In my quest to reading more middle grade books, I sat down and read May the Best Player Win. This one released on September 17th and today I want to tell you about the book and what I thought!

A big thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This didn’t affect my opinion in any way.

In this middle grade novel the clock is ticking for May Li, whose middle-school chess team just earned a victory at the state championship—and with it, a ticket to nationals. What’s even more exciting is that May got an award for being the top female player and a splashy feature in the biggest chess magazine in the country.
May should be thrilled. But some of her teammates, including her supposed-to-be-friend Ralph, aren’t too pleased with the attention she’s getting—and they’re even questioning her skills. Backed into a corner, but not one to back down, May makes a move as bold as any of her chess tactics: She bets Ralph she can win the school’s internal tournament and be chosen as team captain for nationals.
The crown is May’s for the taking . . . except she’s starting to crumble under the weight of everyone’s expectations. Anxious feelings begin to affect her performance and, what’s worse, eat away at her love for the game. Now May is left to wonder: Can you still play for fun when you’re playing to win?

Review

May the Best Player Win caught my eye right away and I was so excited when I got my eARC. Even though it’s been years since I sat down to play a game of chess, it’s something I do still find interesting. It’s also something I don’t come across very often in books, so that made it even more interesting. Kyla Zhao gave us a unique middle grade story and it’s one I won’t forget.

Our main character May Li has loved chess for a few years and her middle grade team has made nationals this year. May even receives an award for being the top female player and a magazine spread in the biggest chess magazine of the country. When this happens and a friend in her chess club says she only got the trophy and spread because she’s a girl, things start getting complicated for May. This felt very realistic I think for many girls, but also for children who maybe put a little too much pressure on themselves.

May the Best Player Win is about doing what you love, friendship, expectations from yourselves and others, trying new things even when it’s a bit scary, and believing in yourself. It was interesting to see May start to question if she really still loved chess, but also wondering if her parents would still love her if she didn’t want to play anymore. I really appreciated her parents both telling her it wasn’t about her winning, but seeing her succeed in something she loved. Also, Kyla does a great job approaching the subject that girls are sometimes looked down upon when they’re good at something. I think this is a great read for children. That you can do something you love and even stop when it’s not fun anymore. That sometimes you just need to think of you and not worry about what others think. I really hope this author writes more middle grade stories.

May the Best Player Win was such a good middle grade book that left me wanting to play a game of chess! Do you play chess? Or any other games? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.