Big Slick | 
 enlarge | Author: Eric Luper
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy New: $3.00
You Save: $13.00 (81%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 937623
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 38.8
Dimensions (in): 17.5 x 12.3 x 10.3
ISBN: 0374307997
EAN: 9780374307998
ASIN: 0374307997
Publication Date: September 18, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Fast-paced and Fantastic January 8, 2008
In poker terms, a big slick is when you start a hand of Texas Hold 'em with an Ace and a King showing. It's a strong starting hand, but in the case of main character Andrew Lang, things fall apart quickly. Lang is a boy genius of sorts -- the youngest player at Shushie's underground poker club, and he has a knack for the game. But he borrowed money from his dad's dry cleaning business to enter a tournament and digs himself deeper and deeper in trouble with every page. Add to that mix some family tension, a really cute little brother, a loyal best friend, and a hot goth girl who works with Andrew at Dad's dry cleaning business, and you have a seriously compelling plot.
This is a book that teenaged boys -- and girls, since there's a cool, strong female character, too -- will love. It's not one of those YA novels that you'll want to share with most middle school kids, though. The language is intense sometimes, and there's a pretty steamy romance scene. It's definitely more of a high school title -- and a perfect one for reluctant readers at that age.
Even though I'm not a poker player, I loved this book. Probably because it isn't really just about poker after all. When all the cards are turned, Big Slick is a fast-moving, gutsy novel about finding your way in the world, making mistakes, and making good.
BIG SLICK rings true! November 8, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
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!
 Inappropriate October 15, 2007
1 out of 24 found this review helpful
This book has many sexual references that are inappropriate for teens in it. I would not recommend this book unless you want your children to have better ideas of how to become sexually active. I couldn't get past chapter 2's details of "Ribbed For Her Pleasure" condom reference. I teach English and this would certainly not be appropriate as an independent novel.
Warning: This Book is Addictive September 25, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
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.
BIG SLICK IS A BIG HIT!!! September 21, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Awesome read -- Eric Luper has stacked the deck with all the cards you need for a thriller of a page-turner. I loved riding alongside sixteen-year-old Andrew as he dug his way out of a mess caused by his high stakes poker habit and "borrowing'" of cash from Dad's laundry business. Andrew is clever, honest, vulnerable and risky, all at the same time. Love interest Jasmine breaks the typical Goth Girl mold -- we get why Andrew is drawn to her sensitive soul. Andrew's buddy Scott is as quirky as they come (I dare you not to laugh about where he ends up!) And other poker playing characters are as salty as a can of mixed nuts. You gotta love these names: Shushie, Flying Squirrel, Bourbon, Lampost and Cleavage. But my favorite supporting character is Andrew's little brother. What's sweeter than a kid named Rooster?
If you love watching the fast paced action of poker on cable TV,
read this book.
If you're a sucker for sweet & salty tales that pull LOTS of punches,
read this book.
And finally,
if you're into poker, girls and vintage Chevy Chevelles, then go buy BIG SLICK faster than you can say No Limit Hold `Em!
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