Sold: Summary and book reviews of Sold by Patricia McCormick, plus links to an excerpt from Sold and a biography of Patricia McCormick.

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut in the mountains of Nepal. Her family is desperately poor, but her life is full of simple pleasures, like raising her black-and-white speckled goat, and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family’s crops, Lakshmi’s stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family. He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid working for a wealthy woman in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi undertakes the long journey to India and arrives at “Happiness House” full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution. An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty and cunning. She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family’s debt – then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave. Lakshmi’s life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape. Still, she lives by her mother’s words – “Simply to endure is to triumph” – and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world. Then the day comes when she must make a decision – will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life? Written in spare and evocative vignettes, this powerful novel renders a world that is as unimaginable as it is real, and a girl who not only survives but triumphs. To research Sold, Patricia McCormick traveled to India and Nepal where she interviewed the women of Calcutta’s red-light district and girls who have been rescued from the sex trade. She is the author of the acclaimed novels Cut and My Brother’s Keeper.

BookBrowse

Sold is a devastating little book written in free verse. Although written for teenage readers, it is one of those books that can and should cross-over into the adult market. I cannot recommend it highly enough.  (Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).

Full Review (844 words).

Media Reviews

Children's Literature McCormick's unrhymed verse seems to ride the fragility of Lakshmi's bruised spirit.   Publishers Weekly Readers will admire Lakshmi's grit and intelligence, and be grateful for a ray of hope for this memorable heroine at book's end.   KLIATT - Claire Rosser This is an important story, and McCormick tells it well.   Kirkus Reviews McCormick provides readers who live in safety and under protection of the law with a vivid window into a harsh and cruel world-one most would prefer to pretend doesn't exist.   School Library Journal Part of McCormicks research for this novel involved interviewing women in Nepal and India, and her depth of detail makes the characters believable and their misery palpable. This important book was written in their honor.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Louise J
Sad but True...
The writing style in this novel is very unique. It is written in short vignettes making for a simple, quick, but captivating read. According to the author, each year nearly 12,000 Nepali girls are sold by their families “intentionally” or...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Hayley
Beautiful, devastating, hopeful.
Sold is an eye-opening tear-jerker. Beautifully written by Patricia McCormick, It informs young readers of the devastating truth behind sex trafficking, as well as molds a bond with Lakshmi. Readers try to remain hopeful throughout the novel,...   Read More

Rated of 5 by EmilyB
Wonderful Book
Before I read this book,I had no idea just how bad the Sex trafficking was in India. After, however, I felt empowered to inform everyone I knew of the injustices over sees. The first time I read this book I was 13, and have read this book 5 times...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Hayden
SOLD by Patricia McCormick
I think the book was a really good description of what it is like to be sold to a brothel house at such a young age. It provides vivid insight to the subject. A good read for all.

Rated of 5 by lee
greatest book ever
This is one of the greatest books I ever read. It speaks to you, makes you feel what this little girl was feeling. It shows you how cruel and crude people are. After reading this book all I wanted to do is learn more about this wicked, atrocious,...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Tailyr
Sold by Patricia McCormick
I just read "Sold by Patricia McCormick" this book was really good and very well written. My opinion on this book is that it was very informative, because no-one ever thinks about other things that are happening around the world. If I had...   Read More

...35 More Reader Reviews

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Books with similar themes

• Novels
  
• Young Adults
  
• Adult-YA Crossover
  
• Asia 
  
• South Asia (except India) 
  
• India 
  
• Contemporary 
  
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• Strong Female Leads 
  
• Controversial Subjects