The Broken Bike Boy and
the Queen of 33rd Street
by Sharon G. Flake

    THE BROKEN BIKE BOY AND THE QUEEN OF 33RD STREET by Sharon G. Flake
    Illustrated by:  Colin Bootman
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  5/1/07
    Publisher:  Hyperion
    Reviewed by:  Jocelyn Pearce
    Rating:  4 Stars


    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.