This was a great little read! Perfect for years 3 to 6 when lots of historical detail and an interesting plot. I've already recommended it to a couple of 10 year olds who enjoyed listening to me read a longer Peter Bunzl novel, and they enjoyed this very accessible story.

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?

This was a quick and fun read that introduced me to a little Russian history. I enjoyed the concept of the story and the fact that it was loosely based on an actual mechanical ‘Turk’ that was created to play chess. It was filled with a lot of heart and just the right amount of suspense and tension to keep you reading on.

I have read other Bunzl books and so was keen to read this. It did not let me down. A retelling of an old tale (which is not familair to me) making a great story. I will recommend.

This is a simple story: young Olga Peshka’s father, a chess grandmaster, has been imprisoned by Catherine the Great for being unable to train her son to play chess. Olga wants to rescue him, and thanks to a clever device, the Clockwork Queen, she might just get her chance. It’s a story of perseverance, deception, and a little luck.

The story is accompanied by illustrations that give the reader a sense of Olga’s desperation to get her father back, and the harsh circumstances of her life fending for herself.

The Clockwork Queen is an intriguing construction, and is based on an actual eighteenth century Austrian construction. In this story, the Clockwork Queen appears enigmatic and a little frightening to Olga, but is actually just a device that enables the girl to match her wits against Catherine the Great, a famously shrewd ruler, and to get into a position to liberate her unjustly imprisoned father.

The story is written for children, and deals with some heavy stuff. The plight of Olga alone in Moscow playing chess to feed herself after Olga loses both parents is relayed simply but one can easily feel the horror and pathos of the that situation, as well as the events that led to her this: her father’s unjust imprisonment, the family’s resulting poverty and her mother’s illness. And later, when Olga is successful in her mission, It’s impossible not to feel the joy of Olga and her father when they are reunited. It’s a heartwarming story.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Barrington Stoke for this ARC in exchange for my review.

My daughter is a chess player, so I was interested in this book based on that alone. It’s not long, but the narrative is complete.

Sophie has learned chess at her father’s knee, but upon his disappearance, she falls on hard times. It is almost by accident that she ends up in a rescue attempt—by hiding inside a supposed wind-up chess playing doll. Of course, there’s actually a person inside the doll, and when Sophie becomes that person, excitement commences!

Sophie is quite brave, and it is her ability to think quickly—not just in a chess game!—that saves the day.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Perilous situations. Deceit. Her father is imprisoned and is not in the best of shape afterward.

Who Might Like This Book:
Chess lovers. Anyone interested in Russian history. Those who like daring rescues.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2023/04/more-books-for-younger-set.html

Another excellent barrington stoke publication. I love every Peter Bunzl has done, and this is no different. Brilliant illustrations and a fantastic story. Deeply readable!

I was so excited to see such a wonderful children’s author have a dyslexia friendly book and I couldn’t wait to check it out!

I really enjoyed this, the illustrations were wonderfully and really added to the story, although I did find the narrative a bit too simplified but I’m not the intended audience and as such I think it’ll be a nice, relatively easy read for the correct audience! The chess element was certainly interesting but the dialogue fell a bit flat for me as well.

Peter Bunzl is truly an excellent children’s author. He never fails to impress me with how well he weaves together a story. His work is always incredibly well crafted and this was no exception. I enjoyed how Bunzl incorporated real historical information into this story which is something that isn’t in his other works

Excellent read, so gripping I couldn't put it down. I love this kind of historical fiction!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book is a wonderfully woven tale of family and chess. A missing father leads Sophie on an adventure to try and find him. Using chess skills learnt from her father, she attempts to win a game against a prestigious opponent. This, however, is no ordinary game of chess and Sophie is no ordinary opponent. I loved that this book is based on a true story. The writing was fast paced and I was invested in ensuring that Sophie had a happy ending. I think this story will appeal to readers aged 8+.

Young Sophie Peshka is a gifted chess player, an art she has learned from her grandmaster father. She is undefeated on the streets of Moscow and is able to hustle her way to a few roubles. Everything goes wrong when her father is summoned to the Winter Palace in St Petersburg to teach the son of the powerful Empress Catherine the Great how to play the game.

Imprisoned for failing to impress and cut off from his family, he has no means of escape. His only hope is Sophie who must use all of her skills and strategic thinking to devise a cunning escape. Her plan involves a chess playing marvel - The Clockwork Queen - and she must play the game of her life if she is to find her way to the palace and free her father…

The often quiet and reserved game of chess becomes drama and tension-filled in this gripping historical narrative as an enjoyable pastime, power and a chess-playing automaton collide in this captivating read where the stakes are high and the game really is a matter of life or death. Taking inspiration from the ‘Mechanical Turk’ - an elaborate chess playing automaton whose secret baffled people for years - Peter Bunzl whisks readers back to 18th century Russia and tells an enthralling story that will keep the excitement and engagement levels high. As an added treat, extra information behind Bunzl’s inspiration for the story is included at the end.

A mechanical chess playing Queen, a father in trouble, a courageous daughter, chess masters, a power hungry Queen and a dangerous rescue plan make for an absolute page-turner filled with peril, courage, clever thinking, great risks and an incredible piece of machinery. Intrigue and mystery hang firmly in the air and pacy and exciting story-telling ensure a genuine page-turner that has you wondering who will be saying ‘Checkmate’.

The Clockwork Queen is a superb piece of historical fiction writing and I whisper this quietly, I think this is one of the best yet from Barrington Stoke. True to their ethos, this is top quality story-telling from one of the UK’s best children’s authors made accessible to a wide audience of readers; a reading level of eight plus and dyslexic friendly font and colours ensure lots of children can access this read - and I strongly suggest they pick up a copy.

Sophie is a fabulous character. Despite the challenges that life has presented her with - an imprisoned father, the death of her mother and finding herself on the brink of becoming homeless - she still finds hope and strength when it is needed most. She is courageous when all seems lost and with the help of some old friends and The Clockwork Queen her bravery and determination has her triumphing in the end.

With huge thanks to the publisher for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.

Recommended for 8+.

This was a charming quick read about a young girl who uses her wits and chess skills to save her father from the anger of Catherine the Great. Although fully fictional. the idea of the Clockwork Queen is based on The Mechanical Turk. It is an easy read, but the addition of chess terms and historical setting make this a read that will stretch vocabulary and general knowledge.

I can imagine recommending this for a "reading for pleasure book" for KS2 or a weaker/ less confident LKS3 reader - perhaps up to Yr8.

What a beautiful middle grade book!

I absolutely loved it! read it in one sitting and was so immersed in the story from the very first chapter.
We are in Russia during the time that Catherine the Great is empress and has overthrown her husband.. The story is about chess, family and about a... device that is based on a true story without wanting to reveal more! I had no idea about the Mechanical Turk going into this story and that made it even more stunning of a novel!

Loved the prose and illustrations, an excellent book for little ones and adults alike! For fans of the Queen's Gambit and more!

Thank you Netgalley and Barrington Stoke for this e-copy! I would love for my kid to read it too when she is older and teach her chess if she so desires :)

I adored Peter Bunzl’s Cogheart series, so when I saw this book on Netgalley I knew I had to grab it. And I am very pleased to say I received it.

The Clockwork Queen is a short book for the younger side of middle grade, though I still had a good time with it. The story has taken its’ inspiration from The Mechanical Turk, which was a chess playing machine constructed in the 18th century. I do have a massive weak for stories about automatons, so obviously I adored this.

We follow Sophie, daughter of the best player in Russia. And although this is written for a young audience, her life isn’t easy. When her father gets imprisoned for failing to teach the prince how to play chess, Sophie has to go an rescue him. For this she needs her amazing chess skills, her cunning and wit, and of course the Clockwork Queen.

The book itself is about 120 pages and only took me, a fairly slow reader, an hour to get through. But it still felt like a complete story, with a good pacing, an interesting plot and well-written characters. That in itself is quite an accomplishment.

And that’s all I really have to say on this lovely read, which will be enjoyed by not just its target audience. Would most certainly recommend.

Peter Bunzl is a master of middle grade stories, so wonderfully able to craft a world with his story telling and The Clockwork Queen put me right into Russian history. As an avid lover and watcher of The Queen’s Gambit, I’ve always been fascinated by chess, despite absolutely not being any good at it and I loved seeing Sophia’s talent develop. This tale feels like a real fairy tale and I loved it.

This very interesting historical fiction story is about Sophia who's dad is a chess master. He's been teaching Sophia how to play chess since she was a little girl and she's good, but still not good enough to beat her dad. Her dad is leaving the family to go and teach the prince how to play chess. At first, it's all good but eventually, her dad ends up in jail for not being able to inspire the prince to be a good chess player. Sophia and her mother are devastated and when her mother dies, Sophia decides she's going to go and get her dad out of jail. Help arrives in an odd way-a girl her father taught to play chess years ago suddenly appears and offers Sophia a possible way to rescue her dad and it involves an animatronic chess playing queen. It's an exciting story that's fairly straightforward and I think kids will like it.

I love Peter Bunzl's other books and this one was no different. Set in a cold Russia it was a perfect mix of history and mechanical genius. I don't know much about chess myself but as a reader I was really invested in the story

First of all, thank you to Barrington Stoke and NetGalley for this ARC! This review was written voluntarily by me.

In the first place, I am attracted to read this story because of its family themed summary. The book is around 100 pages, which makes it easier for children to read because this is children's fiction, but for me, the book is suitable for any age. Because this story has some chess-related terms, I thought some of the plots in this story might be easier for chess enthusiasts to understand, but it does not really affect the main flow of the story. The language used is appropriate for its targeted audience, and, as a non native English speaker, I would say that this book is also suitable for beginners to read more stories in English that is easier to understand before moving to the next level. I am surprised when knowing that the story is inspired by a real-life mechanical machine operated by a human (the Mechanical Turk) which is new knowledge for me and making this story more interesting.

I really love the story! It is so heart-warming. I wanna know what's next. What happens to the Empress Catherine after finding out that Mr Peshka run away? But I think it is a stand alone book. But, I really love it! I love the creativity if the writer too. I love how he turns a fact into a fiction. The machine is based on actual event, and the author turned it into a really great story! The illustration is very cute too. Very unique and the style seems to be suitable with the story.

This was a very distinctive read, that like the best Barrington Stoke books will be welcomed by people beyond their specialised audience of readers with dyslexia and other things that cause them to have aversions to books. Here, Sophie is getting more than down on her luck – her funds have completely run out and she's barely got anything left, now that her mother has died – and she only died from the horror of Sophie's father being imprisoned for a dubious charge. For the man is a chess grand master, and when the Russian Empress Catherine the Great demanded he teach her royal son, and said brat wanted nothing to do with the game, he was jailed as a failure. Out of nowhere Sophie is offered one game to win, and a must-win game at that, as it would allow her to go to Saint Petersburg and hopefully plea for her father's release. But she has no idea who she will be up against...

As the footnote proves, this is partly based on real history, but nothing reads faintly old and dusty about this tale. Sophie is perfectly easy to care for, and she's not a perfect chess wunderkind of unlikeable ability – just a girl looking up to her father and intent on doing right. The bizarre situation she finds herself in is an intriguing one, and it won't be just the intended age bracket for this that get a little surprise from the way things pan out. All told, this was a solid success – four and a half stars.