Bibliographic Information:
Title: Ace of Spades
Author: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
ISBN: 9781250800824
Publisher: Feiwal and Friends / MacMillan
Copyright Date: 2021
Genre: Thriller, mystery
Format: Print book
Awards or Honors: 2022 NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens, Willam C. Morris Award Finalist, and YALSA 2022 Best Fiction for Young Adults Finalist.
Reading Level/Interest Level: 14+
Plot Summary: It’s a new year at Niveus Academy, an exclusive prep school. But things are a little bit different; for one thing, there’s a new bully in town, but no one knows who Aces is and where the mysterious text messages come from. And they seem to mostly be targeting two students: Chiamaka and Devon, who also just so happen to be the only two Black students at school. Aces seems to know all their secrets, revealing them in a slow, toxic drip. And even though Chiamaka is one of the most popular girls in school and Devon is a self-professed nobody from the wrong side of the tracks, they decide to join forces and unmask Aces. But when masked figures start following them in real life, the stakes are suddenly much higher. Will they clear their names (and protect their secrets) before Aces gets really dangerous?
Author Background: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé was born and raised in South London, though she now lives in the Scottish Highlands after attending university there. She drinks ten cups of tea a day and loves James Baldwin, Oscar Wilde, and Britney Spears. She pitched Ace of Spades as “Gossip Girl meets Get Out, but gayer” and it was an instant international bestseller (Àbíké-Íyímídé, n.d.). She founded and runs a mentorship program for young writers of color.
Critical Evaluation: I could not put this book down; it’s a thriller in the true sense of the word. The narrative alternates between Devon and Chiamaka, slowly chipping away at the mystery swirling around Niveus Academy. The characters are complex and quirky and Àbíké-Íyímídé manages to grapple with serious societal issues at the same time as relentless pacing and biting dialogue.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé has wonderful character introductions from the book on her website; fans of the book can get together and draw their own fan art and flesh out their ideas about the characters as well.
Speed-Round Book Talk: Someone is out to get Chiamaka and Devon, but who? This unlikely pair will have to join forces to uncover the dirt on whoever is uncovering their dirt.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: Though I couldn’t find an actual challenge, the book does include references to gay sex, drug use, white supremacy, and a number of other hot button issues. But these are all issues teens deal with or are aware of in their day-to-day so it’s important for them to see their reality reflected.
Reason for Inclusion: Thrillers with queer, Black protagonists are few and far between and this is an excellent one. Not to mention it’s found the balance between critical acclaim and popularity; it’s a YALSA Teen Top Ten nominee for 2021 (ala.org, n.d.).
Want more? Black Scot Pod interviews Faridah about her most excellent book deal, institutional racism, and everything else under the sun.
References
Àbíké-Íyímídé, F. (n.d.). Facts about me. Retrieved from https://www.faridahabikeiyimide.com/facts-about-me
Àbíké-Íyímídé, F. (n.d.) Character introductions. Retrieved from https://www.faridahabikeiyimide.com/character-introductions
ALA.org (n.d.). Teens top ten. Retrieved from https://www.ala.org/yalsa/teenstopten
Saunders, B. (n.d.) Ace of spades [review]. Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/ace-of-spades
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