Playing the Cards You're Dealt

One liner: A Young Boy struggles with family issues and finding a shared love of cards with a female friend. Content Warning: Contains descriptions of alcohol and drug use, gambling, family separation, bullying, and child abandonment. I don't usually provide content warnings because there are so many I could miss if I don't notice them and the inclusion of content warnings implies that all are included. These are the ones I noticed while reading with my son and not meant to be a comprehensive list. The author handles the discussions compassionately and from multiple viewpoints. Ant comes from a long line of card players and loves playing with his friends. But during the tournament last year he choked and ran away, and everyone remembers. And keeps reminding him. When the new girl, Shirley, beats him and his buddy, he has respect for her talents (even though she might not have played honestly). When his friend gets grounded and has to miss the tournament, he asks her to be his partner. A fact the bullies at the school find as fodder. When he uncovers a secret his dad is keeping and everything at home turns upside down, he has to deal with old secrets coming to light and how to move forward. Shirley proves as good a friend as she is a card player.