sign in| help
Search advanced search
 
Books
Search:
x dismiss this message

Did you know you can edit this page?

The Cardturner
  • Rated 0 stars
Read The Cardturner

The Cardturner (2010) (edit title/settings)

A Novel About a King, a Queen and a Joker

by Louis Sachar (Author) (edit contributors)

Share this book on:
see page history

Description edit see section history

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... read more

Summary edit see section history

Alton is pressured by his parents to become the "cardturner" to his wealthy uncle Lester, who recently turned blind, in hopes of being left his fortune. Alton soon becomes close with his uncle while learning to play bridge. He also becomes romantically involved with Toni, Lester's former... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Alton is pressured by his parents to become the "cardturner" to his wealthy uncle Lester, who recently turned blind, in hopes of being left his fortune. Alton soon becomes close with his uncle while learning to play bridge. He also becomes romantically involved with Toni, Lester's former cardturner. The two teens soon learn that Toni's relative had not only been Lester's partner, but was romantically involved with him. Toni claims to here voices and sees a therapist, but she believes it his her relative speaking to her. After Lester dies, Toni and Alton play as their relative's names in the championship, led by their voices, and win.

Characters/People edit see section history

Show all 30 characters
Popular Covers

Loading covers…

Choose your book’s cover

Quotes edit see section history

  • “"How are we supposed to be partners? He can't see the cards and I don't know the rules!"”
    Alton Richards
  • “"It has always seemed strange to me," said Doc. "The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest are traits of success."”
    Trapp shares this quote from his favorite Book "Cannery Row" with Alton
  • “I knew it had hurt her feelings, but I could only take so much pain. I wouldn't make a good spy. I'd crack after thirty seconds of torture.”
    Alton
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • Maybe that’s what religion is all about. Is life just a highly improbable coincidence, or does an impossible explanation make more sense?
    Highlighted by 16 Kindle customers
  • “It has always seemed strange to me,” said Doc. “The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest are the traits of success.”
    Highlighted by 14 Kindle customers
  • I once had a teacher who told me I’d be twice as smart if I was half as smart as I thought I was.
    Highlighted by 12 Kindle customers
  • Life will deal me many different hands, some good, some bad (maybe they’ve already been dealt), but from here on in, I’ll be turning my own cards.
    Highlighted by 11 Kindle customers
  • “The urge to communicate is even stronger than the sex drive,”
    Highlighted by 9 Kindle customers
  • “The time you quit learning is the time to quit playing,” said Lydia.
    Highlighted by 8 Kindle customers
  • He told me that the secret of success was to never spend more than you had. “Don’t use credit cards. Don’t owe anyone money.” Once you go into debt, he had said, you lose your freedom.
    Highlighted by 8 Kindle customers
  • Maybe the voices she hears are uncommunicated ideas, floating free.”
    Highlighted by 7 Kindle customers
  • “We may be surrounded by some greater reality, to which we are oblivious. And even if we could somehow perceive it in some entirely new way, it is extremely doubtful we would be able to comprehend what we perceived.” “Like Captain listening to your radio,” I said.
    Highlighted by 7 Kindle customers
  • I always make the biggest fool of myself just when I think I’m being the most clever.
    Highlighted by 7 Kindle customers
Show all 13 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

Organizations edit see section history

First Sentence edit see section history

Ever since I was a little kid, I've had it drilled into me that my uncle Lester was my favorite uncle.

Table of Contents edit see section history

1. My Favorite Uncle
2. A Turn For The Worse
3. By The Way
4. And, And, And...
5. Cliff
6. Are You Sure?
7. Teodora
8. The Club
9. Shuffle and Play
10. An Apology of a Sort
11.Tiger Woods's Caddy
12.The Basics
13. In the Garbage
14. National Championship
15. The Perfect Partner
16. The Milkman ad The Senator's Wife
17. Finesse
18. The Housing Crisis
19. Captain and The Radio
20. Toni Castaneda
21. Fixed
22. The Blind Lady Bowler
23. Bidding
24. My Sick Fantasy
25. Lab Rats Pushing Buttons
26. Yarborough
27. A Phone Call
28. Toni's Grandmother and President Nixon
29. A Silver Ice Bucket
30. The Life Of the Party
31. Smoking Ears
32. A Singing Pig
33. The Great Bridge Detective
34. Director, Please!
35. Toni and Cliff
36. Synchronicity
37. Trapp's Closet Living Relatives
38. Thank You Partner
39. Two Idiots at Table Seven
40. The Subconscious Mind
41. Entourage
42. Annabel and Ike
43. IMP's
44. The Milkman's Clothes
45. Thugs In Business Suits
46. Nixon
47. Teodora's Tea
48. Quack of Clubs
49. A Monkey and A Typewriter
50. Ducking Smoothly
51. A Very Scared Little Girl
52. Deborah in the Closet
53. A Fresh Start
54. Transfer Bids
55. Post-mortem
56. Welcome to My World
57. Ninety Three, Ninety-one
58. In the Pantry
59. Looking at Colleges
60. Not a Wet Sock
61. They Need Us
62. Twenty-five Percent Slam
63. A Long Hesitation
64. The First Hand
65. The Donkey Hand
66. The Beer Card
67. A Message From Afar
68. Signals
69. Q
70. Canned Peas
71. Transportation
72. The Final Session
73.The Final Table
74. The Final Hand
75. Talk About Wow
76. Philosophically Bent
Appendix

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Louis Sachar (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Country: New York, NY USA
Publication Date: 2010
ISBN: 9780385736626
Page Count: 336

Awards edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

A younger child would get bogged down by the bridge talk and diagrams, but there is nothing bad in the text - no swearing, sex or violence. Definitely a plot aimed firmly at young adults.

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • Bridge At A Glance
  • Bridge for People Who Don't Know One Card from Another
  • Bridge For Dummies

We’re hiding the errata, movie connections, books that influenced this book, books influenced by this book, books that cite this book and books cited by this book sections. If you would like to add content to them, you must first make them visible.

© 2006-2012 Shelfari | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy

Close