Big Slick [Hardcover]

Eric Luper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2007

All in all, sixteen-year-old Andrew Lang has been dealt a pretty good hand in life. Sure, he has to spend his afternoons slaving away in the hellhole that is his dad's dry-cleaning business, but even that's not so bad with Jasmine, the seriously hot Goth-chick senior, working right beside him. So what if she's got a boyfriend? Plus, Andrew's got an ace up his sleeve - he's good at poker. Very good. Unfortunately, all it takes is one bad beat at Shushie's illegal poker club to turn Andrew's bankroll from huge to nonexistent. And Andrew's pretty sure that sooner or later his dad's going to notice that $600 he "borrowed" from the register. Andrew thinks he may know how to get the money back, but it's a little bit crazy, and a little bit dangerous . . .
 
In this breakneck-paced novel about gambling and growing up, the stakes are high, and Andrew must ask himself: What does going all in really mean?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Luper's authentic first-person narrative captures teen frustrations, feelings of confinement, and the mottled world of poker . . . Powerful."—Kirkus Reviews

 

“BIG SLICK is an action-filled tale involving hot girls, hot cars, very dangerous people, serious desperation, and some serioulsy bad choices. I'm betting that BIG SLICK is going to be both extremely popular and a great new title for reluctant readers.” —Richie’s Picks

 

“If you like poker and being at the edge of your seat, you will love this [book]!” —A YALSA YA Galley Teen Reader

 

"Not too much poker to be totally Latin, but enough to keep things interesting. Big Slick is a fun rollercoaster bound to dash you away!"

—A YALSA YA Galley Teen Reader

 

"[Readers] willing to pony up a couple of hours' reading time should be pleased with the payoff."—Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books

 

About the Author

ERIC LUPER is an avid poker player who, among other things, once managed a dry-cleaning store. He lives in Albany, New York. Big Slick is his first novel.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); First Edition edition (September 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374307997
• ISBN-13: 978-0374307998
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,377,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Luper grew up in northern New Jersey and attended Rutgers University. He writes fiction for young people and proud to have moved from starving artist to not-so-starving artist. He currently lives in New York where he splits his time between Albany and Lake George.

Find out more at www.ericluper.com or check out one of his books!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, September 18, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Slick (Hardcover)

Andrew Lang may only be sixteen, but he's pretty sure he'd like to try making a living playing poker. It started with free games online and quickly became playing for real in the private games held in the town pool hall. Andrew's quick thinking ability combined with the professional advice from pool hall owner Shushie Spiegel have him winning pots any respectable player would envy.

Unfortunately, Andrew has hit a losing streak. To keep money in his pocket, he begins skimming money from the cash register in the family-owned dry cleaning business. Before he knows it, he owes $600, and his father is noticing something strange. When his dad begins talking inventory, Andrew realizes his days are numbered to be able to pay the money back without being caught.

With the help of his friend Scott, goth girl and fellow employee Jasmine, and a mint-condition 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS 454, Andrew hatches a plan to get back the money he owes his father and the dry cleaning business.

Can they possibly pass themselves off as eighteen, get into the Native American casino, and then sit at a poker table and win?

BIG SLICK is filled with colorful characters, poker action, humor, romance, and illegal deals that will keep you turning the pages. Teen readers - both guys and girls, poker fans or not - will be fighting over who gets this one first.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning: This Book is Addictive, September 25, 2007

By 

E. C. Martz (MI USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Big Slick (Hardcover)

This book had me laughing out loud, smacking my forehead in dismay, and shouting "Don't do it!" as I watched the protagonist, Andrew, dig himself deeper and deeper into a hole. It was a total blast of a read, one of those wonderful I-can't-put-this-down books that you hope will never end.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BIG SLICK rings true!, November 7, 2007

By 

Candie Moonshower "Candie Moonshower" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Slick (Hardcover)

BIG SLICK is a fast-paced and fun read but don't let that blind you to some of the great themes lurking beneath the surface about relationships with our parents (and between our parents--and that "knowingness" that we come into as teens where we begin seeing our folks as real, flawed people instead of just "Mom and Dad"), the value of real friendship, and the joy and pain of first love. I have to commend the author for capturing, spot-on, the sometimes wacky decision-making rationale that teens use, and how, sometimes, we just have to move ourselves through those decisions--and the outcomes--to get to the other side and gain some much-needed insight (which is true for both teens AND adults). Thanks for a great read!