Claudia Mills, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
When fifth-grader Queen Marie Rousseau’s parents named her, they probably didn’t expect that she would take her unusual first name so literally. Queen loves reading fairy tale books (she has 157), wearing crowns, admiring herself in the many mirrors which pronounce her the fairest and the smartest of all, and turning her best friend Symone into her pretend slave. So when new kid Leroy shows up at school smelling like pee but claiming to be a prince from Africa, Queen is not pleased. And when Queen is not pleased, everybody around her knows. In the process of trying to disprove Leroy’s claims to royalty, Queen strikes up a friendship with an eccentric old man who helps her learn more about Africa, Leroy, and most of all herself. Flake, a frequent Coretta Scott King honoree, excels at making Queen likeable in spite of her undeniably obnoxious delusions of royal grandeur. She is less successful in her portrayals of Leroy and Cornelius. It’s unclear why Leroy would smell so strongly of urine just from spending time in Cornelius’s cat-filled apartment or why Queen’s parents would be so tolerant of Leroy’s own greedy demands and rudeness. And it is highly unconvincing that Cornelius would present Queen with an elaborate and obscure riddle that she must solve as a condition of his friendship or that she would be able to solve it. Still, for readers willing to go along on this somewhat implausible ride, Queen’s company is a delightful reward. 2007, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, $15.99. Ages 7 to 10.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 8))
Fifth-grader Queen narrates this tale of classroom discord and community connections. She's pamperedùawash in nice clothes, crowns and mirrors. She fancies her turreted home a castleùthough it's just across from the John Howard projects. Father playfully reinforces her royal status at home, but at school, Queen's default demeanor is mean and smart-alecky. Other children resent her, and her attitude rankles her teacher. Queen's infuriated by Leroy, a brave, self-possessed project kid who reeks (of cats, it turns out), lies like a rug (it seems), yet charms both classmates and Queen's kind parents. Queen's initial effortsùto prove Leroy a liar and hide behind her prissy self-preoccupationùtransform into genuine attempts, aided by Mother, to be kind. Fascinated by Leroy's friend and neighbor, retired actor Cornelius Junction III, Queen works for his favor, earning entrTe into his cluttered, cat-filled apartment. There, like Leroy, she discovers Africa in Cornelius's artifacts and stories. First-person narration seems an odd choice, making identification with Queen (unlikable for much of the novel) problematic. Nonetheless, her progress feels real. 2007, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 144p, $15.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 8 to 12. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Amanda Jones (Library Media Connection, November/December 2007)
A bossy, spoiled, know-it-all is how Queen Marie's subjects would describe her. Royal purple clothing, crowns, and a mirror collection cannot make up for the fact that her classmates hate her, and her teacher openly dislikes her. Then Queen's parents accept Leroy, a poor boy from the projects into their home despite Queen's rude declarations on his smell and the fibs she believes he tells. As Leroy stubbornly sticks by Queen, he helps her climb down from her self-imposed pedestal. She learns that the truth can be told in many different ways and that being nice, while not always easy, is worth it. Throughout the book the reader is fully engaged in Queen's struggles and winces each time she further alienates herself from her peers as she tells the story from her point of view. This book will resonate with teachers and students who have encountered someone with Queen's difficult personality and serves as a good addition to a library's collection of realistic and African-American fiction. Its only drawback is that Queen's childish behavior may be a turn off for older readers. Recommended. 2007, Jump at the Sun (Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Publishing Worldwide), 144pp., $15.99 hc. Ages 8 to 11.

Hope Morrison (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, September 2007 (Vol. 61, No. 1))
Queen takes her name very seriously, treating the world as though they were her subjects and expecting royal treatment in return, which does not go over well with her schoolmates or her mother (who “didn’t like how grown-up and stuck-up I was acting. Only, I can’t help it if I’m cute and smarter than most kids my age”). Queen’s attention-getting tendencies meet their match in her new classmate Leroy, who smells terrible and who tells tremendous lies about where he comes from—or so Queen thinks. When Queen decides to follow Leroy home to uncover the truth, she meets Cornelius, Leroy’s older neighbor and co-conspirator in creating truth, and she learns a major lesson in the importance of treating others kindly as well as recognizing the different forms that truth can take. This latest novel from the author of Bang! (BCCB 12/05) maintains the strong characterizations and dialogue of her previous works. The storyline is somewhat fragmented, however, and the fact vs. fantasy issue ends up confusingly blurring the categories rather than creatively interpreting them. Still, Queen is pretty amusing if you don’t have to live with her, and Flake fans will no doubt want to delve into this latest offering. Reviewed from an unillustrated galley. Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 144p; Reviewed from galleys, $15.99. Grades 4-6.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2007)
Stuck-up fifth-grader Queen Marie Rosseau is "Queen of Thirty-third Street." When smelly Leroy insists that he's really a prince from Senegal, Queen decides to find out the truth. Complex characters and a rich urban setting defy stereotyping and will appeal to readers beginning to see themselves through others' eyes. Occasional pencil illustrations add a welcome dimension. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2007, Hyperion/Jump, 114pp, 15.99. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.