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May the Best Player Win

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May the Best Player Win

By: Kyla Zhao
Narrated by: Annie Q Riegal
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About this listen

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. Pérez!

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?

©2024 Kyla Zhao (P)2024 Listening Library
Growing Up & Facts of Life Literature & Fiction Multicultural Stories

Critic reviews

"A middle grade Queen’s Gambit, May The Best Player Win is a realistic story of one girl's love of chess and her journey to rediscovering the love of the game...Utterly believable and inspirational, May's story will have you on the edge of your seat and you itching to play a game of chess!"—Graci Kim, New York Times bestselling author of the Gifted Clans trilogy

"Girls deserve to just have fun! Full of puns and emotions that had me on the edge of my seat, May the Best Player Win is an all-too relatable tale about how girls have to prove themselves over and over in boy-dominated hobbies."—Xiran Jay Zhao, New York Times-bestselling author of Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

"This book is a game-changer for readers of all ages, regardless of whether you play chess! May the Best Player Win captures the thrill of competition, the weight of expectations, and the sting of naysayers."—Carissa Yip, 2x US Women's Chess Champion & Women's Grandmaster

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