Friday, September 24, 2010

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar - ADVISABLE


Sachar, Louis The Cardturner, 336 pgs. Delacorte Press, 2010. 

Language - PG (20 swears, 0 "f"), Sexual Content  - PG; Violence - G; 

Alton's mom has pushed him to suck-up to rich uncle Lester ever since he was a little kid. This requires him to tell Uncle Lester that he's Alton's favorite uncle whenever he calls. Now, though, Uncle Lester is old and, because of diabetes, blind. This compels Uncle Lester to call Alton for his help in playing bridge. Alton agrees and his mom gives him five words of advice: don't screw it up, Alton. 

I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this book. It is told by Alton like he's looking back on it and he goes off on tangents every once and a while. Usually, I find this bothersome and annoying but this wasn't the case. I found it fascinating how Alton learned so much from bridge that he could apply to his life and how, as he continued helping Lester, bridge and Uncle Lester became a part of him. 

HS - ADVISABLE. Student Reviewer: CCH

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