After the heartbreaking disappearance—and perhaps death—of his father, seventh grader Paul Kapadia notices something strange about the deck of playing cards that he and his father, a genius scientist, had used for their nightly card games. It seems to have moved from where he'd left it . . . and that’s only the beginning.
Then, it happens. Paul makes contact with the card people, and he and his little brother Sam try to help them in their battle for survival against their brutal attackers, the scissors people. As Paul witnesses the quick evolution of the card people’s quirky and charming personalities, he begins to sense their connection to his father and his life work. Meanwhile, he is receiving mysterious emails from someone called “HOBO,” offering threats and sometimes advice about what to do.
As Paul searches for the truth about his father, he struggles with the growing presence of Curtis, their father’s former co-worker, who is behaving suspiciously around their mother. At school, Paul has to deal with some bullies who pick on him, partly because of his Indian heritage. Meanwhile, the one classmate he wishes to talk with, his old friend Nim, is newly popular and seems to have no time for him.
As the perilous adventures take him to places and discoveries that lurk at the intersection of nanotechnology and magic, Paul begins to unravel the stunning secret of the card people's existence and the desperate quest that led to his father's disappearance. Growing in understanding of himself and others, Paul connects again with Nim and, together with Sam, they strive to fulfill the dream that his father had left unfinished.
This novel for ages ten and up is the first of a trilogy.
This novel for ages ten and up is the first of a trilogy.