The Cardturner

The new novel from the bestselling author of Holes, now available in paperback. A 17-year-old boy, a rich blind uncle, an attractive girl and a mother who is looking forward to an inheritance make for a surprising and pageturning read. Nominated for the Carnegie Medal 2011.

When Alton's ageing, blind uncle asks him to attend bridge games with him, he agrees. After all, it's better than a crappy summer job in the local shopping mall, and Alton's mother thinks it might secure their way to a good inheritance sometime in the future. But, like all apparently casual choices in any of Louis Sachar's wonderful books, this choice soon turns out to be a lot more complex than Alton could ever have imagined. As his relationship with his uncle develops, and he meets the very attractive Toni, deeply buried family secrets are uncovered and a romance that spans decades is finally brought to a conclusion.

About the Author

Louis Sachar lives in Austin, Texas, where he writes his novels and plays quite a lot of bridge. His novel Holes has sold over 1.5 million copies in the Bloomsbury edition alone and Louis is the recipient of many of the world's most well-regarded book prizes, including the National Book Award and the Newbery Award.