Aces Wild

July 1, 2022
Five asexual teens infiltrate an illegal den of high-roller gamblers to expose a crime boss with plans to monopolize the Las Vegas Strip. When the FBI arrests his mother, the CEO of the Golden Age Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, 17-year-old Jack Shannon flies home for the summer. The FBI has had its eye on the Shannons for decades, but this time they have sufficient evidence to take action, and Jack knows exactly who gave it to them: his mother's bitter rival, crooked hotel owner Peter Carlevaro. Despite his older sister's insistence, Jack has no intention of letting it go. With the help of his four best friends--members of an online group of asexual teens he's never met in person--and a backpack full of poker chips, Jack sneaks into a secret gambling club in search of evidence to save his family and take down Carlevaro. The self-aware, conversational style of the first-person narration balances astute, snarky critique and a flair for drama. Each time Jack makes a move, the stakes increase. Honesty, accountability, and family stand out as significant themes in Jack's character development. His all-ace friend group highlights the diversity of identities within the spectrum of asexuality and affirms the fluidity of sexuality. As well as Jack, who reads as White, the central characters include an aromantic, Latinx, gender-nonconforming boy; a Vietnamese American and German nonbinary teen; and an implied Black girl who is a hacker prodigy. A fast-paced, thrilling diversion. (Thriller. 14-18)

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July 25, 2022
Blackjack whiz Jack Shannon, 17 and white, must travel home to Las Vegas when the FBI arrests his casino CEO mother for fraud. The FBI has sought his mother’s downfall for years, citing her association with criminal organizations, and Jack is sure that his mom’s childhood friend and current rival, crime boss Peter Carlevaro, provided the evidence for her arrest. Seeking help, Jack recruits his four best friends, fellow members of an online asexual-teen support group: calm and composed Gabe, who is Latinx, aromantic, and gender-nonconforming; genial Greek American painter Georgia; enigmatic, Black-cued hacker Lucky; and Jack’s crush, quick-witted, nonbinary Vietnamese and German American Remy. Meeting in person for the first time, the group works together to find Carlevaro’s “little black book” of secrets, which could provide the criminal evidence needed to take him down. Jack’s narration is by turns humorous and heartfelt, and his feelings for Remy are both sweet and fraught as he struggles to understand how to be in love while ace. Though the heist itself never quite reaches the exciting heights the book’s premise promises, DeWitt skillfully employs a breezy narrative and tender emotional beats, centering found family and self-acceptance, to craft a rousing debut. Ages 14–up. Agent: Cate Hart, Harvey Klinger Literary.

September 1, 2022
Grades 9-12 At his elite private school, Jack Shannon stands alone, running a blackjack ring and taking after his Vegas casino-owning mother. Jack's closest friends are all online--there's a core group of them who all met in an asexuality chat room a few years ago. So when Peter Carlevaro, a rival casino owner who has a shady history with Jack's mom, exposes the less-than-legal side of her business and she winds up in jail, Jack turns to his friends for support. But there's more to Carlevaro's motives than meets the eye, and Jack hasn't spent his whole life learning the tricks of casinos for nothing. The stakes are high and getting higher, since Jack is also investigating his feelings for one of his friends--nonbinary Remy--and what romance even looks like when you're both asexual. It's the characters, more than the heist, that are the driving force of this debut, but their individuality and connections make it worth reading. A fast-paced celebration of found and blood family for fans of Caleb Roehrig's Death Prefers Blondes (2019).

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2022

Gr 7 Up-Seventeen-year-old Jack Shannon, scion of Vegas royalty, has a background of gambling lessons, boarding school, and scarce family time. When his powerful mother is jailed for fraud, Jack knows her former associate turned rival, Peter Carlevaro, set her up-but can he prove it? His family won't help, and Jack's only friends are other "aces" met online while learning about his asexuality. Fortunately, those friends welcome a trip to Vegas, and are all in on helping Jack with his information heist. It's a dangerous proposition, though, infiltrating Carlevaro's secret club with no idea what they're looking for, and lying to pretty much everyone-including, sometimes, one another. Jack, in addition, is dealing with his first-ever crush and unsuspected family secrets. One way or another his world will come crashing down-but will it crash in the right direction? Amid the glittering world of high-stakes Vegas gambling, the author balances suspenseful heist shenanigans with explorations of Jack's personal and family struggles. In a large cast of characters, most are distinct and interesting, especially Jack, whose shady ethics and motivations might challenge readers' sympathies. The asexual aspect could have been more thoroughly explored, but the representation is still welcome, especially of aces with crushes; not every ace is aro(mantic). While Jack is cued as white, his friends are more diverse, including his nonbinary crush, Remy. Cursing is appropriate to characters and situations. VERDICT Hand this Vegas-heist-meets-teen-drama to readers who are looking for breathing space in their adventures, shady ethics, and asexual representation.-Rebecca Moore

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