The game is on in this fun-filled middle grade debut about chess, girl power, and performance anxiety in sports, perfect for fans of Kelly Yang and Celia C. Prez!The clock is ticking for May Li, whose middle-school chess team just earned a victory at the state championshipand with it, a ticket to nationals. Whats 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, arent too pleased with the attention shes gettingand theyre 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 schools internal tournament and be chosen as team captain for nationals.The crown is Mays for the taking . . . except shes starting to crumble under the weight of everyones expectations. Anxious feelings begin to affect her performance and, whats worse, eat away at her love for the game. Now May is left to wonder: Can you still play for fun when youre playing to win?
About Artists & Writers:
Kyla Zhao is the author of The Fraud Squad (Berkley, 2023). She had her first women’s magazine byline at the age of sixteen.Since then, she has also written for the Singapore editions of Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and Tatler. A native Singaporean, Kyla now works in Silicon Valley after graduating from Stanford University in 2021. In 2023, Kyla made Forbes Asia’s 30 under 30 list. Shes still trying to understand why Californians adore hiking and Patagonia fleeces so much. May the Best Player Win is her middle-grade debut.