Playing the Cards You're Dealt by Varian Johnson - ADVISABLE

Playing the Cards You're Dealt by Varian Johnson 320 pages. Scholastic Press, 2021. $17. 

Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG. 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

11yo Ant (Anthony) and his best friend Jamal are all about a card game called Spades. They practice whenever they can and are planning to enter the town Spades Tournament in a couple of weeks. But things at Jamal's house are rough right now, and when Jamal gets in a fight, the principal bans the card game, and Jamal loses his permission to play in the tournament. So, Ant, needing a partner, asks the new girl in class to play with him (yes, he's teased about it and everything) but as things in Ant's home life start to implode, he finds himself more worried about his dad than his game. 

I'm not familiar at all with the game of Spades, but Johnson keeps the reader right there without getting too technical about the ins and out of play. Picking up the book, I thought it would be about the card game, but it's about alcoholism and family and friendships, and getting through things together. More poignant than I expected - first Jamal (and how he reacted to family trouble) and then Ant (and how he reacted). This won't be hard to recommend at all - great characters, an exciting plot and a terrific message. 

Lisa Librarian