Halima Kasim loves chess. She likes playing online with her Somali cousin who lives in Kenya, but longs for face-to-face competition. When her friend Jem (who has ADHD and is queer) suggests she start a chess club at school, Halima takes on the challenge. A small group of peers join her: not only Jem, who is struggling with grief after the death of her grandfather, but also Parker, who wants to make a mark in something other than the sports his brothers play, and Daniel, who is seeking answers to the mysterious chess-coded notes he’s been finding in the library. Halima’s challenge is to teach the novice players the game while also building them into a team.
Each character has different motivations, and the chapters alternate perspectives as we see them working out not only their moves on the board, but also social interactions and responses to shifting friendships, bullying, and more. Drawings and explanations woven into the narrative also give readers a sense of how to play and what makes the game compelling.
Jem’s queerness is seamlessly accepted by her friends. There are also a few nice moments where we see how important it is to Jem to have queer community and queer friends, even if her best friend, Halima, isn’t queer. “There was something indescribable about being with another queer kid, just hanging out and having fun,” Jem reflects.
The book hits familiar beats as a diverse group of kids learn to work together to overcome personal and social challenges and achieve a goal, but it’s nicely done, with distinct and thoughtful characterizations and a clear love of chess underlying the story, making this a recommended read.
Halima is Black and hijabi. Jem and Parker are White, and Daniel is Asian. One member of another team is nonbinary.
