Grandmaster
By: David Klass
Chess with the intensity of a high-speed car chase
Kelly: ☻☻☻☻
Boy Reader: ☻☻☻☻
Boy Reader: ☻☻☻☻
Daniel Pratzer struggles to fit in at a new private high school. When the cool kids ask him to go to a travel tournament, he can't resist. Even though they're only interested in his father's chess prowess.
The action is surprisingly compelling for a chess tournament. There's a sneaky villain whose motives you're never quite sure you understand, the cool kids reveal their dark undersides, and Daniel's father is constantly on the edge of a physical and mental breakdown.
Hidden inside the action is a beautifully developed story of a father and son relationship going from dysfunctional to weird-but-just-right-for-them.
This is shelved as YA, and teen themes (first girlfriend, first kiss, abusive relationships) are present, but mild.
Boy Reader is a chess player, so the topic was of interest, but he gives it four stars for the interesting characters. Daniel's father is his favorite: A boring accountant turns out to be a bloodthirsty chess whiz who suffers from debilitating anxiety and anger whenever he throws himself into the game.
The action is surprisingly compelling for a chess tournament. There's a sneaky villain whose motives you're never quite sure you understand, the cool kids reveal their dark undersides, and Daniel's father is constantly on the edge of a physical and mental breakdown.
Hidden inside the action is a beautifully developed story of a father and son relationship going from dysfunctional to weird-but-just-right-for-them.
This is shelved as YA, and teen themes (first girlfriend, first kiss, abusive relationships) are present, but mild.
Boy Reader is a chess player, so the topic was of interest, but he gives it four stars for the interesting characters. Daniel's father is his favorite: A boring accountant turns out to be a bloodthirsty chess whiz who suffers from debilitating anxiety and anger whenever he throws himself into the game.