Playing Solitaire

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

With the tension and pacing of a thriller, Antle's (Lost in the War) novel tackles difficult issues including alcoholism, grief and emotional abuse honestly and with a delicate touch. The author plants clues as to why 13-year-old Ellie has recently moved to Drasco, Okla., to live with her grandpa from the outset: "Nobody'll be feeling sorry for me 'cause my daddy was a mean drunk or 'cause Mama died of brain cancer." The protagonist finds comfort in the "neat little rows" of cards in her favorite game, solitaire, the loving bickering of Grandpa and his outspoken neighbor, her adopted dog and a new friend, but the impending possibility of her alcoholic father's reappearance threatens Ellie's sanctuary. The theme of solitaire works on several levels, as Ellie tries to go it alone, secretly plotting to kill her father when he arrives, and struggles to trust family, friends and her newfound feeling of belonging. Antle handles Ellie's longing for revenge responsibly and believably, gradually upping the emotional ante for readers until, in the penultimate scene, she reveals the past episode that triggers Ellie's all-consuming anger. In a subtle, spare style and with fully delineated characters, the author skillfully creates the community of this eccentric small town and portrays the ways loved ones both tiptoe around and champion those they care about in times of crisis and pain. Readers will be heartened by the hope and redemption dealt in the final hand of this complex psychological novel. Ages 12-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Children's Literature - Children's Literature

Ellie's ninth grade year brings her a new home, a new friend, and even a new dog. But secret memories of the bizarre bodily harm inflicted by her father make her wonder why she should embrace anything new just to lose it later on. Ellie plays solitaire, literally and figuratively, and waits for her abusive father to find her. The unreliable dad-sightings by her mentally unstable grandmother add tension to the plot. Meanwhile, Ellie's fear is dramatically juxtaposed with her tame daily routine. Even more unsettling is her quiet, unshakeable resolve to kill her father, using her grandfather's gun. In the end, however, it's not clear what insights Ellie takes away from the peculiar armed showdown that features her grandmother in the unlikely role of escaped avenger. In light of the current trend for young people to solve problems with guns found at home, the ending is particularly disturbing because of its ambiguity. Despite this uncertainty, readers will be stirred by Ellie's tough and solitary approach to survival. 2000, Dial, Ages 12 up, $16.99. Reviewer: Betty Hicks

VOYA

"I don't know many things about my future... Lord knows, when I was living with Daddy, I sometimes wondered if I even had a future." Despite her worried musings, Ellie McCoy's uncertain future cannot help but be better than her past. Just shy of ninth grade, Ellie already has lost both of her parentsher mother to cancer and her father to alcoholism. Her father's sole legacy, before abandoning Ellie after her mother's death, came in a drunken stupor when he brutally sliced off three of Ellie's fingers with his hunting knife. Now she lives with her grandfather, playing long hours of solitaire and trying to forget the past year. She strikes up a friendship with Dex, the boy next door, yet she cannot escape the fear that her father will show up again and try to charm hera worry that turns out to be well founded. In a dramatic climax, Ellie's father does return, but Ellie learns that she is not as alone as she feels. Her new friends and family rush to her aid and save her at the last minute. Playing Solitaire is a wellpaced novel. The reader is engaged through a third of the narrative before the dark secret behind Ellie's handicap is revealed, and no teen will be able to put the book down until the fate of her villainous father is known. This recommended slim volume is an excellent booktalking candidate. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2000, Dial, Ages 12 to 15, 112p, $16.99. Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert

KLIATT

The small town of Draco, Oklahoma represents a new start for Ellie, where she hopes "Nobody'll be feeling sorry for me because my daddy was a mean drunk or because Mama died of brain cancer." Ellie is living with her grandfather now, and spending the summer before ninth grade playing solitaire and taking care of the stray dog she has adopted. Though a neighboring boy, Dex, seeks out her company, Ellie avoids other teens, and we finally find out why halfway through the book: she is self-conscious because her father had cut off part of her fingers with a hunting knife in a drunken rage. If her father comes to find her, Ellie plans to kill him; and indeed, her father does come to town, and in a dramatic scene Ellie confronts him. Antle drew on her Oklahoma childhood for the setting of this tale of loss and survival. Ellie is damaged yet resilient, and readers will fully understand her tough-minded determination to push her father out of her life and make a new beginning. There's a warm portrayal of the elderly here, and Ellie's brain-damaged grandmother plays an important role. An affecting story. KLIATT Codes: J*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior high school students. 2000, Penguin Putnam/Dial, 104p, $16.99. Ages 13 to 15. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick; May 2000 (Vol. 34 No. 3)