The Lost Marble Notebook of Forgotten Girl & Random Boy
By Marie Jaskulka; Sky Pony Press; April 7, 2015; ISBN 978-1-63220-426-4; $16.99; ages 12+
“Trying to escape their broken worlds, two teens fall in love with devastating results. The story begins with the first meeting between Random Boy and Forgotten Girl. They are never given proper names, and their labels indicate their template relationship—”insert your name here,” Jaskulka seems to invite readers. Forgotten Girl and Random Boy write their first-person free-verse poems in notebooks—this is the structure of the narrative—sharing their doubts, fears, hopes and needs as they fall in love and hope to erase the pain of their home lives. Readers learn that Forgotten Girl’s father has recently abandoned her, and Random Boy’s father physically abuses both Random Boy and his mother. Eventually the love between Random Boy and Forgotten Girl teeters into obsession and then worse. “As much as he loves / is as hard as he hits, / which makes the pain / reassuring / in a sick way.” Why Random Boy begins abusing Forgotten Girl and why she stays with him (ultimately getting herself out) is told with such complete believability that the descent seems almost foregone, given the wounds that each has brought to the relationship. Jaskulka’s narrative explores the hows and whys of an abusive teenage relationship with heartbreaking honesty, and her delicate touch renders the dark story even more powerful. Graceful. Searing. Haunting.”—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review.
I received a copy of this book and highly recommend for ages 12+. As a survivor of domestic violence when I was in College, I was able to relate to this story and found it a rather powerful story and a must-read for teenage girls.
You can find it on Amazon.com.
The next one is for those kids that love Minecraft! Ages 7+.
Escape from the Overworld
A Minecraft Gamer’s Quest: An Unofficial Minecrafter’s Adventure
By Danica Davidson; Sky Pony Press; January 16, 2015; ISBN 978-1-63450-103-3; $7.99; ages 7+
Stevie feels like the worst mob fighter in Minecraft, so when he finds a portal into a brand-new world, he’s willing to take his chances. He steps out of a computer screen and into the room of a sixth-grade girl Maison, who’s a talented builder. Stevie is shocked by how different this world is, and Maison takes him under her wing. But soon the two friends learn zombies have also made their way out of the portal!
More and more creatures are slipping out by the second, wreaking havoc on a world that has no idea how to handle zombies, creepers, giant spiders, and the like. Stevie and Maison must put their heads together and use their combined talents in order to push the zombies back into Minecraft, where they belong.
Danica Davidson is a writer for MTV and the Onion who has been published in over fifty publications. She enjoys writing stories and comics, and playing video games with her friends.
I found this one a fun read and recommend it!
Find it at Amazon.com.
Self Disclosure: I received samples of both books to facilitate this post. No other compensation was received.
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