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Tricks
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Tricks (2009) (edit title/settings)

by Ellen Hopkins (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

"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. three straight. two 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... read more

Summary edit see section history

Hopkins weaves the lives of five teens who sell themselves for money, security, drugs, and power. Ginger ends up stripping after running away from an abusive mother, while Whitney is manipulated into prostitution by a man who she thinks she loves. Seth is kicked out of the house by his father... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Hopkins weaves the lives of five teens who sell themselves for money, security, drugs, and power. Ginger ends up stripping after running away from an abusive mother, while Whitney is manipulated into prostitution by a man who she thinks she loves. Seth is kicked out of the house by his father when he discovers he's gay and ends up being "kept" by an older man.

There are five different stories within the greater book.
Eden's story, her father is a preacher who ofter turns to alcohol and beats his family. Her mother accepts it, and when they find out about Eden's love with a boy they do not approve of, the send her to a place where she is supposed to be 'healed by the Lord' a place for supposed delinquents. They are kept in cells, and she ends up being sexually abused in return for shampoo and food. She eventually convinces her captor to run away and take her with him, and then escapes. She meets several people on the way to Vegas, some nice, and some not. She is eventually rescued in Vegas by her love.
Ginger's story, there are several different kids, all have the same mother, but except for two, they all have different fathers. Iris (her mother) is constantly whoring, and the children are taken care of by their grandmother. We come to find out that Iris had sold Ginger to a man for sex. Ginger then runs away with a friend (Alex) they become strippers, and lovers. It progresses, and it shows how she loses Alex little by little. She meets Whitney in their apartment.
Whitney is the classic girl living in her older sister's shadow. Whitney meets the wrong man, he made her feel important, and sexy. Taking pictures of her, and having sex. They move to Vegas, and he starts getting her hooked on Heroin. This is when she meets Ginger, when she is a junkie.
Cody is a young man who's step dad dies and leaves behind Cody, his mother, and his little brother. Cody struggles to control his little brother and still pay the bills along with dating his girlfriend. He gets addicted to gambling, and wastes away their savings. He gets into prostitution to earn money.
Seth is a homosexual who was kicked out of his house by his homophobic father. He meets someone on the internet and falls in love with him. They meet, they date, but then Loren moves away. Seth is heartbroken and vulnerable. He meets a man in a bar and moves to Vegas with him. He is then 'kept' in return for sex he gets to stay there. His 'owner' brings in others to have threesomes with them. He meets a man in the weight room who helps him come back to real life.
Some of them meet, some of them only have similar situations, but this is a very powerful story.

Characters/People edit see section history

  • Ginger: Ginger’s mother is a prostitute and lives with her Grandmother and many siblings (all from different fathers). She has been betrayed multiple times by the woman who should be taking care of her – her mother.
  • Ginger: A teenage girl who has had enough with her family, and the way things operate in her household.
  • Cody: Cody, the All-American kid, always keeps his drinking and fooling around under the radar so he never gets caught, but when his step-father gets seriously ill and his younger brother starts getting into major trouble, it falls to Cody to find a way to make ends meet and hold what’s left of his family together. In trying to be a good guy, he develops a dangerous habit.
  • Whitney: Whitney has lived in the shadow of her successful older sister her entire life. Feeling ignored by the ones who should love her, Whitney finds affection and attention wherever she can.
  • Seth: He comes out to his father and becomes homeless.
  • Andrew: Eden's secret boyfriend, loves her no matter what and accepts her for who she is.
  • Alex: Ginger's girlfriend
  • Ronnie: Cody's girlfriend
  • Jack: Cody's stepdad that loves Cody, his mother and his brother Cory very much.
  • Carl: Add a description of this character.
  • Cory: Cody's little brother, troublemaker.
  • Lucas: Whitney's ex-boyfriend
  • Paige: Whitney's friend
  • Lydia: The owner of Cake Ur Escorts
  • Lorenzo: Seth's old lover who moves away to attend college
  • Mama: Eden's Mom
  • Kyra: Whitney's sister
  • Gram: Ginger's grandmother, gives her and her family a place to live and helps them get through.
  • Iris: Ginger's mom, but not a very good one - at that.
  • Sandy: Ginger's brother
  • Mary Ann: Ginger's sister
  • Jared: The creepy monk who imprisons Eden and uses her for sex.
  • Harry: Iris's boyfriend
  • Eden
  • seth: Seth is dealing with the grief of losing his mother and a father that is becoming more distant as the days go by – seeing only what he wants to see. There is no way Seth can reveal he is gay to his father. His mother might have understood, but not his father.
Show all 25 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Because life, and maybe death, will always be a gamble after all.”
    Cody Bennett
  • “You should dress like that more often. Nylons and heels, you'd be just about perfect." "What do you mean, 'just about'? Not the right thing to say to someone you kept waiting for two hours.”
    Lucas, Whitney Langs
  • “Love is more than blind. It's brain-dead.”
    Whitney
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • When all choice is taken from you, life becomes a game of survival.
    Highlighted by 36 Kindle customers
  • They say you should reach for the stars, and I’d like to, but my arms are much too short.
    Highlighted by 36 Kindle customers
  • The first time I kissed you. One kiss, I was totally hooked. Addicted to you. I could never love anyone the way I love you. I’d follow you across the universe.
    Highlighted by 35 Kindle customers
  • Don’t you know? We’re connected by an invisible chain. It’s very long, very light. But also very strong. It can’t rust. Can’t break. And the only thing that can sever it is if you ever stop loving me.
    Highlighted by 35 Kindle customers
  • But if you only tell me how to love you, I’ll reach into the depth of me and find a way to hold you.
    Highlighted by 26 Kindle customers
  • inside my veins. When we touch, you are my skin, hold all my joy inside of you. When you go, I wither.
    Highlighted by 26 Kindle customers
  • Because life, and maybe death, will always be a gamble after all.
    Highlighted by 20 Kindle customers
  • When you fly well below the radar, you get away with a hell of a lot.
    Highlighted by 19 Kindle customers
  • Loss is loss. Doesn’t take death to create it.
    Highlighted by 13 Kindle customers
  • Bible says God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, and no damn bleeding-heart liberal gonna tell me different.
    Highlighted by 12 Kindle customers
Show all 13 quotes from this book

First Sentence edit see section history

Eyes tell stories, but do they know how to craft fiction?

Errata edit see section history

The portrayal of catholics.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Ellen Hopkins (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Country: USA
Publication Date: August 25, 2009
ISBN: 978-1416950073
Page Count: 640

Classification edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

This book definitely contains some material that would not be suitable for all young adults. The youngest age I would recommend for this book would be age: 13. And that would be if that 13 year old was extremely mature, and honestly, exposing a 13 year old to content like that probably isn't appropriate. On average I would say an age where a child would actually understand this book, take it seriously, and really appreciate this book, would be sixteen. Based mainly on content and themes, as well as conflicts. There isn't much explicit language but there quite a bit of graphic sex. Please be cautious of what your children read, it will influence the way they behave in society. High school age, is a very appropriate time for young adults to read this novel.

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
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