Giles, Crystal G. Not an Easy Win. Random House, 02/2023. 256pp. Fiction. GRADES 5 – 7. $16.99. 978-0-593-17521-7. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
African American Lawrence is used to being at the mercy of others, and yet somehow everything always winds up being his fault. He didn’t ask his Pop to leave, or to move from Charlotte to his grandma’s small southern town, and he certainly didn’t ask to be stuck in mostly-white, Andrew Jackson Middle School, where he is lucky to get in a couple of punches during the all-too-regular beat-downs. So, when he is expelled for fighting, and staying home in his strict granny’s way is NOT an option, suddenly Lawrence has to figure out what to do with himself. Luckily, he seeks out an elderly neighbor who gives him a job helping out at the Rec Center. A friendship, a crush, and a conflict with the Rec Center director’s son, all push Lawrence towards an interest in chess and gaining a spot on the Rec Center’s team. Lawrence navigates every kid’s worst-case scenario: friendless, misunderstood, and expelled. Watching him come back from that low—forgiving and seeking forgiveness, standing ground, and developing skill in considering his next move—is pure pleasure. Some two-dimensional, villainous, white, chess competitors make a brief appearance detracting from the otherwise satisfying ending. While there are plenty of chess play specifics, the heart of the story is about the kind of moves every kid has the chance to make, and the message of how to take charge of shaping one’s own story applies to us all. Review based on an ARC.
Melissa McAvoy—Retired