About the Book
Chess prodigy Sophie Peshka inherited her love of the game from her grandmaster father. But now that he has been imprisoned in the dungeons of the Winter Palace in St Petersburg by powerful Empress Catherine the Great, Sophie must use all her strategic skill and cunning to help him escape.
Part of Sophie’s plan involves an incredible chess-playing automaton called the Clockwork Queen, but will the Queen be able to outwit the Empress in a game where the stakes are a matter of life and death?
Peter Bunzl started his career as an animator and film-maker. He is now best known as the award‑winning and bestselling children’s author of the Cogheart series. Peter’s debut novel, Cogheart, was nominated for several prestigious awards, including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Branford Boase Award and the Carnegie Medal.
Lia Visarin was born in a small town in Transylvania, Romania, where she now lives with her husband and lots of house plants. She has a BA in traditional graphic arts, but she is a self taught children’s books illustrator. Lia takes inspiration from nature, old photographs and childhood memories.
Book Review
My favourite character was Sophie because she was brave and resilient, even in the tough times
This book is quite short but I very much enjoyed reading it. The story was interesting and involved the game of chess and a clockwork queen.
Sophie was on a quest to find her father with the help of an old friend, she had to make a lot of decisions along the way.
My favourite character was Sophie because she was brave and resilient, even in the tough times.
This book is ideal for all chess lovers, or those who like stories with twists and turns.
I’d recommend this book for children aged 7 upwards and I hope you enjoyed reading my review.
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Reviewer Profile
- Name: Ava
- Age: 9 years
- Likes: biking, reading and eating chocolate
- Dislikes: spiders and soup
- Favourite Book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
- Favourite Film: We Can Be Heroes
- Favourite Song: Michael Jackson - but I can't choose one song, I love them all!
