SXSW Film Festival 2010

SXSW 2010

Lights, Camera, Action!!!

These are often the beginning words to a story that details the glamorous exploits in Hollywood, usually including everything from the writer’s great idea for a story to the penthouse suite of the star’s room.

But what happens after?

Well for those films lucky enough to earn a spot, the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival happens.

SXSW takes place in Austin, Texas every year in early March. SXSW often includes a multitude of entries ranging from independent to blockbuster films. This years film festival included Get Low, Cyrus, Kick-Ass, MacGruber, and a number of other excellent films.

But the fun doesn’t just stop with seeing the films.

Like any great film festival SXSW is one of the few places where the stars and creators of the films come out to the festival itself, giving the festival goes a chance to see what life is really like behind the mysterious world of Hollywood. This years festival included stars such as; Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Michel Gondry, John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, and even Sissy Spacek.

With thousands of people in attendance every year, SXSW is one of the fastest growing festivals in the country. Because of this and its many perks for those lucky enough to attend the it, SXSW is becoming the hottest spot in March and somewhere where anyone who wants to be someone should be.

Carter's Big Break: By Brent Crawford

CARTER'S BIG BREAK

SUMMARY

After surviving freshman year (just barely), Carter is craving his summer break. Unfortunately, when he and his girlfriend, Abby, part ways, it looks as though summer just might break him. Things start to look up when he’s unexpectedly cast in an independent film opposite the world’s biggest tween sensation, Hilary Idaho. With Hollywood knocking on his door, Carter gets a taste of the good life. But as the film spirals out of control, he begins to fear that he’s not the “somebody” he thinks he is and more the “nobody” he’s sure he always has been. Find out if Carter goes Hollywood... or Hollywood goes Carter.

REVIEW

What would you do to star in a movie?

In Carter’s Big Break, Will Carter is back and ready to act. This time for the big leagues. After winner the heart of his current girlfriend and co-star of Guys and Dolls in the previous book, Carter Finally Gets It, Carter is ready for some fun in the sun. Of course when Abby breaks up with him, he gets his face banged up in a bike accident, and his dad keeps hounding him about helping him with the deck, it seems like this is going to be the worst summer ever.

That is until he gets the lead part in a Hollywood movie that is.

In fact with Cater staring in the movie next to Hilary Idaho (one of the hottest teen actresses out there right now), and working with his semi-idol (and writer of the movie) C.B. everything seems to be going along great.

But when Hilary starts taking drugs the movie turns to shambles quick, pretty soon it’s up to Carter to see if he’s willing to step up to help his new friends or if he’s willing to loose his big break, for good…

Carter’s Big Break starts off a little rough, the dialog seems corny (especially with Carter’s friends), the characters are not incredibly endearing, and the writing seemed jumpy. That said once I sat down and thought about the context I understood it a little better. Crawford is writing for a younger crowd than I’m used to reading, thus he has to make the story more accessible for them. Thus why he has the Hilary Idaho character act as a direct copy of Vanessa Hudgens, and even mentions other characters to reference a pretend version of High School Musical. With the amount of attention and adoration High School Musical receives this is not a bad move at all.

Of course once the story gets going Crawford really breaks into his stride. His dialog is better (Carter’s friends are in the book much less after the first few chapters), the characters become more endearing (especially Carter and Hilary), and the story and writing gets smoother and more interesting.

That said, this is not the next Catcher In The Rye, of course it’s not trying to be. Carter’s Big Break is exactly what it proclaims it is, a fun tween book, about a nobody kid who gets a glimpse of Hollywood. It’s fun, it’s quick, and it’s a great summer read for its target audience, girls and boys ages 9-12. Ultimately a fun summer read.

RATING

6.5 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH

Published: June 1, 2010

Price: $15.99

My Ultimate Sister Disaster: By Jane Mendle

MY ULTIMATE SISTER DISASTER

SUMMARY

What happens when your sister becomes your biggest rival?

If there were a way to pick your family, fourteen-year old Franny might not pick her own. Her father is a hipster boutique owner who's constantly "friending" her on Facebook, her mother is off in Kenya jumpstarting her stalled anthropology career, and her sister Zooey, eleven months older and eight inches taller, is a precocious, prima ballerina. Lately, Zooey's so absorbed with her burgeoning ballet career that she barely seems to notice Franny. And since Zooey attends a top ballet conservatory, Franny's on her own navigating the brutal halls of her Manhattan prep school, a first-year trying to get noticed on the school paper (and by its soulful, long-lashed editor-in-chief).

But everything changes when Zooey breaks her leg and her dancing comes to grinding halt. Her ballet dreams shattered, Zooey begins to hone in on Franny's "normal" life and friends. Franny feels terrible for Zooey, but when her encroachment starts to extend to Franny’s long-time crush, Franny begins to wonder if her sister might just be her worst competition...

REVIEW

When sports fans consider the toughest sports on the body for athletes they often leave out one of the most demanding, brutal sports out there, ballet. Ballet is incredibly difficult to master and often requires constant dedication for years on end, it usually permanently disfigures its athlete’s feet, and it is not uncommon to find bloody, torn, or broken muscles and bones in the athletes bodies. Not only that, but ballet is one of the most cut throat sports out there, there are very few spots in each company, and with diminishing arts budgets for cities across the country, it is not uncommon for ballerinas to find their greatest rival just so happens to be their (soon to be ex) best friend.

In My Ultimate Sister Disaster, Franny is jealous of her prima ballerina sister, Zooey. Zooey seems to have it all, talent, her parents attention, a killer body, and a height above five feet.

But everything changes when the once high and mighty Zooey breaks her leg while dancing. Now, stuck at home and forced to stop dancing Zooey begins to edge into Franny’s school life as well. With her mom off on some study continents away, her grades plummeting, and boy problems galore Franny has no idea how to deal with it all. Then when her sister steals the boy she’s been idealizing for years, all hell truly breaks loose.

My Ultimate Sister Disaster is a great book. It’s perfect for pre-teen and teen girls, and was interesting enough and so well written that even a guy would like it.

Mendle is a talented author who is able to get to the heart of a teenage girls emotional turmoil. Because this turmoil is present in almost all girls (and quite a few guys), her plot lines and characters are a perfect fit for their desired audience.

That said I didn’t love the mother character. I felt like she was overly selfish and was forgiven to fast to have caused the damage she did in the book.

All in all this was a great summer read and girls of all ages should pick up a copy.

RATING

8 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Published: June 8, 2010

Price: $8.99

From Hell With Love: By Simon R. Green

FROM HELL WITH LOVE

SUMMARY

It's no walk in the park for a Drood, a member of the family that has protected humanity from the things that go bump in the night for centuries. They aren't much liked by the creatures they kill, by ungrateful humans, or even by one another.

Now their Matriarch is dead, and it's up to Eddie Drood, acting head of the family, to figure out whodunit. Unpopular opinion is divided: it was either Eddie's best girl, Molly. Or Eddie himself. And Eddie knows he didn't do it.

REVIEW

Imagine if James Bond had attended Hogwarts, and could use magic and had a magic suit that protected him. Now imagine that the bad guys don’t just have guns and sharks, they have magic, doomsday machines, and advanced scientific technology. This is just a taste of what Green’s fourth The Secret Histories Novel, From Hell With Love, is like.

From Hell With Love is an exciting and exhilarating novel that takes readers on a rollercoaster of a ride through the mysteries of the Drood family. I would recommend to any new reader that they read the first three books in the series, as it explains the back stories of some of the characters better than the quick explanations this book offers. That said if necessary there are enough explanations to get a first time reader through From Hell With Love. Not that I’d recommend it.

Fans of Green’s other bestselling series, such as the Deathstalker and Nightside series will love Green’s continuation of action packed worlds as he weaves all three of his hit series together in the Secret Histories Series. Finally, From Hell With Love ends with a shocking conclusion that will leave fans and first time readers alike stunned and clamoring for the next few sentences of the next novel.

All in all From Hell With Love is a great novel that any fan of science fiction, fantasy, or action adventure novels will love.

RATING

8 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Roc Hardcover

Published: June 1, 2010

Price: $24.95

Black and White: By Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge

BLACK AND WHITE

SUMMARY

It's the ultimate battle of good versus good.

They were best friends at an elite academy for superheroes in training, but now Callie Bradford, code name Iridium, and Joannie Greene, code name Jet, are mortal enemies. Jet is a by-the-book hero, using her Shadow power to protect the citizens of New Chicago. Iridium, with her mastery of light, runs the city’s underworld. For the past five years the two have played an elaborate, and frustrating, game of cat and mouse.

But now playtime’s over. Separately Jet and Iridium uncover clues that point to a looming evil, one that is entwined within the Academy. As Jet works with Bruce Hunter—a normal man with an extraordinary ability to make her weak in the knees—she becomes convinced that Iridium is involved in a scheme that will level the power structure of America itself. And Iridium, teaming with the mysterious vigilante called Taser, uncovers an insidious plot that’s been a decade in the making…a plot in which Jet is key.

They’re both right. And they’re both wrong. Because nothing is as simple as Black and White.

REVIEW

Superheroes save the day, that’s just what they do. Exterminators kill things, Doctors heal people, and Lawyers sue people. Superheroes are everything that is good in the world and they rescue us from everything that is wrong or evil in the world, super villains.

The world of superheroes is very different from the world we live in today. Where we see grey, they only see black and white. Only pure good and pure evil. But what if there wasn’t this black and white constraint in the world of comics?

That is exactly what Caitlin Kittredge and Jackie Kessler have created in Black and White.

Black and White is the world of superheroes told from two friends, one hero, one villain. Through these alternating narratives the reader is able to get a sense of how grey the world really is, and how even the most simple thing, such as who the good guys are, can be incredibly confusing.

I liked Black and White. It was an excellent combination of superhero creativity with the grayness of a mystery novel. I particularly like the way the Kittredge and Kessler broke the story up into past and present pieces, subjecting the reader to just enough information to keep them on their toes as to why things were the way they were. Besides this I felt both authors did a wonderful job collaborating on this project as it truly felt like the work of one very creative and talented author, instead of the mashing together of two individual and separate stories.

The only problem I had with the story was the lack of final a confrontation so often seen in a superhero novel. Of course considering this story was less of a superhero story and more of a story about the grayness of the world this wasn’t much a story.

All in all this was an entertaining book that I would recommend to any superhero fan or action enthusiast, making it a great read for teenagers and older.

RATING

8 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Spectra

Published: June 2, 2009

Price: $15.00

For The Win: By Cory Doctorow

For The Win

SUMMARY

In the virtual future, you must organize to survive.

At any hour of the day or night, millions of people around the globe are engrossed in multiplayer online games, questing and battling to win virtual “gold,” jewels, and precious artifacts. Meanwhile, others seek to exploit this vast shadow economy, running electronic sweatshops in the world’s poorest countries, where countless “gold farmers,” bound to their work by abusive contracts and physical threats, harvest virtual treasure for their employers to sell to First World gamers who are willing to spend real money to skip straight to higher-level gameplay.

Mala is a brilliant 15-year-old from rural India whose leadership skills in virtual combat have earned her the title of “General Robotwalla.” In Shenzen, heart of China’s industrial boom, Matthew is defying his former bosses to build his own successful gold-farming team. Leonard, who calls himself Wei-Dong, lives in Southern California, but spends his nights fighting virtual battles alongside his buddies in Asia, a world away. All of these young people, and more, will become entangled with the mysterious young woman called Big Sister Nor, who will use her experience, her knowledge of history, and her connections with real-world organizers to build them into a movement that can challenge the status quo. The ruthless forces arrayed against them are willing to use any means to protect their power—including blackmail, extortion, infiltration, violence, and even murder. To survive, Big Sister’s people must out-think the system. This will lead them to devise a plan to crash the economy of every virtual world at once—a Ponzi scheme combined with a brilliant hack that ends up being the biggest, funnest game of all.

REVIEW

You can’t sum up For The Win, by comparing it to other books. Instead when you think of it you have to take pieces from many different entertainment icons. For example when I try to describe For The Win, I would compare it to a combination of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, Halo, and the movie The Sting. Only after having considered all of these pieces can you get an inkling of what For The Win is like.

And yet it is more than all of that. For The Win also included important and accurate descriptions of financial definitions and schemes, such as buying futures, economies of scale, and even a ponzi scheme. But these inter-chapters detailing financial issues are critical to understanding the book, and so I was amazed at how well Doctorow is able to convey these issues to the reader.

But as I mentioned For The Win is more than that. It is an enthralling action packed novel that has detailed memorable characters, detailed plot twists, and an engaging story. Because of this I would recommend this book to anyone, teen or adult, as it is an exceptional novel that both teaches and entertains, a rare feat in any book. And so everyone should go out and get it today.

RATING

9 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Tor Teen

Published: May 11, 2010

Price: $17.99

Thirteen Days to Midnight: By Patrick Carman

Thirteen Days to Midnight

SUMMARY

You are indestructible. Three whispered words transfer an astonishing power to Jacob Fielding that changes everything. At first, Jacob is hesitant to use the power, unsure of its implications. But there's something addictive about testing the limits of fear.

Then Ophelia James, the beautiful and daring new girl in town, suggests that they use the power to do good, to save others. But with every heroic act, the power grows into the specter of a curse. How to decide who lives and who dies?

In this nail-biting novel of mystery and dark intrigue, Jacob must walk the razor thin line between right and wrong, good and evil, and life and death. And time is running out. Because the Grim Reaper doesn't disappear. . . . He catches up.

REVIEW

If you could have any super power in the world what would you have?

Flight? Invisibility? Telepathy?

In Thirteen Days to Midnight, Carman creates a world where the protagonist, Jacob is granted the power of indestructibility, after his foster father dies in a car accident. Jacob soon discovers that he is able to transfer the power to anyone he wants, but he and his friends soon find the indestructibility has a dark and dangerous presence. As the story unfolds it turns from the power and what the kids are doing with it to the power’s past and what side effects it has.

I was a little disappointed in Thirteen Days to Midnight. Carman is obviously a talented writer who has a created an intriguing premise for a story, but he fails to do anything with it. I found myself waiting for the action and the entire story turned out to be more like an origin story for how dark and destructive the power is, as opposed to what life is like for these kids with it.

I was even more surprised when the story continued to lack action and adventure and instead turned into a philosophical debate on the existence of heaven and hell.

Because of this lack of action, an unbelievable love story, and the fact that this book built up my expectations with its description and then didn’t meet them, I was ultimately disappointed with the book. Still if you know that this isn’t an action packed young adult fantasy novel, then the reader may enjoy the story.

Rating

6 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Published: April 12, 2010

Price: $16.99

The Necromancer (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel): By Michael Scott

The Necromancer (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)

SUMMARY

The fourth book in the New York Times bestselling series The Secrets of the Nicholas Flamel--The Necromancer

San Francisco:
After fleeing to Ojai, then Paris, and escaping to London, Josh and Sophie Newman are finally home. And after everything they've seen and learned in the past week, they're both more confused than ever about their future. Neither of them has mastered the magics they'll need to protect themselves from the Dark Elders, they've lost Scatty, and they're still being pursued by Dr. John Dee. Most disturbing of all, however, is that now they must ask themselves, can they trust Nicholas Flamel? Can they trust anyone?

Alcatraz:
Dr. Dee underestimated Perenelle Flamel's power. Alcatraz could not hold her, Nereus was no match for her, and she was able to align herself with the most unlikely of allies. But she wasn't the only one being held on the island. Behind the prison's bars and protective sigils were a menagerie of monsters-an army for Dee to use in the final battle. And now Machiavelli has come to Alcatraz to loose those monsters on San Francisco.
Perenelle might be powerful, but each day she weakens, and even with Nicholas back at her side, a battle of this size could be too much for her. Nicholas and Perenelle must fight to protect the city, but the effort will probably kill them both.

London:
Having been unable to regain the two final pages of the Codex, Dee has failed his Elder and is now an outlaw-and the new prey of all the creatures formerly sent to hunt down Flamel.
But Dee has a plan. With the Codex and the creatures on Alcatraz, he can control the world. All he needs is the help of the Archons. But for his plan to work, he must raise the Mother of the Gods from the dead. For that, he'll have to train a necromancer. And the twins of legend will make the perfect pupils. . . .

REVIEW

Imagine a book filled with dozens of different legends and gods.

Now visualize a book filled with action, adventure, intelligent dialogue, and interesting characters.

Finally picture this series lasting six different books, and each ending with enough drama and mystery to make a season finally of Lost jealous.

You have just imagined The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series.

The Necromancer is the fourth book in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, and if it is at all possible this book is even better than its predecessor.

Michael Scott, is one of Ireland’s best authors and it is clear he has hit his stride with this series. It has action, adventure, memorable characters, intricate plot lines, gods, immortals, and magic. It is one of the best series I’ve read and I think any fan of action, adventure, mythology, or young adult books should read this book.

I know it’s hard to believe it’s as good as I’m making it sound but it truly is great. The only warning I will say for new readers is to read this series in order. It does not spend time repeating what past books have covered so if you want to understand the series make sure you read everything from The Magician to the recently released The Necromancer.

The Necromancer is a great book and will make a great summer read. Current and new fans should enjoy the new plot lines in the story and be shocked and amazed with the exciting conclusion to this book. A summer must read.

RATING

10 out 0f 10

INFO

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Published: May 25, 2010

Price: $18.99

Chronicles of Nick: Infinity By Sherrilyn Kenyon

Chronicles of Nick: Infinity

SUMMARY

At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he’s next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?

REVIEW

Whether you read fiction, fantasy, or even romance you’ve most likely heard of Sherrilyn Kenyon. She’s held the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller list ten times over the past two years, has over 20 million books in print, and has written over 50 different New York Times bestselling novels. She is both prolific as well as talented, a potent combination.

And yet until a few days ago I had never read one of her novels.

Kenyon’s previous series included The Dark-Hunters, The League, Lords of Avalon, and BAD Agency; all series centered on paranormal romance that I didn’t feel would be written well or interesting.

Now I’m disappointed I waited this long to dive into them.

Kenyon is a talented writer who utterly dominates whatever she puts her mind to writing. Her books may look like they have over muscled men on the cover but beneath that cover lay the words of an extremely talented writer.

Chronicles of Nick: Infinity was Kenyon’s first attempt at the young adult genre, and I have to say, I wish she had entered this genre sooner. Chronicles of Nick: Infinity is a fantastic book that will have teens and adults of all ages clamoring to buy it. It is action packed, filled to the brim with excitement and mystery, and perfect for the current fad of paranormal novels. But beyond all that it’s written well, it is not some cheap knock off of some other series, instead it holds its own as the beginning of a great series, and I personally can’t wait to read more.

The only thing I was disappointed in was that I didn’t know the characters better. I feel like if you were already a fan of Kenyon’s other works, most specifically, The Dark-Hunters series, you as the reader would understand a lot more of the undertone and what makes these characters tick. Not only that but since I had no previous experience with Kenyon’s other books I constantly feel like I’m out of the loop.

As mentioned I plan to rectify that very soon, and plan to start with Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter’s series. I would recommend Chronicles of Nick: Infinity to anyone looking for a good paranormal novel and would expect both teens and adults to be in line the day it comes out.

RATING

8.5 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Published: May 25, 2010

Price: $17.99

Super Human: By Michael Carroll

SUPER HUMAN

SUMMARY

Four thousand years ago the world’s first super human walked the earth. Possessing the strength of one hundred men, skin impervious to attack, and the ability to read minds, this immortal being used his power to conquer and enslave nations. Now plans are in motion that will transport this super human to the present, where he’ll usher in a new age of tyranny unlike anything the world has ever seen.

Determined to stand against them, using powers they’ve only just begun to master, is a ragtag group of young heroes. For them this first test may be their greatest . . . and last.

REVIEW

Look it’s a bird! A plane! No it’s Superman!

Superheroes have been in American culture for decades. They have been in comic books, movies, and books. They spark our imagination as we fly alongside them, they entertain us as we fight beside them defending the weak, and they give us hope to become a better person that will do all that is in their power to save the day.

But what do you do when the superheroes disappear? Do the supervillains disappear as well? Who then defends the defenseless.

This is how Michael Carroll’s Quantum Prohecy series begins. There were superheroes to defend the land, and then they all just … disappeared. I wont go into to much detail but the series follows a new generation of heroes as they develop their powers and fight the supervillians across the world.

I have to say while this sounds a little hokey Carroll has done a fantastic job with the series, because I haven’t been able to put it down. I’ve been at the edge of my seat while I’ve read the three books in the series and I even bought the special book of short stories Carroll wrote and sold between publication of books two and three. His characters are endearing, his action is exciting and interspersed throughout the entire book, and the entire series feels like a giant comic book, great for kids and adults of all ages.

Of course Super Human is no exception to this rule. While not exactly what I was expecting Super Human was a great and exciting book for kids of all ages. It takes place before the Quantum Prophecy series and for those readers that read Superhuman, the collection of short stories Carroll wrote, Super Human acts as the origin story to a few of the characters created there, including Thunder.

I was a little disappointed by the ending of Super Human, but because Carroll has already written the future of this book with the Quantum Prophecy series I understand why he made the choices he did.

All in all this and the rest of the series are great books that kids and comic fans of all ages should read.

RATING

8.5 out 0f 10

INFO

Publisher: Philomel

Published: May 13, 2010

Price: $16.99

The Cardturner: by Louis Sachar

THE CARDTUNRER

SUMMARY

From Louis Sachar, New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Newbery Medal for HOLES, comes the young adult novel THE CARDTURNER, an exploration of the human condition.

How are we supposed to be partners? He can’t see the cards and I don’t know the rules!

The summer after junior year of high school looks bleak for Alton Richards. His girlfriend has dumped him to hook up with his best friend. He has no money and no job. His parents insist that he drive his great-uncle Lester to his bridge club four times a week and be his cardturner—whatever that means. Alton’s uncle is old, blind, very sick, and very rich.

But Alton’s parents aren’t the only ones trying to worm their way into Lester Trapp’s good graces. They’re in competition with his longtime housekeeper, his alluring young nurse, and the crazy Castaneda family, who seem to have a mysterious influence over him.

Alton soon finds himself intrigued by his uncle, by the game of bridge, and especially by the pretty and shy Toni Castaneda. As the summer goes on, he struggles to figure out what it all means, and ultimately to figure out the meaning of his own life.

REVIEW

Try describing bridge to the average teenager.

Ok now try to describe it to them without having their eyes glaze over.

Louis Sachar has attempted the impossible in his newest book, The Cardturner, as he tries to create an interesting book about bridge for young adults.

And I have to say I’m pretty sure he’s done it.

The Cardturner is a fascinating novel about Alton Richards, an ordinary teen with a rich great uncle, Lester Trapp, who’s dying. Alton is sent to be a cardturner for his blind uncle who loves to play bridge. The story quickly turns into more than a simple recounting of the game of bridge into an intense and mysterious parallel between the lives of present day Alton and the past of Lester Trapp. The story then follows Alton as he learns about the game, begins to love and respect his uncle, and meets the odd and intriguing Toni Castaneda. The mystery ultimately unfolds throughout the story in a way only Louis Sachar could pull off, leaving the reader with an intense and exhilarating ending.

I really liked The Cardtuner and even am a little interested in bridge now after reading it. The book was filled with likeable, relatable characters and just enough action in the bridge tournaments (yes there’s action in bridge tournaments) to keep the reader captivated.

Fans of Holes shouldn’t worry though, while the story is set up in a similar fashion to Sachar’s other works, there are key differences in plot that allows for surprising and exciting twists that readers will not have been expecting.

All in all this was a very fun read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys young adult books. I don’t think the subject matter is a hindrance, and in fact feel like it helps make this novel a truly original story, and something worth reading. In fact, I liked The Cardturner so much I’m considering joining my local bridge network, demonstrating just how interesting Sachar has made this book and the game of bridge.

RATING

8.5 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Published: May 11, 2010

Price: $17.99