Kids Book Index
Cover of Playing the Cards You’re Dealt

Playing the Cards You’re Dealt

Varian Johnson

Fifth grader Anthony, known as Ant, wants to win his neighborhood’s Spades tournament and earn his father’s pride. He practices with his best friend and partner, Jamal, then meets a strong new competitor, Shirley. At home, Ant’s father shifts between enthusiasm and stress, misses promised practice sessions, and returns late. Ant’s older brother warns him to notice signs that their father may be drinking again and gambling online. Ant keeps quiet and invests his hopes in the tournament as family pressures build.

This book appears on 3 reading lists across 1 edition from 3 organizations.

Back to all books

Book details

Themes
Economics And Money · Family · Friendship · Mental Health · Sports
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Scholastic, Inc.
Published
October 5, 2021
ISBN-13
9781338348569
Language
English
Cooperative Children's Book Center, University of Wisconsin–MadisonCCBC Choices
  • 2022Fiction for Children
See the original list
All books
Cover of Thanks a Lot, UniverseThanks a Lot, UniverseChad LucasBrian and Ezra tell alternating, intersecting stories about friendship, identity, and difficult changes. Brian, who has social anxiety, is struggling after his father disappears amid legal trouble and his mother is hospitalized following an overdose. He and his younger brother enter foster care and run away. Ezra, who is biracial, faces a shifting friendship when a close friend begins making racist comments. Noticing that Brian seems stressed and unhappy, Ezra reaches out to him.Twelve to FourteenLexile Text Measure 580LATOS Book Level 3.8On the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Cover of Stuntboy, in the MeantimeStuntboy, in the MeantimeJason ReynoldsPortico Reeves secretly protects the people closest to him, using his special ability to keep his parents and two best friends “super.” In his hidden superhero identity, he is Stuntboy, while his everyday life belongs to Portico. He lives in an apartment building so large that its hallways contain fifty doors, making the place feel like a castle to him even though his mother calls it an apartment building. This graphic novel pairs Portico’s secret mission with his friendships, family life, and imaginative view of home.Nine to TwelveOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Cover of RBG’s Brave and Brilliant Women: 33 Jewish Women to Inspire EveryoneRBG’s Brave and Brilliant Women: 33 Jewish Women to Inspire EveryoneNadine Epstein, introduction, selections by Ruth Bader GinsburgThis collection contains biographies of 33 Jewish women. Ruth Bader Ginsburg selected the subjects in collaboration with the book’s creators and wrote its introduction. The profiles present women as role models and place their Jewish identity at the center of the collection. Nadine Epstein provides the introduction listed in the book’s metadata, while Ginsburg is credited for the selections. The book gathers many women’s lives in a single biographical volume.Nine to TwelveOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details