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    Forcing the Ace
    Forcing the Ace
    Forcing the Ace
    Ebook107 pages1 hour

    Forcing the Ace

    By Erin Thomas

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Alex wants to enter the Silver Stage magic competition, but he needs a sponsor. Jack, a veteran card wizard, is willing to take on the role, but only if Alex agrees to team up with Zoe, another young magician—and Alex’s rival. Working with Jack and sharing the spotlight with Zoe, Alex comes to see that there are other ways to be a magician besides competing—and that magic is about entertaining people, not fooling them.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOrca Book Publishers
    Release dateSep 1, 2014
    ISBN9781459806290
    Forcing the Ace
    Author

    Erin Thomas

    An acclaimed writer among entrepreneurs worldwide, Erin Thomas always knew that she would write a children's book when she had a story truly worth telling. You are holding in your hands that story and her debut as a children's book author. Erin's mission in life is to build a magnificent existence that is authentically, unapologetically, her- and to help others do the same. For her, it's a life full of far-away lands, powerful storytelling, deep connections, joyous music, big love, unbridled freedom, endless play and giant slices of cake.A Charleston, SC, native, Erin currently lives in Europe with her husband, daughter, a Boston Terrier, a French Bulldog and two cats that think they own the place. (They're probably right.)

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    Reviews for Forcing the Ace

    3.5/5

    14 ratings7 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I really liked this book. It moves at a nice pace, teaches an excellent lesson for young and older readers alike. Alex discovered the world of magic and magicians when he received a magic set for his 6th birthday. He was hooked immediately and bloomed. It changed his life. His parents weren't too thrilled that he wanted to be a magician as his calling. It strains his relationship with them even further when his schoolwork suffers after he decides to try out for the prestigious Silver Stage magic competition.Alex is only happy when he is alone on stage and can't understand why the magician who agrees to sponsor him insists he needs a partner, not an assistant but a partner, for his act. A partner who is also his rival for the competition. I could empathize with Alex, but I also felt like he could use a good thump upside the noggin from time to time. He could be a bit selfish and self-centered, but he wanted to improve. Thankfully he has the guidance of several people whose opinion he respected who help him along the way.Very well written and highly enjoyable. Well-drawn characters with an engaging premise. Highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      I know I had a highly advanced reading level when I was younger but I cringe when I see other reviews suggesting this book for young adults and teens as it seems to be strictly children's literature to me. There's nothing wrong with Forcing the Ace, it's just very, very slight. There's nothing wrong with the story and it plays out in logical fashion but there's absolutely no depth, problems occur and are nearly instantly resolved with no tension. For example, Alex is a jerk and tries to drive his partner out of the act so he'll have the stage to himself; well she calls him out and he knocks it off. Or he fails English and is banned from performing magic so he starts trying in English and turns his grades around. All in all it's a suitable read for a young audience but the older tween/teen set should probably be reading something with at least some modicum of tension and more important subject matter.And you never force an ace; people are more likely to think an ace is forced rather than an innocuous card like the three of clubs.
    • 3/5
      As a kid, when asked "what do you want to be when you grow up," one of my answers was always "Magician." I had a collection of books on magic, magic props and often performed magic tricks in my elementary class talent shows. My goal never came to fruition but it did make the premise of "Forcing the Ace" appealing to me.In Forcing the Ace, we follow the life of Alex, a teenage boy with aspirations of becoming a professional magician. He has significant enthusiasm and talent for magic but has less devotion or skills for the other elements in his life, particularly his schoolwork, much to the chagrin of his surgeon father. In the first chapter of the book, Alex is performing in a local magic show with the hope of attracting the attention of a sponsor for a professional magician competition. Unfortunately, his act ends with a significant injury to his hand and it looks like his hopes for the prestigious competition are shattered. His luck changes when he is noticed by Jack, a retired magician who tells Alex that he'll sponsor him but only if he pairs up with Zoe, another teenage magician from the town. Alex has always been a solo act and has no desire to share the glory with anyone but he reluctantly agrees and they begin training.Jack, Alex and Zoe make an intriguing trio as they try to work together to come up with an award winning act while also trying to figure out one another. Each of the three has their own baggage and prejudices but they also have fun motivations which make for some interesting scenes.Clocking in at just over 150 pages, this short novel doesn't have a lot of time for in-depth character or plot development. Still, I was hoping for a bit more. A lot of the characters and scenes felt a little flat or forced while others seemed obligatory or predictable. I especially had a hard time truly liking or rooting for Alex as a character. His goal was intriguing to me but his character and actions felt unbalanced and sometimes contradicted one another. Part of this I could chalk up to the unpredictability and inconsistency of teenagers working out their emotions. Other times it felt like his actions were created to further the desired story arc even though they didn't feel entirely realistic or genuine given the situation.In spite of the points that felt a little choppy or less fleshed out, I did enjoy the general premise of the story. Had it been a longer book I think I would have demanded more cohesion but for its size I was able to work through the story even though I wanted more. To some extent, this felt like an "after school special" complete with some of the expected tropes and morals. In the end, I did enjoy the book and would be willing to look out future work by this author to see if there is more depth. For a middle grade reader this simple read and fun story would be a fun way to spend an afternoon or two and the reader may even inadvertently learn a thing or two about life and relationships.***3 out of 5 stars
    • 3/5
      This definitely will not win a Pulitzer Prize for literature but it will hold the attention of a teen/young adult easily. The story isn't really anything to write home about, but it does have a good lesson once you get past the lack of depth to the story line. I have already passed it on to a few young patrons at the library I work at so it was noteworthy in they enjoyed it so there ya go!
    • 5/5
      Got this as an early review copy from Library Thing and the publisher. In a few words I loved it. Read it in just a couple of hours. Who doesn't love magic. Granted I'm a bit old for the target audience for this book, but loved it just the same. A 17 year old wants to be a magician. He and a young woman are taken under the wing of a formerly famous magician after a local talent competition. The two young people at first don't like each other, they each wanted to do their own thing. But as they work together they come to a truce and work on their routine together.
    • 4/5
      I received this book as an Early Reviewer selection. This book is a good one for young adults, particularly middle school teens. Many of my students seem to have an interest in performing arts, so this would be a good one for them. It is not difficult to read and includes engaging characters and life situations. Themes include friendship, perseverance, performance, and family. This seems like a good "boy book" also.
    • 4/5
      This was a fun and fast read that I think all middle school and reluctant readers in high school would enjoy. The depth of the writing is not going to blow you away, but it is nice to have a book for students interested in magic. There aren't a lot of books for this specific demographic in the young adult category. The characters aren't real round, it would've been nice to see more development with the main character, Alex, and his father, but where their relationship stands at the end of the story is satisfying for the reader/ends on a more positive note than where their relationship stood at the beginning. If the author's other books read at this pace then I would definitely purchase more for my classroom library.

    Book preview

    Forcing the Ace - Erin Thomas

    FORCING

    THE ACE

    Erin Thomas

    ORCA BOOK PUBLISHERS

    Copyright © 2014 Erin Thomas

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

    Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

    Thomas, E. L. (Erin L.), author

    Forcing the ace / Erin Thomas.

    (Orca limelights)

    Issued in print and electronic formats.

    ISBN 978-1-4598-0645-0 (pbk.).--ISBN 978-1-4598-0646-7 (pdf).--

    ISBN 978-1-4598-0629-0 (epub)

    I. Title. II. Series: Orca limelights

    PS8639.H572F67 2014           jC813’.6           C2014-901557-7

    C2014-901558-5

    First published in the United States, 2014

    Library of Congress Control Number: 2014935378

    Summary: Alex wants to enter a magic competition, but first he’ll have to learn to share the spotlight with a rival magician.

    Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

    Cover design by Rachel Page

    Cover photography by Getty Images

    www.orcabook.com

    17   16   15   14   •   4   3   2   1

    To the kids at magic camp,

    and in loving memory of Y.C.

    Contents

    One

    Two

    Three

    Four

    Five

    Six

    Seven

    Eight

    Nine

    Ten

    Eleven

    Twelve

    Thirteen

    Fourteen

    Fifteen

    Sixteen

    Seventeen

    Eighteen

    Nineteen

    Twenty

    Acknowledgments

    One

    My hands are shaking. It’s good that I’m not planning to saw anyone in half.

    I’m backstage, behind those crusty green velvet curtains in the school auditorium, listening to the audience cheer for the hip-hop dance routine that just finished. There’s a cardboard heart on the floor, shiny red marked with dusty shoe treads, left over from Valentine’s Day last week. I take a deep breath and wipe my hands on my lab coat.

    It’s not like it’s my first show. I know what I’m doing—mostly. It’s my Weird Science routine. The finale is new, but that’s good, because it means Donna hasn’t seen it before.

    Mrs. Forsythe, my English teacher, is onstage, her Jamaican accent as warm as buttered toast. And now, to prove once and for all that Thornton’s Got Talent, Alex Eisen!

    Usually when she says my full name like that, it means another failed English quiz: Alex Eisen, please see me after class.

    That’s you! Go! It’s one of the hip-hop dancers.

    I grab the silver briefcase with my props inside and take another deep breath. The dancer shoves me, and I stumble onto the stage.

    Spotlights warm my face. I blink into the light and set my case down on the little side table the stage crew set out for me. Straighten. Smile into the applause.

    Good evening, class, I say as the applause fades. Welcome to remedial science one-oh-one. That is, er…science for dummies.

    There’s laughter. Good.

    I open the briefcase and pull out the textbook that’s sitting on top. When I open the book, a playing card pops up between the pages, like a bookmark. And when I pull it out, it appears to turn into a whole fan of cards. I stare at it, faking surprise, then shake my hand and drop the cards to the stage floor, but another fan of cards appears in my hand.

    The important thing to remember about science, I say, shaking free of the second fan, is that there’s a logical explanation for everything.

    More laughter. From the stage, I can see the first few audience rows past the spotlights. My friend Hakim sits in one of the four front-row seats I bought. Donna’s there too, wearing what might pass as a respectable suit if it weren’t made of hot-pink vinyl. I throw in an extra card flourish just for her. She’s the one I need to impress if I want her to sponsor me for the Silver Stage magic competition.

    The other two seats, the ones for my parents, are empty. They didn’t promise to be here, only to stop by if they could get out of their charity dinner early.

    It shouldn’t bother me.

    Hakim waves, and I realize that I’m staring at the empty seats and my hands have gone still.

    I clear my throat. Let’s talk about Newton, I say. He discovered the law of gravity. Things fall down instead of up. I dribble the cards from my upper hand to my lower hand. But what if Newton was wrong? I spring the cards from my lower hand to my upper hand in a kind of reverse waterfall. Newton wasn’t into cards though—he was into apples. I pull one from my lab-coat pocket.

    Apple on table. Red handkerchief over apple. Hidden under the handkerchief, the apple flies up off the table and around the stage. I pretend to chase it with my hands, trying to catch it, holding the back corners of the handkerchief. The audience’s laughter sits in my belly, a warm ball. Finally I let the apple land. I tug away the handkerchief and bite into the apple. Not bad, I say.

    Applause. They’re on my side now. They want to believe, so I give them things to believe in. A card torn to pieces, then restored: conservation of matter. A coin that passes through a bottle: proof that atoms are mostly space. Some of these tricks aren’t great for such a large room, but Donna’s right in the front row.

    Sooner than feels possible, it’s time for the finale. I swallow past a sudden tightness in my throat. This trick I haven’t tried in front of an audience before. I wanted something flashy, something to show Donna that I’m not afraid to take risks.

    For this final trick, I say, I’ll need a volunteer.

    Hakim waves his hands around like we planned. I scan the room, pretending to look for just the right person. And that’s when I see her.

    Zoe O’Neill is in the third row, and her hand is sliding up. Her smile just about takes me out at the knees.

    Zoe? I’m not sure I’ve said her name out loud before. She’s new this semester. I know, because the day she showed up in my chemistry class, I went home and scanned the old yearbooks to see why I’d never noticed her.

    She starts to stand. Hakim’s half out of his chair already, so I catch his eye and shake my head. He blinks a few times, then drops back to his seat.

    I rub my thumb over the Band-Aid around the base of my middle finger, checking that the magnet is still hidden there—my backup plan. It’ll be better this way, since Donna would know Hakim was a plant.

    Zoe walks toward me. The spotlight finds her and turns her hair silver. To

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