Double or Nothing

August 24, 2000
Gr 9 Up-Kip is a bright, loved, capable young man who gets his kicks from betting-on everything from teacher's behaviors to cafeteria card games played with potato chips to the odds of crashing a car without dying. When he meets and becomes completely infatuated with Joey, the stakes are raised-it just so happens that her father is a compulsive gambler ready to teach Kip all the tricks of the trade. From then on, readers follow the teen as he deceives his hardworking mother, school authorities, companions, casino-security personnel, and even the newly found love of his life. With the use of his mother's bankcard he loses thousands of dollars before realizing that he has hit rock bottom. Although Foon successfully re-creates the thrill of winning and the desperation of the "I just need that one more double or nothing bet," the bulk of the story is weak. While it's realistic that Kip's mother would lend him her bankcard, it is inconceivable that she would not need it back or check her bank statements for months afterward. Why is no one alarmed when this basically promising student all of a sudden stops attending school for long periods of time? And why isn't Kip's smart, savvy girlfriend suspicious? Foon devotes 19 chapters to the teen's demise and 2 pages to his recovery-it is simply too hard to believe. Librarians would make use of a solid title to illustrate the dangers of compulsive gambling, but this is not it.-Joanne K. Cecere, Highland High School, NY

Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2000
Gr. 6^-12. Though fatherless, high-school senior Kip has been well provided for by his dedicated mother and loyal uncle. Thanks to his mother's hard work and Kip's job in a posh restaurant, procured through his uncle, there's enough money to cover his college expenses. Unfortunately, Kip has a penchant for gambling that takes a devastating turn when his new girlfriend's father, a renowned magician known as King, turns out to be a high-stakes con artist with an eye on Kip's savings. This is grittier and every bit as compelling as Pete Hautman's similarly-themed "Stone Cold" (1998). Foon uses a wry, first-person perspective to make Kip a compelling character, and gives readers a fast-moving plot with plenty of crisp, authentic dialog. Like one of King's clever disappearing acts, Kip's downfall creeps up on readers with deceptive ease; only after the smoke dissipates will they realize the blatant signs of addiction. ((Reviewed August 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)