Isabelle Duffy – illustratör

Chess is Halima Kasim’s favorite thing in the world. But with no local chess club in her small town, she has no one to practice with offline. Yearning for worthy opponents IRL, she recruits newbies: her next-door BFF Jem (a dedicated friend reeling from the recent loss of her grandfather), Jem’s long-lost friend Parker (eager to escape the shadow of his sport-star siblings), and Daniel (itching for answers after discovering a mysterious note left for him inside a book). Together the team forms their own chess club, navigating not just the board but the highs and lows of school social life. Along the way they’ll learn that it takes more than practice to be great - it’s teamwork, confidence, and the power of friendship. And never forget . . . chess is a game full of surprises.

The year is 1912 and the famed ocean liner, the Titanic, has just hit an iceberg. Twelve-year-old Annie has left her home in Ireland to begin a new life in America with her widowed mother. The peaceful journey across the sea comes to an end when Annie is awakened with a jolt. Annie soon discovers the ship is sinking. As she scurries to help her mother and the friends she’s made on their trip, Annie puts her own life in danger. Will Annie and those she cares for survive, or will they run out of time?