All the Ways to Go - by Jessie Janowitz

Book Synopsis

From the author of The Doughnut Fix comes another funny, heartfelt book about overcoming the fear of letting down the people you love and the amazing things that can come from a summer of nothing going your way. Now in paperback!

Milo Bloom, chess prodigy, has a secret: he doesn't want to play chess anymore. But instead of being honest, he blows a major tournament on purpose so he doesn't have to spend his summer playing a game he no longer loves.

The problem is, now he's got to spend the summer with his mom at her friend Nava's house, a place where cats lurk around every corner, meat products are banned, and Nava's daughter Roxie won't give him a second alone.

It's all shaping up to be the worst three months ever until Milo stumbles across two people playing a fascinating game he's never seen before--the ancient game of Go. Between late-night library adventures, stroller walks with a fat cat named Cupcake, and learning how to play Go, Milo and Roxie form an unexpected friendship. But unless Milo can find the courage to face his fears and tell everyone how he really feels about chess, his summer may just be ruined after all.