PLAYING THE CARDS YOU'RE DEALT

Dion Graham makes every audiobook he narrates into a special event, and his charisma just overflows in this one about Ant, a 10-year-old boy from South Carolina. Ant is obsessed with winning his community’s annual spades tournament—and living up to the expectations of his gambling, alcoholic father. When Ant’s best friend and spades partner is grounded, Ant finds an unexpected partner, Shirley, the new girl at school, who is distractingly pretty and plays a mean game of spades. Graham imbues each character with personality—from Ant’s quiet, thoughtful charm and his father’s larger-than-life presence to Shirley’s snooty self-confidence. But the standout is Graham’s vivid portrayal of the omniscient narrator who is watching Ant’s struggles and contextualizing them within his Black community. S.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2021]