Characters
This is Anthony Joplin’s nickname throughout the novel.
Who is Ant?
This card game is at the center of the novel.
What is spades?
Ant especially wants to make this person proud by winning the tournament.
Who is his father?
On the first day of fifth grade, Ant secretly brings these to school.
What are playing cards?
This object symbolizes both competition and life choices throughout the story.
What are playing cards?
Ant’s best friend and original spades partner before getting grounded.
Who is Jamal?
Ant is finally old enough to compete in this yearly event.
What is the spades tournament?
Ant learns that keeping too many of these can hurt families.
What are secrets?
Jamal gets into trouble after participating in this at school.
What is a fight?
The setting for the novel is mainly this school grade.
What is fifth grade?
This new student from Texas becomes Ant’s unexpected spades partner.
Who is Shirley?
Ant worries about living up to this family tradition.
What is winning the spades tournament?
Ant learns his father once needed to go here to deal with his struggles.
What is help / treatment / rehab?
Because Jamal is grounded, Ant must find this.
What is a new spades partner?
In the novel, players use this playful teasing during card games to distract eachother.
What is trash talk?
Ant looks up to this family member because of his legendary spades skills.
Who is Ant’s father?
Shirley surprises Ant because she is especially good at this activity.
What is playing spades?
Ant’s family worries about paying for this expensive boarding school.
What is Mitchell Academy?
Ant begins to suspect his father may be hiding this problem again.
What is gambling/drinking?
Shirley proves this idea wrong when she becomes an excellent spades player.
What is it that girls cannot compete well at spades?
This assistant principal knows Ant’s family outside of school.
Who is Mrs. Booker?
This quality means believing your partner will make good choices during a spades game.
What is trust?
Ant learns that being strong does not mean hiding these.
What are emotions/feelings?
Ant and Shirley’s partnership grows stronger because of this shared activity.
What is playing spades together?
The title of the novel is an example of this type of expression that doesn’t mean exactly what it says.
What is an idiom?