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Hope Was Here

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Hope Was Here

By: Joan Bauer
Narrated by: Jenna Lamia
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About this listen

 A Newbery Honor Book

Food is in 16-year-old Hope’s blood. With her Aunt Addie, diner cook extraordinaire, she travels the States and hones her waitressing skills, impressing hungry people everywhere. But following the tides of comfort food dining means Hope never gets to stay in one place very long, and that's tough.

The latest move threatens to be the hardest yet, leaving the excitement of New York City to run a diner in rural Wisconsin. Hope doesn't expect to feel at home there, just as she doesn’t expect to get caught up in town politics. But her occupation has taught her to read people, and instinct tells her to trust G.T. Stoop, the straight-shooting owner of the Welcome Stairways Diner, whose leukemia makes his entry into a heated mayoral race a surprise to everyone.

What follows—as Hope meets politics, corruption, and her past head-on—is at the heart of this memorable, laugh-out-loud story about honor, trust, and serving up your very best. Difficult Situations Family & Relationships Illness & Health Problems Literature & Fiction

Critic reviews

“It’s as if the novel had been written by someone actually coming of age.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Deliciously funny. . . . Sometimes sad and always poignant.”—TeenReads

“Quirky characters, dysfunctional families, a swiftly moving story. . . . [Readers are] likely to gobble this up like so much comfort food.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Quirky, poignant, and funny.”—Voice of Youth Advocates
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