Copyright Date:
2024
Edition Date:
2024
Release Date:
09/03/24
ISBN:
1-7282-7250-5
ISBN 13:
978-1-7282-7250-4
Dewey:
Fic
Language:
English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
A New York City boy whose stress over winning chess matches takes him out of the zone intentionally throws an important match-but losing a chess camp scholarship as a result changes his worldMilo and his mom end up spending the summer in Princeton, New Jersey, with a girl named Roxie, her philosophy professor mother, Nava, and their cats. The two women met through an online group for single moms; both used sperm donors to conceive. Milo, 12, and Roxie, 10, attend a day camp that's filled with younger children, but fortunately, the two are designated counselors-in-training. After the kids meet some grad students who are playing Go, they become intrigued by the complex Asian strategy game. Obsessed, they visit a university library to do research ("free-range" Roxie shows Milo how to sneak in at night after hours) and persuade the counselors to let them teach simplified Go to the campers. Milo, who's longing for his grandma and best friend Henry, and Roxie, who's very intelligent but struggles with social cues, grow closer, devote themselves to Go, and figure out various personal issues. Milo's humorous first-person narration focuses on the philosophical intricacies of Go and his growing relationship with Roxie. Comical interludes show texts between Milo and his grandmother and Henry. Milo and his mom present as Ashkenazi Jews; Roxie and Nava are Persian Jews.A sweet story about friendship between an unlikely pair and the intrigue of an ancient strategy game. (author's note, information about Go, resources)(Fiction. 8-12)
From the author of The Doughnut Fix comes another funny, heartfelt book about overcoming the fear of letting down the people you love and the amazing things that can come from a summer of nothing going your way. Milo Bloom, chess prodigy, has a secret: he doesn't want to play chess anymore. So he blows a major tournament on purpose instead of telling anyone. If no one knows he wants to quit, then no one can be disappointed. The problem is, winning that tournament was a ticket to chess camp, and the loss means his summer plans are shot. Enter Roxie, a girl he's never met, who shows up at his door to tell him he and his mom will be spending the summer at her house...what? Surprise! Before Milo knows what's hit him, he's living at Roxie's house, where creepy cats rule, meat products are banned, and Roxie, who doesn't seem to understand the concept of personal space, won't give him a second alone. But when Milo and Roxie stumble across two people playing a fascinating game they've never seen before, they become determined to learn the ancient game of Go. Between late-night library adventures and creating a Go club at their camp, Milo and Roxie form an unexpected friendship, but none of that matters if Milo can't face his fears and tell his mom how he really feels.