Tricks

I can only think of three words to sum up this tragically written tale: unbelievable, heart-wrenching, and powerful.

Ellen Hopkins has once again shocked and blown me away by this dismal but wonderfully written book. Tricks weaves the tale of five teenagers, each battling their own demons and for their own reasons, have begun to turn tricks on the streets. Whether its to escape or make money or to learn how to feel something that might be love, these five teens struggle through the hardest times of their lives and not all will successfully get what they want in the end.

It is impossible not to feel a change with in yourself when reading this novel and the raw emotions can't help but make you feel amazed, hurt, or completely distraught. show more Hopkins is a powerful writer and I congratulate her for writing about these issues so masterfully when so many others have not. I can't imagine what must go through her mind when she writes these stories and she truly amazes me with her skill and talent.

Gritty, graphic, and not meant for the soft-hearted, Tricks is a powerful read that will leave you shocked for days to come. Thank you Ellen Hopkins, for writing such a masterpiece. show less

NOTE: I read this via audio bookI was quite taken with this book - it was quite compelling, raw and intense. The book covers 5 teenagers from different places, with different issues (family, background, etc) who all end up prostituting themselves. I understand that the book was written in verse but there was a very 'novel' feel to the audio book - each voice was different for each character which was nice and added to each individual stories. Although some of the voices were less effective than others, I wasn't bothered by any of them too much. Each character comes to life at Hopkins' hands - they live, breath and elicit emotion from the reader as we follow their journey into prostitution. The material and circumstances of the book are show more harrowing, difficult to read and extremely thought provoking. I've continued to think about these characters and their stories after finishing the book which is always a great sign of a compelling read.This is an excellent YA book that I think all older teens (15 and older, in my opinion) should have the opportunity to read. It really gets to the heart of how just one choice (seemingly insignificant at the time) can result in a spiraling of events that can change a life forever. show less

NOTE: I read this via audio bookI was quite taken with this book - it was quite compelling, raw and intense. The book covers 5 teenagers from different places, with different issues (family, background, etc) who all end up prostituting themselves. I understand that the book was written in verse but there was a very 'novel' feel to the audio book - each voice was different for each character which was nice and added to each individual stories. Although some of the voices were less effective than others, I wasn't bothered by any of them too much. Each character comes to life at Hopkins' hands - they live, breath and elicit emotion from the reader as we follow their journey into prostitution. The material and circumstances of the book are show more harrowing, difficult to read and extremely thought provoking. I've continued to think about these characters and their stories after finishing the book which is always a great sign of a compelling read.This is an excellent YA book that I think all older teens (15 and older, in my opinion) should have the opportunity to read. It really gets to the heart of how just one choice (seemingly insignificant at the time) can result in a spiraling of events that can change a life forever. show less

NOTE: I read this via audio bookI was quite taken with this book - it was quite compelling, raw and intense. The book covers 5 teenagers from different places, with different issues (family, background, etc) who all end up prostituting themselves. I understand that the book was written in verse but there was a very 'novel' feel to the audio book - each voice was different for each character which was nice and added to each individual stories. Although some of the voices were less effective than others, I wasn't bothered by any of them too much. Each character comes to life at Hopkins' hands - they live, breath and elicit emotion from the reader as we follow their journey into prostitution. The material and circumstances of the book are show more harrowing, difficult to read and extremely thought provoking. I've continued to think about these characters and their stories after finishing the book which is always a great sign of a compelling read.This is an excellent YA book that I think all older teens (15 and older, in my opinion) should have the opportunity to read. It really gets to the heart of how just one choice (seemingly insignificant at the time) can result in a spiraling of events that can change a life forever. show less

NOTE: I read this via audio bookI was quite taken with this book - it was quite compelling, raw and intense. The book covers 5 teenagers from different places, with different issues (family, background, etc) who all end up prostituting themselves. I understand that the book was written in verse but there was a very 'novel' feel to the audio book - each voice was different for each character which was nice and added to each individual stories. Although some of the voices were less effective than others, I wasn't bothered by any of them too much. Each character comes to life at Hopkins' hands - they live, breath and elicit emotion from the reader as we follow their journey into prostitution. The material and circumstances of the book are show more harrowing, difficult to read and extremely thought provoking. I've continued to think about these characters and their stories after finishing the book which is always a great sign of a compelling read.This is an excellent YA book that I think all older teens (15 and older, in my opinion) should have the opportunity to read. It really gets to the heart of how just one choice (seemingly insignificant at the time) can result in a spiraling of events that can change a life forever. show less

This is another great book from Ms. Hopkins that left me speechless. Not only did it give me a whole new insight, but it gave something new to think about. I never thought that sex trafficking as a big deal. After reading this book, I now realize that this is not talk about enough.

As always, this book I recommend for ages 18+. If you are a mature reader, then you can read this. While this book is not meant to be pretty, Ms. Hopkins really gets into the gist of things, not hiding anything. I love that Ms. Hopkins wrote this book fully, not holding anything back. She stories that she tells from different point of views will make you cringe as well as fight for these people.

I also liked how Ms. Hopkins gave a variety of characters, so the show more reader sees everything. After reading this book, I just wanted to cry. My heart ached so much! All of the different stories in this book happened every day in America right under our noses. It makes me angry and sad that not everyone can get the help that they need.

If you really want know, I mean REALLY want to know what sex trafficking is like, read this book. You feel the characters hurt, anger, rage, at what is happening to them. You as the reader feel helpless and powerless to stop it. You must read this book in order to know what I am talking about. show less

This book didn't disappoint. Ellen Hopkins I must say is one of my favorite authors. She makes readers experience and understand that horrible things that really do occur in our society though we try so hard to ignore this. But the more that we don't acknowledge that there is a problem the more we feed it to become even bigger. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone though it can become quite intense.
Many of Hopkins books helps me understand why some of the people I know go through their addiction and that it could be anyone around me.