Chess! I Love It! I Love It! I Love It!

by Jamie Gilson, Amy Wummer (Illustrator)

Some of the second graders in Mrs. Zookey’s class have a new chess. Vice principal Mr. E (and he is something of a mystery) has started a chess club, and Richard, Ben, Ophelia, and Patrick are all members. As usual, Patrick is a nuisance, and so Richard isn’t at all happy when Mr. E tells him that he and Patrick are alike. It’s true that to become better chess players, both of them need to learn to concentrate and to plan ahead. And Richard is determined to get better at chess, even if it means putting up with Patrick’s shenanigans.
With on-target themes like competition, teamwork, and loyalty, plus a dash of magic and a generous helping of chess facts, this new Table Two adventure is the kind of lively, funny school story that only Jamie Gilson can tell.

Genres: Chess, Chapter Books

96 pages, Hardcover

First published March 17, 2008

Reviews

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children's chapter book about a chess tournament. While some chess moves are explained within the story, I'm not sure a child would have enough context for those directions unless s/he already knows how to play the game. The barely-six-year-old chess champion in kindergarten is a stretch in believability.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting story for early readers about a group of classmates who, even though they may not all get along like best friends, learn the importance of teamwork through their common love of playing chess. The author does a wonderful job of dispelling the tenacious myth that chess is a boring game played by grey-haired old men. It is while meeting at their after school scholastic chess club that they learn not only about how to play chess and practice to become better players from their coach, but also important lessons such as mutual respect for others...encouraging each other...and how to believe in themselves.

[AnnaBnana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really cute. I picked it up because I like to bring home the books about kids playing chess for John, but then I ended up reading it. It's a short chapter book about a group of elementary school students that are in a chess club. They end up playing in a tournament where they have to learn the value of teamwork.

[Dan Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute chess-themed novel for young readers!