Grade

16 users

Young Adult > Coming Of Age

15 users

Academic > School

13 users

Childrens

10 users

Childrens > Juvenile

10 users

Romance

9 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Joan Bauer

From: http://www.joanbauer.com/jbbio.html

July 12, 1951 - I was born at eleven A.M., a most reasonable time, my mother often said, and when the nurse put me in my mother's arms for the first time I had both a nasty case of the hiccups and no discernible forehead (it's since grown in). I've always believed in comic entrances.

As I grew up in River Forest, Illinois, in the 1950's, I seem to remember a...more From: http://www.joanbauer.com/jbbio.html

July 12, 1951 - I was born at eleven A.M., a most reasonable time, my mother often said, and when the nurse put me in my mother's arms for the first time I had both a nasty case of the hiccups and no discernible forehead (it's since grown in). I've always believed in comic entrances.

As I grew up in River Forest, Illinois, in the 1950's, I seem to remember an early fascination with things that were funny. I thought that people who could make other people laugh were terribly fortunate. While my friends made their career plans, declaring they would become doctors, nurses, and lawyers, inwardly I knew that I wanted to be involved somehow in comedy. This, however, was a difficult concept to get across in first grade. But I had a mother with a great comic sense (she was a high school English teacher) and a grandmother who had been a funny professional storyteller, so I figured the right genes were in there somewhere, although I didn't always laugh at what my friends laughed at and they rarely giggled at my jokes. That, and the fact that I was overweight and very tall, all made me feel quite different when I was growing up--a bit like a musk ox at a tea party.

My grandmother, who I called Nana, had the biggest influence on me creatively. She taught me the importance of stories and laughter. She never said, "Now I'm going to tell you a funny story," she'd just tell a story, and the humor would naturally flow from it because of who she was and how she and her characters saw the world. She showed me the difference between derisive laughter that hurts others and laughter that comes from the heart. She showed me, too, that stories help us understand ourselves at a deep level. She was a keen observer of people.

I kept a diary as a child, was always penning stories and poems. I played the flute heartily, taught myself the guitar, and wrote folk songs. For years I wanted to be a comedienne, then a comedy writer. I was a voracious reader, too, and can still remember the dark wood and the green leather chairs of the River Forest Public Library, can hear my shoes tapping on the stairs going down to the children's room, can feel my fingers sliding across rows and rows of books, looking through the card catalogs that seemed to house everything that anyone would ever need to know about in the entire world. My parents divorced when I was eight years old, and I was devastated at the loss of my father. I pull from that memory regularly as a writer. Every book I have written so far has dealt with complex father issues. My dad was an alcoholic and the pain of that was a shadow that followed me for years, but I've learned things from that experience that have made me resilient. I attempted to address those issues in Rules of the Road, and I took them even further in the companion book, Best Foot Forward. The theme that I try to carry into all of my writing is this: adversity, if we let it, will make us stronger.

In my twenties, I worked in sales and advertising for the Chicago Tribune, McGraw-Hill, WLS Radio, and Parade Magazine. I met my husband Evan, a computer engineer, while I was on vacation. Our courtship was simple. He asked me to dance; I said no. We got married five months later in August, 1981. But I was not happy in advertising sales, and I had a few ulcers to prove it. With Evan's loving support, I decided to try my hand at professional writing. I wish I could say that everything started falling into place, but it was a slow, slow build -- writing newspaper and magazine articles for not much money. My daughter Jean was born in July of '82. She had the soul of a writer even as a baby. I can remember sitting at my typewriter (I didn't have a computer back then) writing away with Jean on a blanket on the floor next to me. If my writing was bad that day, I'd tear that page out of the typewriter and hand it to her. "Bad paper," I'd say and Jean would r(less)

More about Joan Bauer...

Books by Joan Bauer

Rules of the Road (Rules of the Road, #1)

Best Foot Forward (Rules of the Road, #2)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Hope Was Here

15 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Hope Was Here

“You've got to love yourself with all your short comings, and you've got to love the world no matter how bad it gets.” — 40 people liked it

“...motherhood should be like driving a car -- you should have to pass a test before you can do it legally.” — 27 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Hope Was Here
avg rating	preview: Hope Was Here Goodreads rating: 3.97 (8305 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/522471.Hope_Was_Here?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309211597l/522471.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/522471.Hope_Was_Here?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer[/url]

Hope Was Here

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website