Johnny-In-A-Box
Johnny in a Box is a fast-paced middle grade allegory where humor collides with spiritual truth. Thirteen-year-old Johnny wakes to find himself trapped in a series of strange, color-coded rooms with Angela, the girl he’s admired from afar. What begins as a survival puzzle full of awkward jokes, broom fights, and failed escape attempts slowly reveals a deeper layer: they cannot free themselves through effort, wit, or willpower alone. The story blends suspense, middle-school banter, and subtle theology, making it both an adventure and a coming-of-faith novel for young readers.
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Comps: Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progres, Grabensein's Mr. Lemoncello's Library
Synopsis
Thirteen-year-old Johnny Mallory wakes up in total darkness, stripped of his senses, his voice, and even his room’s furniture. Desperate to escape, he claws through endless black walls only to discover Angela—the brilliant, intimidating classmate he’s never had the nerve to talk to—trapped in her own identical box. Together they stumble into a series of bizarre, color-coded rooms that demand wit, endurance, and courage: sweeping floors that refuse to stay clean, following ticking clocks that threaten madness, and confronting the futility of saving themselves. As Johnny and Angela lurch between humor, fear, and reluctant trust, they realize their only hope lies not in frantic effort but in surrendering to a power beyond themselves.
Nerd Initiation
When a socially awkward new kid gets branded “Glasses” by the neighborhood crew, he’s suddenly thrust into a gauntlet of teasing, football fiascos, and “initiation challenges” he’s hilariously unprepared for. But when his gullibility makes him the perfect target for a prank that goes way too far, he has to decide whether to crumble under the pressure—or outwit the very kids who crowned him “Nerd King.”
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Comps: Kinney's Diary of a Whimpy Kid, Spinelli's Loser
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Moving from snowy Michigan to sunny California should have been exciting, but for eleven-year-old Blaine it means being stuck with the world’s least flattering nickname: “Glasses.” At first, he thinks he’s found his place among a ragtag crew of kids with equally weird monikers like Boogers, Ears, and Carrot—but fitting in comes with a price. From humiliating football games to a cruel “vaccination initiation” prank, Blaine’s gullibility makes him the target of escalating tests designed to prove whether he’s worthy of the group. When one scheme spirals out of control, Blaine’s quick wits turn the tables, forcing everyone—including himself—to question what real strength, belonging, and friendship look like.
