allin

All In, by Pete Hautman ISBN: 978-1-4169-1325-2 ©2007 177 pages

Good sections to read aloud: pp. 1-2 where our main character is being described

Summary: Denn Doyle is seventeen and winning thousands playing poker in the Las Vegas circuit when his world comes to a shattering end. Besides the fact that he isn’t even old enough to legally gamble, he has a lot to learn in the ‘love life’ arena. A certain girl that he’s got his eye on does just that...teaches him a hard lesson, but this is a lesson that is a matter of living. Can Denn recover after he hits a skid, has no money, no place to live, and barley is hanging on? All In is definitely fictional, yet the author keeps you rooting for Denn (and hating a few other characters!), the teenage character who you will love.

YA sports fiction: poker; gambling; Las Vegas

©Jennifer Lang-WDMS-2009