Great audiobook narrator; he was the perfect narrative voice.

10-year-old Ant is teased about being small and weak. But is it really weak to be a nice person and talk about your feelings? Ant's best friend has bullying tendencies and seems to be carrying on the tradition of toxic masculinity, but luckily Ant makes a new friend who is 1000% better. Her name is Shirley and she gets teased about being tall and confident.

This was kind of like a sports story, but with a card game called Spades instead of athletics. It reminded me a bit of [b:Not an Easy Win|61356472|Not an Easy Win|Chrystal D. Giles|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1664754617l/61356472._SY75_.jpg|96769757] which featured chess. Spades is often accompanied by trash talk, but the "yo mama" jokes in this book are so old and corny. I cringed.

From the description I read, I thought Ant's recently deceased grandfather would play more of a role in the story, and while he definitely has a presence in the story, he's not talked about much. This is not a book about grieving the loss of a grandparent. It's more of a book about emotional maturity, friendship, trust, and coming to terms with a very flawed parent.

Content notes: Ant's father is an alcoholic but tries to hide it. He also has a gambling addiction. There is nothing super traumatic on the page. ( )

First, I love Dion Graham's voice and I will definitely look for more book narrated by Dion in the future.

Second, this was a great book. I love how many different topics are brought up in this book, alcoholism, gambling addictions, drug addictions, being raised by grandparents/aunts/uncles, and financial issues. These are all issues that children around the world have to deal with and can relate to.
I also love that this book centers around family and community and that everyone in the family has learned Spades and there is a huge community tournament.

I hope that games like Spades, Bid Whist, Hearts, Gin Rummy, Scopa, Cribbage, etc. are still played in households today. I grew up playing some of these games and I am so grateful that I learned how to play. ( )

Ten-year-old Ant is "dealing" with a lot—Dad's addiction and lies, a friend turning on him, taunts about his height, a new friend who is (gulp) a girl and whom (gulp) he might like-like. And, oh yeah, preparing for the 22nd annual spades tournament. The card-playing theme ties everything together, even the tough topics. The narrator (identity hidden for most of the book) is refreshing. Definitely adding to our grade 4 and 5 school library. Varian Johnson, I can't wait for your next book. ( )