The Book Tricks helps Teens Learn About Sex Trafficking?

 I filed a Formal Reconsideration on the book Tricks by Ellen Hopkins. 

When I first looked up the book in mid January 2023, to decide whether or not I wanted to review the book, seven CFISD High schools owned a copy and one Middle School. 

Rowe Middle School had Tricks on 2/20/2023:
Tricks available at several schools earlier this year:

I purchased the book, and read it. It was very thick and took some time. When I filed the Formal Reconsideration weeks later, only 3 schools had copies:


I filed at these schools only to be told the book Tricks had been pulled except for Langham Creek High School. Why was it suddenly pulled from all these schools around the same time? Maybe because of recent media attention? 

Before you read CFISD’s response, know there is approved, age appropriate human trafficking curriculum by WHO and Crimestoppers parents can opt IN to. Yours truly was on the CFISD SHAC sub committee for human trafficking, so I can tell you ZERO sex scenes are used to warn kids about being “sex trafficked.”

There is SBOE (State Board of Education) approved Health Curriculum in CFISD that teaches kids about drugs and alcohol. I was on that CFISD SHAC sub committee too. So I am familiar with those TEKS. CFISD believes the book Tricks with ALL of their sex scenes, profanity, drug and alcohol use is beneficial to our teens. Parents, did you opt your kid in to this library book? Or did you have no idea it existed?

Langham Creek High School's Book Committee decided to keep Tricks after considering my Reconsideration request. Please don't forget to read the highlighted sentences:




The committee does not believe Tricks is "pervasively vulgar" and stated, "our students are exposed to nicotine, drug and alcohol use in their daily lives."

Parents, these screenshots are from my own personal copy of Tricks, the book is very thick so they are not exhaustive. All of the sex scenes involve minors. At least one rape of a minor from an adult, plus another scene or two of an adult with a minor. Lots of drugs and alcohol usage. Prostitution and plenty of profanity. 

The pages are not necessarily in order, and these are simply samples.






























It is my personal opinion the CFISD human trafficking curriculum (which a parent has to opt IN to) by Crimestoppers and WHO,  is age appropriate to warn our children about human trafficking. Not the book Tricks!

Tricks was the 6th book I filed a Formal Reconsideration on, and it will be my last. Why? 
Because on all 6 titles, (titles many parents were out raged about, and it made the news) available in our libraries, CFISD  found them educationally suitable/appropriate for minors and NOT pervasively vulgar.

Going forward I will not waste my time with a Formal Reconsideration. I will post on this blog, and on Social Media  screenshots of pornographic books available in our libraries so parents know!

Please check out my other posts for titles and screenshots of books CFISD finds educationally suitable for our underage students!






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