Chess Middle Grade Novels? Yes, Please! Part II

Howdy! It’s the Chess Friends!

The Man Benji always keeps his word. He didn’t forget about his promise to read every middle grade novel with chess he could find!  After the smashing success of the blog Chess Middle Grade Novels, Part I (read it here), and covering chess writing in Australia (read about it here), he is back with a bang!

Before we get to that, our Chess Friends hoodies are here, courtesy of our dear friend and local entrepreneur FM/WIM Megan Lee. Check out her Cloth Tattoo and Snippet Studios businesses! If you want a Chess Friends hoodie for yourself, email Megan at info@clothtattoo.com.

The Chess Friends in their new hoodies outside Grand Central Bakery

Now, let's get back to Benji's book reviews!

This time, he invites you to travel back in time to review two historical fiction middle grade novels centered around chess. One book is set in Philadelphia in the 1800s and another is set in Russia in the late 1700s, but they have one common character. This character is not a human… It’s a machine! The Mechanical Turk, or a variation of it. Remember, we introduced this invention when we talked about the Geronimo Stilton graphic novel here?

To keep everyone on the same page: Mechanical Turk, a robot who played chess, was invented in 1769. Only back in the days, there were no robots, and the trick was that the machine had a secret compartment from where a human, a very good chess player, controlled it! But it was still a very clever invention that to this day stirs imaginations, because… let’s be honest… What kid doesn’t like a good robot?

Curiosity by Gary Blackwood (2014)

Curiosity book

This story is about a boy from the early 1800s, named Rufus. He lives with his father, who teaches him chess.  Soon, they run out of money, and his dad is sent to debtor’s prison, so Rufus is left alone. At the young age of twelve in this harsh world, chess is his only escape. Things get better, though, as a man notices his talent and offers him a job: to run the one and only, Mechanical Turk! How could he possibly refuse this offer! Not only does he earn money, but he also gets to do it by playing his favorite game—chess! Things are not so smooth though: it’s the 1800s after all. Rufus misses his father, and his boss sets many grave punishments when Rufus disobeys his orders. Yes, Rufus does like operating the Turk, but his boss sometimes makes the poor kid want to quit! Will Rufus get a break? I found this book a little on the dark side, so I would recommend it to those who are a little bit older. But the story is thrilling, and, just like the title promised, I was curious to flip the page!

The Clockwork Queen by Peter Bunzl, illustrated by Lia Visirin (2022)

The Clockwork Queen ebook

This book was published by the British publisher Barrington Stoke that focuses specifically on dyslexia-friendly middle grade novels! I didn’t want to wait for a book shipment from the UK, so I read a Kindle version. The illustrations are super nice and elevate the story! So, the story is about a girl, whose name is… wait for it… Sophie Peshka!

Peshka is a great name!

Sophie and her family live in Moscow, and her papa is the best chess player in the country. One day, Empress Catherine the Great summons papa to Saint Petersburg to teach her son Prince Paul chess. Sophie doesn’t want papa to leave, but you must obey a queen’s orders. Now, the only connection Sophie has to her papa is his chess book Masters of Chess and the chessboard. She plays chess in the park and notates her games to show him later. But her father doesn’t come back! The Empress imprisoned him in the dungeon of Winter Palace for failing to interest her son in chess! With her mom gone, Sophie is left all alone in this big world. She gets by playing chess with hustlers in the park, until old friends, Olga Kon and her father, Mr. Kon, find her (by the way, “kon” means “knight” in Russian). They promise to help Sophie to get to her papa, only if she could beat the chess machine that they invented: The Clockwork Queen! Will Sophie defeat the Queen and save her papa? The story is a pleasant short read for anyone who loves chess and a good historical fiction. The moral of the story? Be brave and stay true to your chess, no matter who you play, and good things will happen!

That’s all for today, Friends! We hope you enjoy these novels. As Mr. Peshka, Sophie's father, said in the book, “Practice and learn from the masters!”

Three Cheers, Fellow Future Master Chess Friends!

The Man Benji, The Myth Sarang, The Legend Vivi