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Tricks
Tricks
Tricks
Audiobook10 hours

Tricks

Written by Ellen Hopkins

Narrated by Paul Boehmer, Cassandra Campbell, Laura Flanagan and

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

A New York Times bestselling author delivers a gripping new work of verse that tells five moving stories that 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.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 25, 2009
ISBN9781615730186
Author

Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous young adult novels, as well as the adult novels such as Triangles, Collateral, and Love Lies Beneath. She lives with her family in Carson City, Nevada, where she has founded Ventana Sierra, a nonprofit youth housing and resource initiative. Follow her on Twitter at @EllenHopkinsLit.

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Reviews for Tricks

Rating: 4.1804122130584185 out of 5 stars
4/5

291 ratings19 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am so happy this is on audio. I love all of Ellen Hopkins books and I turn as many people on to them as I can.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Tricks is another prose poetry novel sure to be a hit with Ellen Hopkins fans. Rather than telling one story, it follows five teens on their individual odysseys in a downward spiral into prostitution where they all wind up in Las Vegas and their stories converge in a way. They all come from different places and circumstances: Ginger’s mother is a prostitute but they live with her grandmother; Seth lives on a farm; Whitney comes from a privileged background. Each individual’s downfall occurs for different reasons from poor choices to family problesm: Seth is thrown out because he is gay; Eden is thrown out because she falls in love with someone who is not born again; Cody falls deeply in debt from gambling. Each story unfolds inexorably until they all hit their own rock bottom. The stories are dark, bleak, often violent, and graphic. Given the subject matter, sex and drug use abound.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    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.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    The story of three different circumstances in which boys and girls turn to prostitution. Very upsetting.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was honestly my least favorite of all Ellen Hopkins' books, but it was still captivating. Hopkins has a way with words that draw in the reader, and make them feel what the narrator is feeling. The characters' experiences come alive, and you can sense the emotions that are playing through each and every one of them. It shows a raw and in-your-face reality of what some adolescents actually go through in real life. I strongly recommend that everyone read at least one of Hopkins' books.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    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 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.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was skeptical of this book because of the fact that it was written in free verse. But it makes no difference. (if anything, it adds to the story) the characters are well developed. Each of them in their own messed up situation.... here's an overview of the characters that I emailed to a friend:POOR SETH! *snivel* his boyfriend has to leave for the summer and then never comes back and so Seth hooks up for a one night stand with some gay, well dressed, fifty-year-old named Carl (who is also a little possessive considering his last BF) A-and Eden, her parents find out about Andrew and they're so religious and she's the only one in the story who has a boyfriend who actually loves her. Ginger is probably gonna run away with Alex, even though she has five brothers and sisters who she has to take care of, being the oldest with a hooker mom who doesn't give a crap. (but Ginger and Alex are a really cute couple, even though they should both quit smoking) Cody should get out of his relationship right away. Whats-her-face is a total b*tch. And he should quit gambling. And Whitney was just dumped and my makes the worst mistake of her life hooking up with a guy that was stalking her. And then getting addicted to heroin.Yeah, Whitney and Cody are my least favorite characters...... most favorite characters..... Seth and Ginger I guess. But even though she's a minor character, Alex is awesome XDGreat, great, great book. Angsty.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Ellen Hopkins writes a heartbreaking story of how five young people hear 'I love you' for all the wrong reasons. In this book, readers are told how reaching rock bottom is much easier than one may have thought. I defintley recommend this book to everyone, most defintley a favorite Ellen Hopkins book of mine, for sure.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Positively heartbreaking and absolutely worth reading & re-reading. I love Ellen Hopkins and her books never fail to create haunting and fantastic pictures. They never ever lack feeling and Tricks is no exception to that. I feel like shes giving these poor children who have to go through such things a real voice. Very powerful. I cried several times throughout this book. There can never be enough good things to be said about this book, but the only thing you really need to know about it is that no matter how old you are you HAVE to read this book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is about five teenagers looking/finding love how i love you can mean different things to different people.I(living in one of the top 5 cities of the sex industry) was very pleased with this book. The sex industry is out there and this book will help be more aware of whats around you.Some people are forced, some look at it as a last option, and others just find their way into it. It also shows you the consequences of your actions.This book is severely realistic to the point were it shook me to the core. Things that happened in this book happens in really life more than we realize. This is a huge problem and i think that everyone should read this book to know a little bit more about the industry.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    wow! thsi book was very very amazing and disturbing the story that made me the most sad was edens. but this book is good and tells a lot about teen prostitution.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Have you ever had to make a decision, that would change your life and the lives of your loved ones? Have you ever been in a situation, where you feel everything and everyone is against you? Well, this is what these five teenagers are facing. Ellen Hopkins' novel, Tricks, explores the lives of five troubled teenagers in such a powerful way, it will leave you shocked for many days to come. Eden Streit is a girl, who is forced to live the way her parents want her to live. Her parents are against dating and love, and when they find out their daughter was with a guy named Andrew. She is forced to live at Tears of Zion ( a place for corrupted teenagers ). Seth Parnell is gay and he struggles everyday to keep that a secret from his father. When the truth is out, Seth's father can not except it and forces him to live on his own. Now Seth has to make a decision that will change his life forever. Whitney Lang is a popular girl. She is used to having things she wants, but not the attention she desires. When she hooks up with a popular guy, she is very happy, but when the relationship ends, she is left with anger. That anger drives her in a rebellious direction, that she will soon regret. Ginger Cordell's life has always been filled with drugs. Her mother has six kids, with five different fathers. The only person she truly cares for is her grand-mother, but when things get really hard, Ginger can't take it anymore. She decides on running away with her friend. Cody Bennet's life was a good one, until his step-father died and everything changed. Now he has to take care of his brother Cory and his mother. Money was a big problem and the only option Cody could see was gambling. Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Their moving stories remain seperate at first, but then interweave to a tell a larger, powerful story. A story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up. Will they find the little light that is left in their souls? Or will they surrender to the darkness, that is the devil. Ellen Hopkins has put light in some very challenging subjects. There are lots of twists and turns throughout the book, that leave you wanting more. This is a book for those who enjoy their poetry, but it is very revealing on many topics, that may not be so suitable for younger readers. Overall, Tricks is a great read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was good, but in a way didn't have much life to it. The characters weren't as developed as I'd have liked them too, and maybe that's because it was the story of 5 different teenagers, but regardless, when they cried, I didn't cry; When they laughed, I didn't laugh. It's not Ellen Hopkins best book, but it had a good message, and at the end, in the author's note, the statistic that she gave about teenage prostitution - that the average age is 12 years old - that was scary, and it is probably one of the most shocking things I have ever read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    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 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.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I'm a fan of Ellen Hopkins but this is not the best I've read from her. It's about five teenagers whose lives are indirectly connected; a lot more subtle than the characters from Impulse. Some connections are not even realized until there is only 100 pages left in the book. I read it waiting for the connections to happen and was a little disappointed. These five people have really messed up lives ... some it is caused by themselves while others were based on circumstance. This book deals with love, family, and sexuality. It pushes it's characters as far as they can go. This is one of the most depressing books I've read in a while. I understand why she wanted to tell these stories and I applaud her work but I just felt sad after reading this one. I like how Ellen Hopkins is very poetic in her writings and it's supposed to invoke emotions but after completing this book I was down for a couple of hours. The best parts of the book were the poems that introduces each character's chapter. This book is beautifully written but depressing. Also, confusing at first to distinguish between the characters but it gets easier as the book progresses. If you put it down don't be surprised if you have to backtrack in order to remember what has happened. I don't suggest this to be read by young readers due to some of it's explicit nature.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book was quite explicit. A lot more so than I thought it was going to be. But the stories behind it triumphs the explicit. It is about 5 people who find the most innocent type of love and end up in the worst kind of 'love'. It shows how each of these five people's lives intertwine by fate and love.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book is confusing at the beginning. There are so many characters to keep up with; Eden, Whitney, Ginger, Seth and Cody. All of them starting off with their own individual problems. The cool thing about this book is that their problems all become related and a few of the characters help each other out. The strongest character by far means would be Ginger who ended up helping most of the characters in the book while she dealt with her own rejection. The book is really moving when you can see the love that builds up through these children as they discover who they really are. Ellen Hopkins does a great job of getting the story across. I don't really suggest that most teenagers read this, even though Hopkins wants the theme to get across to teenagers, but the book is a little intense. A little to intense for 13 or 14 even 15 year olds to read. It seems as if the books should be for adults. It was good don't get me wrong, but very heart tearing and overwhelming.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book was really good! In the beginning, I couldn't quite figure out who's who. I mean the book is divided into different people. Eden, Seth, Whitney, Ginger and Cody. But then after I while, I kind of got use to it. This book is really interesting. Eden lives in a religous family, but falls in love with a boy, Andrew, that she's not suppose to. Seth is gay. He loves Loren, but he can't tell his dad, because he believes that gay people are evil. Whitney loves Lucas. She lives in a house where her mom loves her sister way more than her, and her dad is never home. Ginger lives in a house with 6 siblings, and a hooker for a mom. The only person she cares about is her grams. And finally, Cody loves Ronnie. He has a good life, with a loving mom, good step-dad and a brother. Soon their lives with intertwine a bit, and the book gets really amazing!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Tricks is a story of 5 teenagers, Eden, Cody, Seth, Ginger, and Whitney, whose lives have caused them to start working some sort of prostitution setting. Each individual has their own story to tell, and sometimes their paths cross which I thought was really interesting. Something I noticed was a common spelling mistake throughout the book. When they would spell shirt, it would come out shift. I don’t know if it was supposed to be meant to say shift and it’s just another word for shirt, but it was odd and in places made no sense. I noticed a few small errors here and there but for the most part it wasn’t too bad.We see their lives go from not so perfect, to complete and utter disaster. Hopkins Knows how to tell a story and keep people entertained. The book had me constantly wanting to read it. I would read for short bursts and have to put it down because of class, and I wouldn’t want to put it down, just keep reading to find out what’s going to happen next.This book is a fast read, and it does leave me wanting more to find out how their lives all turned out after and what happened, but with any book I’m always left to wonder. I love when that happens that way I can just make it up in my head, sometimes it’s better to not know and leave things alone. That way the story will remain the same no matter what and it won’t loose its luster.Tricks is a great story, however a bit graphic in it’s sexual description to be a young adult novel. That was something I noticed in especially Cody’s story. Not that I’m saying sex in a young adult novel is bad, I just think it could have been a little more subtle than what it was. Regardless of that, Tricks was still fantastic, and I can’t wait for the next Ellen Hopkins novel!