Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi was just barely getting by in her family’s poor condition when a monsoon crashes her life completely- sending her life spinning in another direction. Desperate for money, her father sells her to a woman who guarantees a good job for her in the city. Tricked into “Happiness House,” where she is brutally abused until she agrees to work as a prostitute, she becomes exposed to a whole another world of evil, nasty, schemes. With no idea where she is, no money or way to get home, and no ability to understand or speak Hindi, there’s only a One Way street for her to head in. She’s forced to stay and bear with the rules unless she wants to challenge Mumtaz, a fat plum faced woman who will go to the extreme to keep girls up and working. Lakshmi’s lost her will, and everyday a small portion of her dies inside, until slowly, she begins to lose her own personality. When a possibility appears, she must decide if she will take the risks that follow in order to get her life back in her own control.

This book had my insides crying, burning, and mourning for Lakshmi. I wished to just go inside the book and comfort her, to tell her everything would be all right. Her voice really spoke out throughout the whole book. The little sections in this book always end leaving me moved, and screamed the mind of a real girl. After reading this book, you forget all the tiny flaws in your life, and learn to appreciate the comfort of your life.


It’s not hard to see why this book is a national book award finalist and a quill award winner. It’s not just any ordinary fling-book that you’ll pick up, think is good, and move on. For 263 pages, each page makes engraves an unforgettable impression into your mind. SOLD, by Patricia McCormick, is like a punch in the gut that will make you realize things as if to wake you up, telling us that this is what happens in places around the world such as India and Nepal.


If you’re looking for an exciting, action packed, thriller with an edge-of-your-seat-suspense book to curl up with, or maybe a cute cliquey gossip book, this isn’t the one you’ll be looking for. The tone of this book is touching, yet rough, and for mature readers only. I highly recommend SOLD, a beautifully written 5 star book, and urge young adults to take a step forward in reading this book.