Blog Tour | Foreverland by Nicole C. Kear

Title: Foreverland
Author: Nicole C. Kear
Pages: 256
Buy Link: Amazon
Synopsis:

Margaret is tired of everything always changing. Middle school has gone from bad to worse. Her best friend is becoming a stranger. And her family—well, it’s not even a family anymore.

So Margaret is running away to Foreverland, her favorite amusement park. Hiding out there is trickier than she expects–until she meets Jaime, a thrill-seeking, fast-thinking runaway who teaches Margaret how to stay one step ahead of the captain of security.

At first, this after-hours, all-access pass to the park is a dream come true: sleepovers in the Haunted House, nonstop junk food, and an unlimited ticket to ride. But as the runaways learn each other’s secrets, they must face the reasons they left their normal lives behind. With the Captain closing in and Jaime’s future on the line, can Margaret finally take control?

REVIEW

Margaret’s life has been flipped upside down. Her best friend is becoming so distant. Her family is falling apart and she doesn’t know how to handle this situation. In her mind her only option is to run away. 

So she does just that. The place she runs away to? Foreverland Amusement Park. 

I mean who wouldn’t want to spend a night at an amusement park?

Margaret’s life has been flipped upside down. Up until now, she’s had a relatively happy childhood. But middle school is changing everything, her best friend has become distant, and even her family is completely falling apart. She doesn’t know what to do and after some deliberation she decides to run away – to Foreverland Amusement Park. She meets another runaway boy by the name of Jaime whilst adventuring her favourite place. One of my favourite parts of the story was learning about the new mysterious runaway and I really enjoyed watching them go on adventures together. However Margeret soon begins to get homesick and she doesn’t know whether sticking around to learn Jaime’s story is better then going back to the place she has called home for so many years. The question is What will she decide to do? Stay in Foreverland with Jaime, or go back home to her family?

I enjoyed reading about how Margeret overcame fears such as sleeping in a Haunted House or running away from some “bad guys” but as the story continues Margeret starts to realize that running from home was not the best idea. The thing is Jaime is mysterious and she has an inherent need to know more about him seeing as they both have secrets they are trying to unfold. Will Margaret ever go back to her family? Or is her curiosity in Jaime’s story going to keep her in the park?

The two start to hang out together, going on rides, eating food provided by Jaime’s connection Belle, and keeping a low profile. Of course, since the authorities are already looking for Jaime, this is difficult, and when Margaret runs into her former best friend Priya’s family, she knows that her time in the park won’t last forever but first she wants to help Jaime make peace with his past so that he can leave the park as well.

This was a truly enjoyable middle grade novel that pulled at my heartstrings. I think this book will be great for students to connect with – it has very realistic characters and real life issues that most middle schoolers can relate to. Life issues such as losing friends and facing problems with your family. It’s perfect for kids who enjoy amusement parks and are on the more youthful side. I cannot wait to get my own copy so my brother can enjoy this story too!

Thank you so much to TurnThePageTours for having me on yet another tour and collaborating with the publisher to provide a free copy of this book for review VIA NetGalley. I always enjoy working with your lovely team and look forward to doing so in the future.

About the Author

Twitter: nicoleckear

Website: http://www.nicolekear.com/

Nicole C. Kear is the author of the memoir Now I See You (St. Martin’s Press), chosen as a Must-Read by People, Amazon, Martha Stewart Living, Parade, Redbook, and Marie Claire UK among others. Her books for children include the middle grade novel Foreverland, the chapter series The Fix-It Friends, and the middle grade series The Startup Squad, co-written with Brian Weisfeld (all published by Macmillan Kids’ Imprint). Her essays appear in the New York Times, Good Housekeeping, New York, Psychology Today, Parents, as well as Salon, the Huffington Post and xoJane. She teaches non-fiction writing at Columbia University and the NYU School of Professional Studies.

A native of New York, she received a BA from Yale, a MA from Columbia, and a red nose from the San Francisco School of Circus Arts. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, three children and two teddy bear hamsters

Tour Schedule

April 26th

Turn the Page Tours – Welcome Post
Karma Readz Kidz Bookz – Review

April 27th

The World of Celia McMahon – Review
HerBookObsession – Review

April 28th

The Writer’s Alley – Review & Author Interview
Plaid Reader Reviews – Review

April 29th

LeannReadsBooks – Review
Belle’s Archive – Spotlight

April 30th

Adventurous Bookworm – Review
Melancholic Blithe – Review & Author Interview

May 1st

Bookish Ramblings – Review
A Room Without Books is Empty – Review

May 2nd

PopTheButterfly Reads – Review
Kait Plus Books – Review & Author Interview

GIVEAWAY

Up for grabs, we will have THREE (3) paperback copies of Foreverland by Nicole C. Kear. This giveaway will run from April 26th to May 3rd at 11:59 PM CST and will be open to US residents only.