Tricks Books in Order

The Tricks series explores the dark, often invisible corners of the sex trafficking trade in the United States. Written in Ellen Hopkins’s signature free verse, the story spans two books, Tricks and Traffick, offering a panoramic view of how easily teenagers can slip through the cracks. It does not matter where they come from or what their families look like. Everyone is vulnerable under the wrong circumstances.

The narrative follows five distinct characters—Eden, Seth, Whitney, Ginger, and Cody.

They couldn't be more different on the surface. One is a conservative Christian girl suppressed by strict rules. Another is a young gay man rejected by his father. There is a privileged girl who seems to have it all, and others who are already running from broken homes or abuse. Despite their differences, they share a common, aching vulnerability. They are all looking for something they aren't getting at home, whether that is love, freedom, or simple acceptance.

That deep emotional need makes them targets.

Hopkins carefully dismantles the myth that trafficking only happens to kids who are already on the streets. Instead, she shows the grooming process for what it is. It is slow, calculated, and manipulative. Predatory adults identify that hunger in these teenagers and promise to fill it with romance, money, or modeling careers. Before long, these promises lead all five of them to Las Vegas, where the trap snaps shut. The series is unflinching in depicting how quickly a "choice" can turn into coercion, stripping away their autonomy until they are commodities in a brutal market.

While the first book focuses on the descent, the sequel, Traffick, deals with the messy aftermath.

Escaping the life is not the same as recovering from it. The second half of the series looks at what happens after the police raids or the bus rides home. The characters have to figure out how to live in a world that often blames them for what happened. They deal with PTSD, legal battles, difficulty holding down jobs, and the shattered trust of their families. Hopkins refuses to wrap things up with a neat bow. She makes it clear that survival is a daily fight, not a onetime event.

The verse format keeps the pages turning fast, even when the content is heavy. The white space on the page gives the reader room to breathe, while the rhythm mimics the frantic, disjointed nature of trauma.

Ultimately, this series serves as a wake-up call. It removes the distance between the reader and the statistic, reminding us that these "tricks" are just kids trying to find their way. It is a tough, heartbreaking journey, but it treats its characters with dignity, focusing on their resilience just as much as their scars.