Since his sister died, Marcus is in trouble all the time at school. Then he meets CM and learns to take control of his life through the game of chess. This book was inspired by inner-city chess enrichment programs.
Teaching Ideas:
Students could learn the basics of chess. Could write about someone who was a positive influence in their lives. Explore the history of the game. Play with the form to do storytelling with poetry similar to a COPY CHANGE-like. AGREE-DISAGREE why statements that help the reader to think about coping strategies they might use or the character might use. LITERATURE DISCUSSIONS to sort through events and characters actions/reactions.