Bottled Up by Jaye Murray****

Bottled Up is about Pip, a drug abusing 16 year old. He constantly cuts class to smoke pot and drink, and he has a abusive father who drinks and then beats up his children. Pip is sleeping in class all the time, which gets on his teachers' last nerves and gets him in the principal's office. When the principal threatens to expel him, Pip freaks out because his father will "kill" him. The principal gives him one more chance, but the stresses in Pip's life, like taking care of his little brother Bugs, make it hard for him to stop doing bad things.

I liked this book. Pip changes as a person, and that makes this book worth reading. It was hard to watch him deal with his father and Bugs, and it made me realize that a lot of people deserve a better life. I would recommend Bottled Up to anyone past middle school age who is looking for some inspiration. Pip will make you try harder to be a better person.