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327th out of 334 books
—
38 voters
Checkmate (Cruisers #2)
In the second book of the CRUISERS series, Walter Dean Myers explores the world of competitive chess as seen through the eyes of a group of middle school misfits.
Sidney Aronofsky is one of the best chess players under age 16. When he's arrested for trying to buy drugs, it comes as a total surprise to those who know him. The expectations of parents, schools, and tutors pres
...more
Sidney Aronofsky is one of the best chess players under age 16. When he's arrested for trying to buy drugs, it comes as a total surprise to those who know him. The expectations of parents, schools, and tutors pres
Hardcover, 144 pages
Published
August 1st 2011
by Scholastic Press
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"Sometimes, when things look terrible...you just need to find the right move to turn the whole game around. When you find it you feel great."
—Sidney Aronofsky, Checkmate, P. 54
Walter Dean Myers has done some good things with the Cruisers series, writing about important issues such as drug addiction and the history of race relations without the material ever becoming too heavy or graphic to work for the target audience, middle-grade readers. While I think the books could benefit from being dou...more
—Sidney Aronofsky, Checkmate, P. 54
Walter Dean Myers has done some good things with the Cruisers series, writing about important issues such as drug addiction and the history of race relations without the material ever becoming too heavy or graphic to work for the target audience, middle-grade readers. While I think the books could benefit from being dou...more
The second part of The Cruisers series demonstrates one of the problems students or teenagers face, and that is pressure. In Checkmate, a young chess star under the age of 16, Sidney, enjoys playing chess, but he is constantly put on the spotlight, because many people, teachers, and parents have huge expectations of him. This causes him to use drugs to relax and to calm himself down. I feel the older generation should not keep putting the younger generations on the spot. They can cause a seriou...more
Zander and his friends--they call themselves The Cruisers--continue to navigate life at DaVinci Academy, an academically accelerated school for bright New York kids. Along with the usual perils of school such as getting homework done, staying two steps ahead of the teachers, and avoiding negative encounters with the assistant principal, Zander's crew must find a way to help their chess whizz friend Sidney who starts using drugs to help him cope with the heightened expectations and pressures he f...more
This is the second book in Myers' middle school series called “The Cruisers”. Checkmate is about Zander and his gifted and talented friends who are called in by the principal to help out their star chess player. Seems that Sidney has been arrested for trying to buy drugs. This book is all about how important it is to have good friends to support you when pressures mount. Not as hard hitting as his books aimed at older audiences, but solid nonetheless.
Zander and his friends Kambui, LaShonda and Bobbi attend DaVinci Academy for the Gifted and Talented in Harlem. In this second book about them, their classmate Sidney Aronofsky, who is a chess prodigy and gets caught asking an undercover cop for prescription drugs. The Assistant Principal asks them for their help. In this MG novella, I could wish for more slightly more detail, but what’s here is good.
The second book in the Cruisers series is short and to the point. Easily read in two hours. The characters remain the same as in the first book. This go around they are helping a friend deal with two different types of pressure: drugs and chess. The gang is able to workout the two problems in a way that leaves everyone happy with the ending.
The Cruisers are continuing their life cruise in 8th grade at the DaVinci Academy for the Gifted and Talented. A friend at school, Sidney, apparently has a drug issue and the group puts their thinking caps on to find a away to help him. Zander goes on a date. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book in the series.
133 pages
133 pages
The second book in this series delivers another powerful punch. These books will certainly challenge middle schoolers' thinking. I hope the kids who read these have someone they can talk to. Powerful subjects addressed without a lot of resolution. But then life is a lot like that, huh?
Walter Dean Myers created a series for middle schoolers about issues that come up in their lives. The Cruisers represent rebels who outcasts with good hearts. This book focuses on pressures the students encounter both in and out of school.
Zander and his club "The Cruisers" help a friend learn what happens to people who take drugs.
May 06, 2013
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marked it as school-america-100-books
Nov 21, 2012
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![The Cruisers: Checkmate [With Earbuds]](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347876749s/14585881.jpg)
pseudonyms:
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empi...more
More about Walter Dean Myers...
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empi...more
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“Sometimes, when things look terrible...you just need to find the right move to turn the whole game around. When you find it you feel great.”
—
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