Things Hoped For | 
| Author: Andrew Clements
Publisher: Puffin
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy New: $3.25
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Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 73809
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 176
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.6
ISBN: 014241073X
EAN: 9780142410738
ASIN: 014241073X
Publication Date: April 17, 2008
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Condition: NEW; NO MARKS IN BOOK; STRAIGHT PAGES
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Product Description
Seventeen-year-old Gwen is preparing to audition for New York Citys top music schools when her grandfather mysteriously disappears, leaving Gwen only a phone message telling her not to worry. But theres nothing more stressful than practicing for her auditions, not knowing where her grandfather is, and being forced to lie about his whereabouts when her insistent great-uncle demands an audience with him. Then Gwen meets Robert, also in town for music auditions, and the two pair up to brave the city without supervision. As auditions approach and her great-uncle becomes more aggressive, Gwen and Robert make a startling discovery. Suddenly Gwens hopes are turned upside down, and she and Robert are united in ways neither of them could have foretold. . . .
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 Not so much with the sci-fi theme of THINGS NOT SEEN, it's still a very good read... July 13, 2008
Gwen is a shy and introspective 17-year-old girl, who inhabits a world of classical music. Born and bred in West Virginia, Gwen, a gifted violinist, is currently living in New York with her grandfather so as to further her musical studies. Times look to be particularly intense for the upcoming week as Gwen prepares for her college auditions, in which she'll be playing classical pieces. One day, she comes home and finds that her grandfather had mysteriously vanished, leaving no trail except for a disconcerting message on the phone. In the message, her grandfather asks Gwen to handle things on her own temporarily as he has to go away for a while and, also, to not tell anyone that he's gone away.
This proves to be problematic as her very pushy Uncle Hank has been coming over a lot, of late, as he'd been trying to bully Gwen's grandfather into selling the building which they co-own (Uncle Hank is broke, you see, and could use the money). One silver lining for the stressed-out Gwen is that she meets Robert, a fellow teenaged musician and a kindred spirit (Gwen sheepishly rues the fact that Robert has a girlfriend, and a blind one, at that). Robert and his surprising talents come in handy in Gwen's dealings with the persistent Uncle Hank, who just keeps on comin'. But the threat of Uncle Hank pales in comparison to the disquieting shadowman half-glimpsed by Gwen and Robert while in a shoe store...
THINGS HOPED FOR is Andrew Clements's loose sequel to the exceptional Things Not Seen. It's a loose sequel because while the main character of THINGS NOT SEEN, Bobby Phillips, appears here as a supporting character and the theme of invisibility is re-introduced, the center of THINGS HOPED FOR is most definitely Gwen. With the story unfolding thru her eyes, Gwen, shy but very gifted musically, proves to be an appealing and vulnerable protagonist. Clements immerses you into Gwen's universe, into her fears and insecurities. You can't help but root for her as she gamely strives to balance her acute nervousness regarding her imminent auditions (and, by extension, her future career) with her worries about her missing, gravely ill grandfather.
New York City reverberates to its own rhythms. There's a kind of magic which surfaces when the Big Apple is used as a backdrop, either on the screen or in a book. It's fun reading about Gwen and Robert traipsing down the lively streets of New York, whether it's walking past Carnegie Hall or visiting where John Lennon died. And it's fun watching Gwen being drawn out of her shell and enjoying Robert's company and being out and about. And Gwen's passion for music and poetry, it becomes almost a secondary character, so integral is it to her makeup and so influential to the tone of the book.
THINGS HOPED FOR is an absorbing, sensitive coming-of-age fable. You'll find that it reads like a breeze, and that it'll be over before you know it. It's fairly short (only 167 pages), which prompted me to finish it in one go. Andrew Clements can write; his prose is simple yet lyrical. No surprise then that, in reading these evocative passages, a sense of warmth and intimacy permeates.
There's a shocking moment somewhere in the book's second half which floored me - it surprised me and then surprised me again when I learned of the self-sacrifice which went into that one act. And, ultimately, THINGS HOPED FOR ends on a hopeful and uplifting note. Known for his children's books (Frindle is absolutely charming), Clements has now shown a flair for writing engrossing Young Adult books. I'm quite curious to see how he'll handle an adult novel.
Lastly, it's nice to catch up with Bobby Phillips, who two years ago suffered thru his own horrible experiences. The Bobby of now is more self-assured and gregarious, yet he's still as resourceful as ever, which is good, because a bit of his past comes back to haunt him. This time, we get to see his musical side, his love for jazz music. In THINGS NOT SEEN, there's a mention of his playing the trumpet, but it was perfunctory, at best. Call it mawkish, but I loved what he did at the John Lennon spot. The best thing of all is that he's still with Alicia, his blind girlfriend. As with Bobby's friendship with Alicia in THINGS NOT SEEN, his friendship with Gwen here provides one of the highlights of this book. Alicia, sadly, is relegated to one appearance, and that via a phone call (but an important phone call). I can't wait for Things That Are, the third book in the series, to come out, as the featured protagonist promises to be Alicia, who just may be my most favorite character in this series.
 Sequel to Things Not Seen July 2, 2008
Gwen lives with her grandfather in New York and studies violin at the Manhattan School of Music. The rest of her family is home in West Virginia. Gwen plays a borrowed violin and attends music school on a scholarship. She knows that the only way to attend college is to play well enough at her auditions to get a scholarship. After a fight with his brother, her grandfather disappears, leaving behind only a message on the answering machine.
Robert, who readers will recognize as Bobby the invisible boy from Things Not Seen, is a trumpet student who is in New York for auditions. He and Gwen become friends and he helps her deal with her grandfather's disappearance.
Katie's Review May 22, 2007
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
I liked this book because it's by Andrew Clements. I am Andrew Clements number one fan. I've read a lot of other Andrew Clement book before and " Things Hoped For" is one of his best.
It's about this girl named Gwen. She moves from West Virginia to New York to live with her grandfather. One day her grandpa left a message saying he went away,but carry on with your life. Gwen wants to know where he is. Does she figure it out?
I think everyone should read this book at least once because it's an awesome book.
 Not as good as the first, but still worth the read May 4, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is the follow up to the amazing novel, Things Not Seen. This book is not nearly as good as the first one, but is still definitely worth the read. It is about 17 year old Gwen Page, who is an aspiring classical violinist, living with her Grandfather in New York City. One day, her grandfather disappears, leaving behind only a very mysterious phone message. Gwen then meets Robert (Bobby) the protagonist from Things Not Seen, and together they unravel this mystery. This book has a good set up, but the way it ends is disappointing. The main character is also not very interesting. I liked the way it connects to Things Not Seen, and if you haven't read that, you definitely should. Andrew Clements writing style is flawless, and though the plot is a little disappointing, it's still definitely worth reading.
A difficult secret to keep February 4, 2007
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
Andrew Clements' THINGS HOPED FOR tells of Gwen's father, who has vanished from their New York City home. He's left a message telling her nobody must know - but music student Gwen finds it a difficult secret to keep; particularly when snoopy family members and strangers keep trying to uncover the truth.
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