The Marble Queen - Hardcover

Blake, Stephanie J.

3.79

225 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761462279 ISBN 13: 9780761462279

Publisher: Two Lions, 2012

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Freedom Jane McKenzie isn’t good at following the rules. She doesn’t like any of the things that girls are supposed to like. She’s good at fishing, 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. If she can’t be the Marble King, then she’ll be the Marble Queen. 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. Set in 1959, The Marble Queen is a timeless story about growing up.

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About the Author:

Stephanie J. Blake loves black jellybeans. She is scared of the dark. She reads lots of books. 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 dog.

From Kirkus 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. --Kirkus, November 2012

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