Aces Wild

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.