Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com
Queen is an incredibly stuck up ten-year-old girl whose family's praise has given her a very high opinion of herself. Her father and older brothers have spoiled her to the point where she's very, very easy to dislike. Unsurprisingly, no one at school seems to appreciate or recognize her supposed superiority.
Leroy is a new boy in her class, who smells funny and whose bike is broken. Queen is sure that he's a liar, especially when he tells stories about being royalty from Africa, and she can't stand him. Her parents try to force her to be nice to him, so they are thrown together despite Queen's dislike. Through Leroy, Queen learns some important lessons.
She's still not a very likeable heroine, though. I don't think I was supposed to like her. Be prepared for that going into this book, and you'll be able to appreciate Sharon G. Flake's amazing (and unsurprising if you've read her previous books) talent.
I'm not sure how kids will feel about this book. Some of them may not be willing to read a book with a main character like Queen. But if they can give it a shot, it's a pretty enjoyable short novel.
Queen is an incredibly stuck up ten-year-old girl whose family's praise has given her a very high opinion of herself. Her father and older brothers have spoiled her to the point where she's very, very easy to dislike. Unsurprisingly, no one at school seems to appreciate or recognize her supposed superiority.
Leroy is a new boy in her class, who smells funny and whose bike is broken. Queen is sure that he's a liar, especially when he tells stories about being royalty from Africa, and she can't stand him. Her parents try to force her to be nice to him, so they are thrown together despite Queen's dislike. Through Leroy, Queen learns some important lessons.
She's still not a very likeable heroine, though. I don't think I was supposed to like her. Be prepared for that going into this book, and you'll be able to appreciate Sharon G. Flake's amazing (and unsurprising if you've read her previous books) talent.
I'm not sure how kids will feel about this book. Some of them may not be willing to read a book with a main character like Queen. But if they can give it a shot, it's a pretty enjoyable short novel.
