My Name Is Tani . . . and I Believe in Miracles Young Readers Edition

by Tanitoluwa Adewumi, Craig Borlase (With)

Overview

An amazing, miraculous refugee story of coming to America, the young readers edition of Tani Adewumi's story will inspire kids looking for true stories of doing hard things.

At eight years old, Tani Adewumi, a refugee, won the 2019 New York State Chess Championship after playing the game for only a year—and while homeless.

Tani and his family fled Boko Haram's reign of terror in Nigeria to come to the United States, where they lived in a New York City homeless shelter while waiting to be granted religious asylum. Tani began attending a public elementary school and decided he wanted to join the chess program, but it required a fee. Tani's mother reached out to the coach, who offered Tani a scholarship—and a year later the young immigrant became a chess champion.

Ideal for readers 8 to 12 years old, this adaptation presents compelling insight into:

• What it means to leave a comfortable home and move to a new country with nothing
• What it's like to live in America as a homeless family
• How it feels to be an outsider, a Nigerian, in a new school
• And what it means to learn a game, compete, and experience the thrill of winning

Tani's story will inspire you to believe in the power of the human spirit to triumph over the greatest adversities. And his family's faith will inspire you to believe in miracles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781400218295
Publisher:	Nelson, Tommy
Publication date:	04/14/2020
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	614,911
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	730L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Tani Adewumi is the eight-year-old Nigerian-born boy who recently won the NY State Chess Championship after playing the game for only a year. Tani and his family's story begins amidst Boko Haram's reign of terror in their native country of Nigeria and takes them to a New York City homeless shelter, where they waited to be granted religious asylum. Tani's father, who came from a royal Nigerian family, became a dishwasher and Uber driver to support his family. His mother, whose family owned the largest printing press in Nigeria and had been working at a bank for over a decade, trained to become a home-aid. So, when Tani asked to join the chess program at PS 116, which required a fee, it seemed unlikely. His mother wrote to the coach, who offered Tani a scholarship. Miracles led Tani and his family to New York. As Tani's father puts it, "There are many times in my life where I thought this must be the miracle and yet, I did not know that the miracle had not yet begun."

Craig Borlase is a New York Times bestselling writer, specializing in crafting dramatic, engaging memoirs. Recent work includes the international and New York Times bestseller Finding Gobi and My Name is Tani. Films of both books are currently in development.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Do You Believe in Miracles? 1

Chapter 2 The Nigerian Prince 9

Chapter 3 Full and Noisy and Fun 17

Chapter 4 You Wanna Play Chess? 23

Chapter 5 A New Start 29

Chapter 6 The Hotel 35

Chapter 7 The Best Thing Ever 43

Chapter 8 Moving Forward 49

Chapter 9 Strong Stares and Crocodile Teeth 53

Chapter 10 So That's How You Play Chess! 57

Chapter 11 "Yes, Coach Shawn!" 61

Chapter 12 I'm a Chess Player 69

Chapter 13 You Can Too 77

Chapter 14 Sneakers and Rosa Parks 81

Chapter 15 Shush! 87

Chapter 16 Two Hundred Puzzles 93

Chapter 17 Lion Cub 97

Chapter 18 Fist Bump 103

Chapter 19 Flying 107

Chapter 20 The Answer Is on the Board 113

Chapter 21 Meeting Fabiano 117

Chapter 22 Malala's Courage 123

Chapter 23 Paul Morphy's Queen 127

Chapter 24 You Only Ever Win 133

Chapter 25 Something Big Is Going to Happen 143

Chapter 26 State Championship 147

Chapter 27 Roar! 155

Chapter 28 Did I Blunder? 161

Chapter 29 The Last Match 167

Chapter 30 Do You Know What You Just Did? 171

Chapter 31 The Trophy 175

Chapter 32 Changing the World 179

Chapter 33 Being Interviewed on TV Is Harder Than Playing Chess 185

Chapter 34 Home 189

Chapter 35 This Is What I Think 191

Sidebar Sources 197