Reviews

Check Mates by Stewart Foster

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pages_oflau's review against another edition

4.0

Thank you so much to Steph (@bookslovereaders) for sending me this book off of my amazon wishlist for Christmas.

Trigger warnings: Depression, grief, dealing with loss of a grandparent and brief bullying.

I have to first start by saying I’m not even sure what made me add this book to my amazon wishlist, I’m trying to convince myself it was the gorgeous cover, but deep down I really think it was more because the premise sounded so amazing and like a heartwarming read.

The second thing I have to say is this: don’t let the fact that this book focuses on chess put you off. I don’t play chess, I don’t want to play chess and I certainly don’t understand chess. But that did not stop me from completely adoring this book. Yes there is chess talk, but it was explained in a way that was understandable as our main character, Felix, is also new to the game.

Felix is a character that I absolutely adored. I completely felt for him and it was hard to see him struggling so much at the start of the book because he has ADHD and as a result he is often disruptive in the classroom and gets sent home early a lot. I really liked how Steward was able to portray what was going on inside Felix’s head in a way that relatable. I don’t have ADHD, but when we were little my brother was diagnosed as having it and seeing how he was compared to how Felix was pretty much the same.

As the story progresses we see more of Felix than just his ADHD. We see how kind and caring he is to those he loves and we eventually see him learn the confidence he needs to accomplish everything his grandfather has taught him throughout the entirety of the book.

Another thing I really loved about this book was the relationship between Felix and his grandfather and how it grew into this beautiful thing. At the start of the book I wasn’t sure of how this was going to happen but I soon became invested in their story. It was so heartwarming to read and it reminded me a lot of my grandfather, who is no longer here, we used to go out everytime a new Harry Potter book was released and buy it and read it. It’s such a precious relationship between grandparents and grandchildren and I’m pretty sure that was what had sold me on this book.

I wasn’t too sure on Jake as a character from the very start and I actually still am not sure about him after having closed the book. I know he is Felix’s best friend but at times it felt like he was bullying Felix into doing what he wanted to do and wouldn’t let Felix do what he wanted. He also pressured Felix into a couple of things, I won’t say what, but one of them really broke my heart because it fractured Felix and his grandfathers relationship for a while. I’m glad Felix had a friend like Rebecca who really supported him from the very beginning, not like Jake who only supported Felix when he became ‘famous’.

Overall this was a truly heartwarming story about trust, spending time with those that are important to you and having the confidence to learn something new.

noodlerabbit88's review

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adventurous emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

m_s2012's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

alongreader's review against another edition

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4.0

Felix does his best, but he just can't concentrate in school. No one seems to understand how hard it is. No one but his quiet, closed off grandfather. Granddad's been a bit depressed since Grandma died. Until he comes up with a wonderful plan to help Felix concentrate. He's going to teach him chess!

This is a sweet, nice story about a grandson and grandfather learning to connect with each other. I know a little about the chess, just the basics, and was able to follow perfectly well, so don't be put off if you don't know anything about the game. I also learned some information about the Cold War that I hadn't known before, and that was really interesting to me.

One thing I did think was odd: Felix clearly has ADHD, but he doesn't seem to be getting any help. There's mention that he refused a classroom assistant because he was embarrassed, and he's in an extra reading class, but that's it. No other accommodations for him. This is a minor thing, however.

This is a lovely story that will also lead to discussion topics, and that's a great mix.

"Phew," says Jake. "You had me worried."

"I know," I say, trying to shake the fog out of my head. "They're all dweebs! I don't know what I was thinking."

"You were thinking it was a good idea."

"No, Granddad. I wasn't."

Jake gives me a strange look.

"What?" I say. "I'm not going in there."

"No," says Jake. "It's what you just did. You were talking to your granddad."

"Did I? Was I?"

"Yeah. It's like he's getting inside your head, brainwashing you. Maybe he's a spy. My dad always says he's a bit strange."

"My granddad's not strange," I snap. "And he's not a spy. What does your dad know? He's never even spoken to him."

"Sorry, didn't mean to upset you." Jake puts his arm around my shoulder. "He's not strange. Not really - now let's get some dinner and then we'll go and shoot some hoops."

"Hoops? What is hoops?"

Granddad, I say in my head. You're going to have to stop this.