Not an Easy Win by Chrystal D. Giles

 

On Friday, I finished Not an Easy Win by Chrystal D. Giles. This realistic fiction novel is about Lawrence, a twelve-year-old boy who moved from Charlotte to Larenville, North Carolina, with his mom and sister to live with his granny after his pop went away. When he gets into one too many fights at school, he is suspended and has to find something to do with his time other than sitting at home all day. Although he feels like no one listens to him, Lawrence meets a neighbor, Mr. Dennis, who works at the rec center and begins helping him each day. As he spends his days at the rec center and finds himself interested in the chess program, he gets to know the other kids, including developing a crush on one of the girls, Twyla. On the other hand, he doesn't get along with a boy, Deuce, at first. When Lawrence learns that a few of the kids will be chosen to compete in the Charlotte Classic chess tournament, he commits to learning the game so that he can go back to Charlotte.

Even though I personally don't like playing chess, I really liked this novel. At the beginning, I felt bad that nobody really believed that the fight Lawrence was in with Billy Jakes wasn't his fault and wanted him to get his act together so that he wouldn't be blamed for being a troublemaker. I thought it was really good for him to help out at the rec center because it gave him a sense of responsibility and he didn't want to screw things up. He was also able to meet and befriend other Black kids in Larenville. Although he and Deuce got off on the wrong foot when Deuce took his earbuds, the other kids were really nice to Lawrence and he and Deuce eventually connected over his pop's music. I also enjoyed Lawrence's relationship with his little sister, Nikko. Things seemed really hard on them, especially when their mom lost her job and had to find a new one working night shifts. Most of all, though, I love how Lawrence discovered that he could be good at chess with practice. I was eager for him to earn one of the three spots to go to the chess tournament in Charlotte, his hometown. I recommend Not an Easy Win to anyone who likes rooting for an underdog.