Candy. Games. And an extraordinary visit to Grandma’s house. Sound like fun? Then you should check out Candy Kingdom Book 1: The Bored Game by Jenny Griffith.

Here’s a little synopsis of the book:

When Ellie and her brother Zeb get dropped off for vacation at Grandma’s house, they know they are in for a rough summer. No TV, raisin cookies, a very grumpy cat, and everything fun is off-limits! And what’s up with the secret, locked room and its closet full of forbidden games?

A board game with bright colors and sugary-looking pieces keeps calling to Ellie. When Grandma sort of gives them permission to try it, they jump at the chance. With one flick of the spinner, things get sticky. Ellie and Zeb are swept into an adventure both sweet and scary in the Candy Kingdom!

The Bored Game is book 1 in the Candy Kingdom series. It’s perfect for young readers with strong vocabularies already, and for those who want to improve their skills.

I’d like to throw in that this book had fun illustrations, and I LOVED that they went from black and white to full color when the kids entered the Candy Kingdom world. Way cool! Anyhow, I digress…

I was blessed to have the opportunity to catch up with Jenny and ask her new release. Check out our fun interview below.

Grandma Gretchen is eclectic and fun. She keeps away from things like sugar and electronics, and has an interesting relationship with her grumpy cat. I’m wondering, did you have a grandma like Grandma Gretchen?

Thanks for asking about my grandmas. I had the most wonderful grandmas in the world. They were very different from each other.

I definitely had one eclectic grandma. My Grandma Irene was one of a kind, and no one who met her ever forgot her. She was strong and independent, and lived three blocks away from the beach. She loved going fishing in the Pacific Ocean, ran her own farm while her husband was away at war, knew how to cut hair and butcher an animal. One time, my other grandparents arrived home from a trip, and Grandma Irene’s truck was in front of their house. “Irene is here,” they said. And then, the saw that she had removed their couches from the living room and was reupholstering them on the back lawn. She seized life by the horns.

My other grandma, Grandma Sybil, was a classy lady who raised a large family of ten kids on a farm. She was a hard worker just like Grandma Gretchen in the story. Every time I visited her, she was doing a project like weeding the garden or bottling green beans. Her cookies had sugar, though, and she loved to have fun watching basketball games and being outside camping and things.

 This story is about siblings Ellie and Zeb. I loved how the two worked together to solve problems throughout the book. How did you create their characters? And do you have siblings of your own?

I am the oldest of four, but I have five kids of my own, and they’re all pretty close. Zeb and Ellie were named for a nephew of mine and a cute cousin who is young enough to be my niece. When I thought of Zeb and Ellie, I wanted to create a brother who was sharp-minded and tough on the outside but with a soft spot for his sister that he hides. I wanted Ellie to have kindness and compassion, but also curiosity that sometimes won the battle against her better judgment. I wanted them to be really good kids who love their family, and who realize that fact a whole lot more once the TV is turned off.

I love that Ellie and Zeb have a unique experience while playing the game hidden in Grandma’s closet. If you could be sucked into any childhood game, which would you pick? 

Candyland, of course! I think one of the main reasons I wrote this book is I loved playing Candyland as a kid. My mom would sit on the floor and play it with me, and I had a wonderful neighbor girl who babysat us, Juli, who let us play it at her house as well. My guess is anyone who played that game dreamed of how it would be to go over the rainbow bridge or taste the peanut brittle house.

Your story gave me a sweet tooth. I image you had to sneak a few treats while writing it. What is your favorite go to writing candy? 

In the back of my book, I confess to the world that I’m the person who likes all the kinds of candy that no one else likes. I love extra super dark chocolate and could eat it every day. If I have candy on hand, I love Good & Plenty. They’re candy-coated black licorice, pink and white. So delicious! If you have a candy you dislike, chances are, it’s on my favorites list. So, mail those all to me on the day after Halloween, please.

The Bored Game is book one in a series. Can you give us any hints of what we can expect in the next book? 

The series will be four books long—because the board game Candy Kingdom has four quadrants. In book 2, The Desserted Island, Zeb and Ellie meet a new kind of candy that tells jokes. Terrible jokes. Get ready to groan!

Thank you so much for reading Candy Kingdom Book 1: The Bored Game and for inviting me to your blog! What an honor.

No, thank you, Jenny! The honor is all mine. If any of my readers want to check out this sweet new book, just click on the book cover above for a link to Amazon. Candy Kingdom Book 1: The Bored Game can also be found on Barns and Noble and anywhere books are sold online.

Hope you are all having a wonderful day and hope to “see you” soon!