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Cruisers #2
Checkmate
In the second book of the CRUISERS series, Walter Dean Myers explores the world of competitive chess as seen through the eyes of a group of middle school misfits.
Sidney Aronofsky is one of the best chess players under age 16. When he's arrested for trying to buy drugs, it comes as a total surprise to those who know him. The expectations of parents, schools, and tutors pressure the young players. Sidney loves and wants to play chess, but dislikes the constant spotlight. He thinks that if he appears to be involved in drugs he'll be excused from playing on the school's team. In this book Zander and his creware back, using the Cruiser school newspaper express their frustrations and triumphs.
Sidney Aronofsky is one of the best chess players under age 16. When he's arrested for trying to buy drugs, it comes as a total surprise to those who know him. The expectations of parents, schools, and tutors pressure the young players. Sidney loves and wants to play chess, but dislikes the constant spotlight. He thinks that if he appears to be involved in drugs he'll be excused from playing on the school's team. In this book Zander and his creware back, using the Cruiser school newspaper express their frustrations and triumphs.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Walter Dean Myers
224 books1,187 followerspseudonyms:
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.
In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.
In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 23, 2015
For Zander and his crew, life is a high-stakes game worth playing. In this second book of The Cruisers series, the term “gifted and talented” takes on a whole new meaning for Zander, Kambui, LaShonda, and Bobbi — a group of misfits who attend Da Vinci Academy, a school in Harlem for only the brightest kids. Their friend Sidney Aronofsky is considered one of the best chess players in the city. When Sidney is arrested for trying to buy drugs, it comes as a shock to those who know him, especially the Cruisers. Sidney loves chess, but the pressure never lets up, and he wants out. The kids’ school newspaper, The Cruiser, and Sidney’s passion for coded messages may be the only outlets they have for expressing themselves in the face of tough decisions that could change them forever. All in all, this book is good.
May 10, 2017
Zander, Bobbi, Kambui, and LaShonda are back as eighth graders their gifted and talented school. They are still publishing their alternative paper, and are seen as a group of students that can make a difference. This causes the assistant principal to call them to his office with the mission to help a fellow student, Sidney, with what appears to be a drug problem. Sidney is the school's star chess player and "The Cruisers" are willing to help him, no matter what it takes.
A nice book about the power of friendship and what can happen when people rally around someone for positive reasons. Zander's narration sheds light on new insights he gains throughout the drug issues, the chess games, and his own personal life.
A nice book about the power of friendship and what can happen when people rally around someone for positive reasons. Zander's narration sheds light on new insights he gains throughout the drug issues, the chess games, and his own personal life.
February 18, 2018
Myers again delighted me with how he tackled real issues. On a social level, Zander, the protagonist, is trying to help a friend who has a drug problem. On a personal level, he is trying to outmaneuver a manipulative 7th grader who seems to have a crush on him. Like its prequel, "Checkmate" has an ending which is conclusive enough to satisfy, but still shows that life's challenges don't always end neatly. As Zander asked, "Where are the easy answers?"
January 13, 2013
"Sometimes, when things look terrible...you just need to find the right move to turn the whole game around. When you find it you feel great."
—Sidney Aronofsky, Checkmate, P. 54
Walter Dean Myers has done some good things with the Cruisers series, writing about important issues such as drug addiction and the history of race relations without the material ever becoming too heavy or graphic to work for the target audience, middle-grade readers. While I think the books could benefit from being double (or possibly even triple) the length of the actual published product, allowing Walter Dean Myers more space in which to treat these crucial subjects, what he does with the room he has is good, and I look forward to where he's planning on taking the series next.
Word that eighth-grade chess phenom Sidney Aronofsky has been busted for trying to buy illegal drugs on the street is a major stunner for the Cruisers. Sidney has always been a good kid, focused on his chess but never willing to let himself or anyone else be bullied, and Zander and the gang want to help him deal with this drug issue, whatever its underlying cause may be. What they find out is that being a celebrated chess prodigy comes with a lot more pressure than the average member of the student body might think, and the temptation to numb one's pain and apprehension for a few hours by use of illegal drugs can be a tough one to decline, even when one's brain is one's strongest asset. If the Cruisers are going to help Sidney break free of the hold that drugs apparently have on him and get him back on track as a trustworthy, productive member of the student body at the Da Vinci school for the gifted, they're going to have to do more than try to scare him into submission. They're going to have to prove to Sidney that he has friends who are willing to help him with the pressure when it becomes too much for him, and remind him that no game, not even a game one has worked obsessively to master, is worth losing one's life to win. Without his life, Sidney has no future, but as long as he's young and healthy and strong, he has a chance to succeed even if that success takes him down some unexpected roads. It's all part of relishing the game, even if the uncertainty can be scary as one is living through it.
What I like best about Checkmate is the realistic view of Sidney's drug problem that Zander and the Cruisers take, not trying to buffet him with statistics and horror stories to get him to drop the habit. The Cruisers recognize that Sidney already knows drugs are bad, already knows the damage they do to the human body, so reciting facts and figures that he is probably at least as aware of as they are isn't going to be what helps put him back on course. Sidney is going to have to make a choice between a life of drugs and his own bright future, and the only thing the Cruisers can do to help is to give Sidney a reason to fight for the good life he could have without drugs. If they can find a way to do that, then they may have already provided Sidney with everything he needs to win his war against substance abuse.
Checkmate is definitely worth one and a half stars, in my opinion, and I thought hard before deciding whether to round my rating up or down. There is value to be found in this book's pages, for sure, but I would recommend reading it only as part of the series, not a standalone novel. I'm still quite excited about what will happen next with the Cruisers in book three, A Star Is Born.
"(I)s the world spinning faster than I can think, or is the whole life thing a Big Secret and we're only dealing with our little corner of it? How come I don't have the real deal figured out yet? What's up with that????"
—Zander, Checkmate, P. 132
—Sidney Aronofsky, Checkmate, P. 54
Walter Dean Myers has done some good things with the Cruisers series, writing about important issues such as drug addiction and the history of race relations without the material ever becoming too heavy or graphic to work for the target audience, middle-grade readers. While I think the books could benefit from being double (or possibly even triple) the length of the actual published product, allowing Walter Dean Myers more space in which to treat these crucial subjects, what he does with the room he has is good, and I look forward to where he's planning on taking the series next.
Word that eighth-grade chess phenom Sidney Aronofsky has been busted for trying to buy illegal drugs on the street is a major stunner for the Cruisers. Sidney has always been a good kid, focused on his chess but never willing to let himself or anyone else be bullied, and Zander and the gang want to help him deal with this drug issue, whatever its underlying cause may be. What they find out is that being a celebrated chess prodigy comes with a lot more pressure than the average member of the student body might think, and the temptation to numb one's pain and apprehension for a few hours by use of illegal drugs can be a tough one to decline, even when one's brain is one's strongest asset. If the Cruisers are going to help Sidney break free of the hold that drugs apparently have on him and get him back on track as a trustworthy, productive member of the student body at the Da Vinci school for the gifted, they're going to have to do more than try to scare him into submission. They're going to have to prove to Sidney that he has friends who are willing to help him with the pressure when it becomes too much for him, and remind him that no game, not even a game one has worked obsessively to master, is worth losing one's life to win. Without his life, Sidney has no future, but as long as he's young and healthy and strong, he has a chance to succeed even if that success takes him down some unexpected roads. It's all part of relishing the game, even if the uncertainty can be scary as one is living through it.
What I like best about Checkmate is the realistic view of Sidney's drug problem that Zander and the Cruisers take, not trying to buffet him with statistics and horror stories to get him to drop the habit. The Cruisers recognize that Sidney already knows drugs are bad, already knows the damage they do to the human body, so reciting facts and figures that he is probably at least as aware of as they are isn't going to be what helps put him back on course. Sidney is going to have to make a choice between a life of drugs and his own bright future, and the only thing the Cruisers can do to help is to give Sidney a reason to fight for the good life he could have without drugs. If they can find a way to do that, then they may have already provided Sidney with everything he needs to win his war against substance abuse.
Checkmate is definitely worth one and a half stars, in my opinion, and I thought hard before deciding whether to round my rating up or down. There is value to be found in this book's pages, for sure, but I would recommend reading it only as part of the series, not a standalone novel. I'm still quite excited about what will happen next with the Cruisers in book three, A Star Is Born.
"(I)s the world spinning faster than I can think, or is the whole life thing a Big Secret and we're only dealing with our little corner of it? How come I don't have the real deal figured out yet? What's up with that????"
—Zander, Checkmate, P. 132
December 8, 2013
I listened to this book on audio CD. It was only 2 discs long, so was a short read. The narrator sounded age-appropriate and did a good job with the multiple character voices.
The main character, Zander, is the narrator. He is part of a 4-member group called the Cruisers at the private DaVinci Academy for junior high students. The Cruisers publish an alternative newspaper to the official school publication. They are a thorn in the side of the fussy, rule-bound, image-conscious Assistant Principal.
Nevertheless, when Sidney, the star chess player, is arrested for soliciting drugs on the street, the Assistant Principal asks the Cruisers for help. This brings some of the most interesting dialogue and plotting of the book. On the one hand, the Cruisers know that browbeating Sidney about his drug use will probably fail as a strategy to make him stop. But, on the other hand, they have to do something and confront him in some fashion.
The book goes into themes of self-esteem, the internal drive for perfection, and outside sources of pressure on competitors in school events.
I found this book to be engagingly written and all of the developments were highly believable to me. The supporting characters all are uniquely portrayed, and each has their own strengths.
One particular interaction which I liked was between Zander and his mother. For once, this is a book about teens that does not portray all adults as totally clueless fools. There was one conversation in particular where Zander and his mother are both speaking about ordering food but each has a different perspective that the other does not appreciate or key into. You could see both sides of the story portrayed.
There is another well-drawn scene where Zander goes to see his mother audition for a commercial to be broadcast in Japan and then perform the commercial once she gets the gig. It really did not have much to do with the main plot, but was a nice touch to portray what the mother went through in her work career.
This book was well worth reading.
The main character, Zander, is the narrator. He is part of a 4-member group called the Cruisers at the private DaVinci Academy for junior high students. The Cruisers publish an alternative newspaper to the official school publication. They are a thorn in the side of the fussy, rule-bound, image-conscious Assistant Principal.
Nevertheless, when Sidney, the star chess player, is arrested for soliciting drugs on the street, the Assistant Principal asks the Cruisers for help. This brings some of the most interesting dialogue and plotting of the book. On the one hand, the Cruisers know that browbeating Sidney about his drug use will probably fail as a strategy to make him stop. But, on the other hand, they have to do something and confront him in some fashion.
The book goes into themes of self-esteem, the internal drive for perfection, and outside sources of pressure on competitors in school events.
I found this book to be engagingly written and all of the developments were highly believable to me. The supporting characters all are uniquely portrayed, and each has their own strengths.
One particular interaction which I liked was between Zander and his mother. For once, this is a book about teens that does not portray all adults as totally clueless fools. There was one conversation in particular where Zander and his mother are both speaking about ordering food but each has a different perspective that the other does not appreciate or key into. You could see both sides of the story portrayed.
There is another well-drawn scene where Zander goes to see his mother audition for a commercial to be broadcast in Japan and then perform the commercial once she gets the gig. It really did not have much to do with the main plot, but was a nice touch to portray what the mother went through in her work career.
This book was well worth reading.
July 10, 2011
Zander and his friends--they call themselves The Cruisers--continue to navigate life at DaVinci Academy, an academically accelerated school for bright New York kids. Along with the usual perils of school such as getting homework done, staying two steps ahead of the teachers, and avoiding negative encounters with the assistant principal, Zander's crew must find a way to help their chess whizz friend Sidney who starts using drugs to help him cope with the heightened expectations and pressures he feels as one of the area's young chess stars. If the resolution of Sidney's problem is a little unrealistic, the story is hard-hitting and honest, and in the usual Walter Dean Myers fashion, filled with both humor and pain. A subplot involving Zander and Caren, the daughter of the assistant principal, is quite funny. Middle graders are sure to reach for books in this series since they will be able to relate so easily to them.
March 11, 2012
The second part of The Cruisers series demonstrates one of the problems students or teenagers face, and that is pressure. In Checkmate, a young chess star under the age of 16, Sidney, enjoys playing chess, but he is constantly put on the spotlight, because many people, teachers, and parents have huge expectations of him. This causes him to use drugs to relax and to calm himself down. I feel the older generation should not keep putting the younger generations on the spot. They can cause a serious issue for the younger generations. They are only giving anxiety for the younger generations. The stars of the younger generations are not trophies to be shown off about. They should not be used to entertain viewers, because that's not what they want. What the stars of the younger generations really want is to do what they desire to do. They have dreams and goals. The younger generations are trying to live out loud for themselves only. Thus, the older generations should not interfere.
October 13, 2013
A very great book about four teens who express themselves through an alternative newspaper they created called The Cruiser.I enjoyed the first book and I enjoyed this second book in the series as well.Even though this series is geared toward middle grade young readers, it does shine a light on serious topics like racism, drug use,and how too much pressure to be great can have on a teenager.I really enjoyed the characters and I really enjoyed the plot.What also interest me is how the characters are aspiring writers and how they use the newspaper to speak about whatever they want and whatever is going on in the school that is bothering them.I would reccommend this book to young writers as well who are interested in journalism.
Read
January 20, 2017The Cruisers written by Walter Dean Myers is a very good book that is full of action. The story is based on a group of friends that attend Da Vinci, a school for the talented and gifted. Everything is going fine in there lives until one of there friends Sidney gets caught attempting to buy drugs. Nobody at the school expected this to happen because Sidney is a great student and number one on the chess team. His friends know that something is wrong so they team up and try to help Sidney get his life back together and figure out what's wrong. Read the book to see how Sidney will react and handle people trying to get his life back together!
June 20, 2013
Friends, Zander, Bobbi, LaShonda, and Kambui, feel it is part of their duty as members of The Cruisers to help a fellow classmate in his time of need. When chess genius, Sidney, is suspected of buying/selling/using drugs, the team steps up to figure out what is exactly going on and why he would want to mess up his life.
Checkmate is book #2 in the ongoing Cruisers series. Not a lot of substance or character development in these books...not sure where Myers is going with these books.
Checkmate is book #2 in the ongoing Cruisers series. Not a lot of substance or character development in these books...not sure where Myers is going with these books.
January 25, 2016
In The Cruiser:Checkmate by Walter Dean Myers. In this book Mr.C (the assistant principal at DaVinci Academy)asks the Cruiser to help him with a problem.Sidney Aronofsky, one of the best chess player in DaVinci Academy and the schools champion in chess was doing drugs. Mr.C asked the cruiser if they could help Sidney stop doing the drugs The cruiser try to find out why Sidney is doing drugs. I thought this book was interesting because The Cruisers helped Sidney stop doing drugs. I recommend this book to to teen 13 and older because in The Cruisers series, it has lots of mature language.
December 9, 2016
Adilene Aguirre/Alejandro Duenas
This book is mostly about kids in middle school that are trying to investigate who is the one who asked for drugs.
The school these kids go to is called DA VINCI ACADEMY. This school is for kids that are smart.
The cruisers is a group that play chess and one group member named Sidney got arrested for trying to buy drugs.
At the end at the book they found who was buying the drugs was.... oh wait,you got to read the book to find out who was the one who was buying the drugs.
This book is mostly about kids in middle school that are trying to investigate who is the one who asked for drugs.
The school these kids go to is called DA VINCI ACADEMY. This school is for kids that are smart.
The cruisers is a group that play chess and one group member named Sidney got arrested for trying to buy drugs.
At the end at the book they found who was buying the drugs was.... oh wait,you got to read the book to find out who was the one who was buying the drugs.
October 4, 2011
This is the second book in Myers' middle school series called “The Cruisers”. Checkmate is about Zander and his gifted and talented friends who are called in by the principal to help out their star chess player. Seems that Sidney has been arrested for trying to buy drugs. This book is all about how important it is to have good friends to support you when pressures mount. Not as hard hitting as his books aimed at older audiences, but solid nonetheless.
February 10, 2013
Zander and his friends Kambui, LaShonda and Bobbi attend DaVinci Academy for the Gifted and Talented in Harlem. In this second book about them, their classmate Sidney Aronofsky, who is a chess prodigy and gets caught asking an undercover cop for prescription drugs. The Assistant Principal asks them for their help. In this MG novella, I could wish for more slightly more detail, but what’s here is good.
September 19, 2011
The Cruisers are continuing their life cruise in 8th grade at the DaVinci Academy for the Gifted and Talented. A friend at school, Sidney, apparently has a drug issue and the group puts their thinking caps on to find a away to help him. Zander goes on a date. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book in the series.
133 pages
133 pages
August 11, 2012
The second book in the Cruisers series is short and to the point. Easily read in two hours. The characters remain the same as in the first book. This go around they are helping a friend deal with two different types of pressure: drugs and chess. The gang is able to workout the two problems in a way that leaves everyone happy with the ending.
January 31, 2012
The second book in this series delivers another powerful punch. These books will certainly challenge middle schoolers' thinking. I hope the kids who read these have someone they can talk to. Powerful subjects addressed without a lot of resolution. But then life is a lot like that, huh?
February 19, 2012
Walter Dean Myers created a series for middle schoolers about issues that come up in their lives. The Cruisers represent rebels who outcasts with good hearts. This book focuses on pressures the students encounter both in and out of school.
October 3, 2014
Whyyyy did I read this?
July 15, 2015
Great middle school / African American / boy voice. Memorable 3-D characters. Scatter-shot plot with many distracting digressions. Not Myers' finest.
January 25, 2016
A good middle school age book for teens from an urban setting. It deals well with drugs, dating, and stress. I liked the chess info, too!
November 3, 2014
Zander and his club "The Cruisers" help a friend learn what happens to people who take drugs.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews