The Marble Queen

by Stephanie J. Blake

Overview

Freedom Jane McKenzie isn’t good at following the rules. She’s good at getting into trouble—and playing marbles. All she wants is to enter the marble competition at the Autumn Jubilee and show the boys in the neighborhood that she’s the best player. First, Freedom has to convince her mother to let her enter. But there’s a new baby on the way, Freedom’s daddy is drinking too much, her little brother is a handful, and her mother is even more difficult than usual. Freedom learns that when it comes to love, friendship, and family, sometimes there are no rules.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781477810316
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	01/24/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	190
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Stephanie J. Blake loves black jellybeans. She is scared of the dark. She reads lots of books. She’s a terrible driver. She eats chocolate. A lot. Sometimes she has déjà vu, and she likes it. Her middle name is Jane. The Marble Queen is her first book. When she’s not in front of the computer, she can be found in her backyard in Colorado with her husband, their three boys, and their two dogs. If she weren’t a writer, she’d be a country singer. Or maybe a pastry chef. Stephanie is also a member of the Apocalypsies, a group of children’s and young adult authors debuting in 2012, and Smack Dab in the Middle, a middle grade authors’ blog.

Editorial Reviews

Freedom Jane McKenzie, 10, has written her "Last Will and Testimony," and in it, she passes her most treasured worldly possession, her bag of marbles, on to her best friend, Daniel. That would be fine, except Daniel has come to the sad realization that sixth-grade boys should probably primarily be associating with boys, not playing marbles with girls, even talented ones like Freedom. In fact, nearly all of the marble-playing boys have decided they don't want to play with her. Meanwhile, she's set her sights on winning the marbles competition at the Autumn Jubilee. Her mother strongly disapproves. But her mother has a few more issues to deal with besides marbles: Freedom's father's drinking has begun to control his life and theirs, and she's due to have a baby any day now. Blake's debut novel, lovingly set in 1959 Idaho, gently reminds readers that some things never change: Growing up was a challenge in the 1950s, and it remains so. Incorporating the lingo of marble-playing, which will be unfamiliar to most readers, adds a mildly exotic flavor to Freedom's entertaining tale. Freedom's voice, nicely captured in her first-person narration, is often droll and never boring. This one is for keepsies, and it would be perfect paired with a how-to book on marble games. (Historical fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews