Double or Nothing

by Dennis Foon

Raise the stakes and feel the heat. Kip is addicted to the pure adrenaline rush that hits when the stakes are high and the bets are laid down. His gambling addiction uses up his money, his mother's money -- and then their real trouble begins. Dennis Foon's believable portrait of a teen caught in a gambling addiction crackles with suspense and a foreboding sense of where Kip will land. Originally published in 2000, this remarkable novel has been updated to reflect new technology and the rise of online gambling. Praise for the previous edition of Double or Nothing :

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult

214 pages, Paperback

First published February 5, 2000

Reviews

[Drew Hutton]

In the book, “Double Or Nothing”, by Dennis Foon, the story is about a teenage boy who lives a normal life and is about to attend college next year. The boy; Kip is very outgoing, curious, and willing to try new things in life. Kip likes to live his life with a bit of excitement and kinda a dare so one day he tests his luck by gambling. Kip and his friends would do little bets on things you know like most teenagers would do, but nothing with serious cash or anything. Kip was really good and lucky at betting and he noticed that he may have a bit of a talent at gambling until one day he tries his luck a bit higher and loses. Kip hated to lose and he always wanted to try to come back and win anyway he could, but he noticed that everything wasn’t going his way. Kip always dreamed of being rich, but didn’t want to put the time into it, so he would gamble to try to get easy money and hopefully own a casino himself. Eventually things started to go down hill and he started to steal from his mother’s bank account and his college funds to bet. His mother found out about the problem he had and was very disappointed in the actions he took part in to gamble and couldn’t believe he would steal and waste all his college money on gambling. Now they are in a tight situation and bills are needing to be paid and now college is screwed up due to him having no money. We all wonder if Kip will bounce back and see the brighter future instead of blowing it on gambling or if he will continue this problem and be affected in the long run.

[Savita Bhoonauth · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOSE IT OR GAIN IT

Double or Nothing is a complicated book. Kip is your average high school teenager, he does his homework and get good grades, works at his uncle's restaurant. He only does these things because his mom can't afford to send him to college, he only does this to hope that get can save money and get a scholarship. But he has a gambling problem. Kip makes bets that he knows he will win, he challenges his friends because he knows they are gullible. Kip believes that alcoholism is an addiction. His gambling addiction uses his money, his mother's money and then the real trouble begins. Kip goes through obstacles that will change his life. Love, angry, sadness, passion will strike him. "Raise the stakes and feel the heat." The quote is about how you don’t back down from a bet, if you do then your reputation is an end. The quality of the novel's writing is good because it has interesting parts that captures your eyes. The novel to me is in between of a short story. It's great to read because the main conflict and the social issue were portrayed. The main conflict is about a boy who has a gambling problem, and he loses all his money in a horrible situation. He tries to change himself for the better. I would recommend the book "Double or Nothing" to students ages 14-19. I would recommend this book to them because it's very interesting and has a good plot. It has all the things that a book should have, such as a plot, lots of pages, a storyline on what happens. I would like to read more books like this.

[Alyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great YA novel with a real look into the reality of what gambling addiction can do to you. Kip is a strong character with a good voice that makes you want to read his whole story. You root for him and hope he can pull off all his schemes. I do wish he’d have learned a bigger lesson though.

[Brooklyn Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started reading, I just couldn't put the book down. It is a very thrilling read that leaves on the edge of your seat till the very end. The end of the book is short, sweet, and quite satisfying. I encourage everyone to at least give it a try if you have the time, it's a short read only 168 pages.

[Madame Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the theme of gambling addition very good; gambling is scary if out of control. What I didn't like was some unrealistic things like Kip going to a casino underaged and the way he spoke was more mannered then a millennial teenager would speak.

[Andrew Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as it was a light twist on the dangers of compulsive gambling. It shows how quickly an individual can fall into the dark shadows that gambling can produce. With an overall theme being gambling is for the rich to have fun and not the poor to make/chase money.

[Gilberto Lopez-lepe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review

I really liked this book because of how it shows the obsession that Kip (the main character) has. That same boy soon meets someone he really likes and starts to date her. It was all good until he met her father. Her father has an amazing talent that he didn't know his girlfriend also had. He soon discovers that her father has the same obsession as him. They soon start hanging out and the girls father really gets him in trouble. He gets him in so much trouble no one, not even her mom can get him out of. If you want to know what the father gets him in to, you should really consider reading this book.
I think you should read this book if you think you like reading about obsessions or crazy people. It has a good beginning, middle, and end. this book has all kinds of mysteries and obsessions. It has good examples of why not to get obsessed with stuff. I liked how this books sticks on the same topic and never changes. It sticks to the obsession. I think you should really read this book if you like to think.
To wrap everything up, this is a really good book. Everything on the book was cool and i enjoyed reading it. I think the author did a good job on writing this book. I liked how he gave me good things to think about while i was reading it. He really makes everything so interesting by the ways he wrote everything. While i was reading this book i realized that reading books isn't that bad if you really start to concentrate on it. Hopefully everything I've said inspires you to read this interesting book.

Period 2

[Patrick Hannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read the book double or nothing written by Dennis Foon. this book is about a kid named Kip who even through his grade school years has always found a way to play the odds. he is absolutely obsessed about gambling he and his friends bet on everything and anything they could find. they start off with small bets like if and when the teacher will burp. or if the next person to walk through that door will be a girl. then one day Bongo ,kips fried drags him to movies. while there kip meets joey who does all these magic tricks to Kip. after that Kip and joey start going out and Kip meets Joey's father,King Hewitt, Master Illusionist. who introduce Kip into high-stakes gambling such as horse tracks and then casinos. Kip is slowly draing his mothers bank account and his own college fund. does Kip have what it takes to turn himself around from these gambling demons?...read to find out! this book is very entertaining and sort of funny in certain points of the book. it contains somewhat mature humor. i would recommend this to young adults or adults that like fiction, based off of real-life scenarios. it takes place around the 1990's in Louis Pastuer High. Kips highschool and gambling headquarters.like i sadi its an entertaining and easy read for those who like that sortof stuff...enjoy : )

[Miguel]

“Double or Nothing”

In this book the protagonist is a young Kip gambling addict and a mother with depressive tendencies which lead it has become much more independent than their age. Such is his addiction to bet everything you can and not well. This treatment causes problems with the wrong people debts.
One day he meets a girl he believes the woman of his life but finds he has more in common with the father of the girl herself. The father is an old magician who travels from town to town performing for a living.
This novel tells the story of the problems Kip created with his addiction to the gambling. The author show us how he stops being such an immature and confused teenager grows into a man.
I liked this book because is really clear about the real live like about the drugs and the game. I recommend this game to people how like the novels about really histories because (it is no a really history) but at the end you believe him. I recommend the book to the people who like the fiction because is not realist at 100 %.

By: Miguel Callaba

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few years ago I saw the stage version of this (Chasing The Money: A Play) and wanted to see how the book compared. I already knew Foon as an excellent playwright - I'm pleased to learn he writes great novels as well. This story is told in first-person, and among the action Foon shows Kip's downward spiral through changes in his thoughts and voice (rather than having the character constantly reflect on how he "used to be", which is an easy trap for writers to fall into). It's hard to watch Kip's life collapse, but utterly believable as well.

[Nicholas Pakolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a young boy named Kip. Kip began as an innocent boy who simply had the gift of easily persuading people. His girlfriend's dad King introduced him to gambling and he quickly became addicted. Throwing away all of his college funds, behind his mother's back, Kip continues to dig himself into a deeper hole. This book, although fictitious, was very interesting and one that many people can find intriguing or one they can relate to. This book portrays the common effects of addiction and what kind of toll it can have on some people. I would recommend anyone to read this book because it is very intriguing and keeps the reader asking for more.

[SJane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intensely told from the first-person point of view of a teenager who turns into a compulsive gamblers. Reading it made me exceedingly glad that no one in my family fell into that trap, though Foon's first person perspective makes it seem both painfully easy and completely distructive.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kip has a major gambling problem, which comes off as an air of arrogance. After getting caught up with his girlfriend's dad, Kip might actually learn his lesson.

[Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought I would be able to recommend this to boys who like to gamble but I was disappointed. So I will looking for other books on gambling issues.

[Shakiba Yar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and eye opening book.

[Samuel Sylvester · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was good i guess although not my type