Romanticism and Adventure
Who are YA? Evaluating YA Realism and Censorship
Fantasy and Science Fiction
History, Biography, and Nonfiction
Poetry, Drama, Film, Response Author Study: Judy Blume
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Hope Was Here
        Hope is a natural at waitressing. It is like a God-given gift to her�part of her blood and heritage.  She has traveled from state to state with her aunt Addie, who adopted her when Hope�s mother abandoned her.  Although Hope is hurt by her mother�s decision, she is civil to her when she comes to visit them every few years.  She has learned to accept the fact that her mother is not someone born to be motherly or responsible, and grown to accept only the good advice and tips on waitressing her mother brings when she visits.  Hope is an exceptional waitress and has traveled plenty, displaying her excellent skills wherever fate takes her and her aunt.  Although it frustrates her that she often has to say good-bye to friends and people she grows to love in one place, she does not complain or acts bitter. Her philosophy is that customers must never witness that.  She simply packs her things and starts fresh where circumstances have led them.
The latest of their many moves is the one the story focuses on.  Hope and her aunt Addie have had to leave New York City, where Hope was beginning to feel greatly attached, to run a small diner in boring Wisconsin.  The main character does not foresee much hope in her feeling at home there, but she is in for a wonderful surprise. She quickly becomes deeply involved in the town politics and uses all her charm and wisdom to motivate the community to vote for G.T. Stoop, the charming and extremely honest owner of the diner they work at.  Hope soon finds that there is more �home� here than she ever experienced anywhere else her entire life.
This is without a doubt a story that falls in the romantic category. Hope�s extreme kindness and purity of thoughts and feelings make her the perfect romantic character.  She possesses none of the negative qualities characters in other types of novels might have.  The author�s use of dialogue, filled with metaphors pertaining to food, really make the reader hear the thoughts of the main character. Expressions such as, �I took to waitressing like a hungry trucker tackles a T-bone� are found throughout the story.  With wonderfully organized dialogue and likeable characters, it is no wonder �Hope Was Here� is winner of the Newbery Medal Award as well as having earned other recognitions. 

Bauer, Joan. 2000. Hope was here. New York: Penguin Putnam Books.
      ISBN: 0-399-23142-0.
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