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Original Essays | November 9, 2009

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Tricks

by Ellen Hopkins

Tricks Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

When all choice is taken from you, life becomes a game of survival.

Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two guys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching...for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don't expect, though, is all that can happen when those powerful little words I love you are said for all the wrong reasons.

Five moving stories remain separate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story — a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up. A story about kids figuring out what sex and love are all about, at all costs, while asking themselves, Can I ever feel okay about myself?

A brilliant achievement from New York Times best-selling author Ellen Hopkins — who has been called the bestselling living poet in the country by mediabistro.com — Tricks is a book that turns you on and repels you at the same time. Just like so much of life.

Review:

"Hopkins again tackles a serious societal problem, this time focusing on teen prostitution. Fans of her work will recognize both her signature free verses and the gritty details she weaves within them. Newcomers, however, may be shocked by the graphic depictions of five struggling teens who find themselves turning tricks (one realizes her mother has sold her 'for a good time' with a stranger, while another recounts 'pretending to enjoy... deviant sex' to earn the trust of a guard at an ultra-strict religious rehabilitation camp). Some plotting seems clichd, such as the story of a preacher's daughter from Idaho, whose mother banishes her to the Tears of Zion camp after catching her with her boyfriend. While each story unfolds slowly, readers will understand the protagonists' desperation as well as their complete powerlessness once their descents have begun. Each story is unique (one teen needs money, another was thrown out because of his sexuality, still another was simply looking for love from the wrong person); while readers may connect with some characters more than others, they will long remember each painful story. Ages 14 — up." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Synopsis:

TRICKS is a gripping new work from "New York Times "bestselling author Ellen Hopkins

Synopsis:

"Tricks" is a gripping new work, written in verse, from the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Crank."

Synopsis:

This gripping new work of verse by a "New York Times"-bestselling author tells five moving accounts that remain separate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story--a tale about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up.

About the Author

Ellen Hopkins has been writing poetry for many years. Her first novel, Crank, also written in verse, met with critical acclaim. She lives with her husband and son in Carson City, Nevada.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
brittani, September 13, 2009 (view all comments by brittani)
Brutually honestly and with gripping detail, Ellen Hopkins didn't hold back with Tricks. Since her groundbreaking Crank and shocking Identical, Tricks has got to be the most surprising of all her novels.

She weaves together in great detail the stories of 5 teenagers with different backgrounds and personalities but the same falling into the grips of the underground sex trade of America. Some might think that this book is much too mature for teenagers, but Ellen took great care in writing a novel that is not only honest, but is quite frank of the dangers of this all too real danger that has taken the lifes of millions of teens.

A highly recommended read. Yet again Ellen Hopkins has written a novel that teens and adults alike can relate to.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781416950073
Author:
Hopkins, Ellen
Publisher:
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Subject:
Social Issues - Adolescence
Subject:
Family - General
Subject:
Situations / Adolescence
Subject:
Family problems
Subject:
Novels in verse
Subject:
Social Issues - Dating & Sex
Publication Date:
August 2009
Binding:
Hardcover
Grade Level:
Young adult
Language:
English
Pages:
640
Dimensions:
7 x 5 in
Age Level:
13-17

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