The Cardturner

Alton's summer doesn't look exciting at first. His girlfriend dumped him for his best friend and his parents are forcing him to spend time with his elderly great-uncle at a bridge club acting as the blind man's cardturner. His whole life Alton's parents have forced him to kiss up to his "favorite uncle Lester" in the hopes of securing a significant inheritance, and they're sure that this quality time will secure their fortune. But things become much more interesting than Alton could have imagined. First off, he discovers that the game of bridge is much more interesting than he first thought, full of strategy and dynamic team play. He slowly begins to understand the great amount of skill that the game requires, especially for his uncle who can't see the cards and has to memorize his hand. And who knew that Uncle Lester, better known to his bridge club as simply Trap, was actually a nationally renowned bridge player? The only thing that Trap has yet to achieve is a national championship, something he hasn't even attempted in over thirty years. Slowly Alton uncovers the story of Trap's early bridge-playing days and the brilliantly human story of his former partner, Annabelle. The summer shapes up to be even more interesting when Alton begins to spend more time with Toni, Annabelle's pretty granddaughter, and the two find themselves trying to help Trap on the long road to the nationals.

Author Louis Sachar has created another brilliant gem for readers to enjoy. This is a book about the game of bridge, but it's about a lot more than that. It's about learning to not be manipulated and how to take chances. It's about starting over fresh. And I loved it. The characters are strong, expertly built and easy to love (or, in the case of Alton's parents, fun to dislike). They make it easy for readers to enjoy a book so wrapped around a game that most of them have likely never played. If you hesitate to grab this one because of the bridge stuff though, fear not - Sachar does a great job of explaining what you need to know about the game as you go. Older readers who loved Holes will likely enjoy Louis Sachar's newest book for its tone, its endearing characters, and bits of magical realism that make the story come full circle.

Overall Grade: A