The Recess Queen

Mean Jean was the playground bully. She became aggressive with other kids if they played with any of the playground equipment before she did. Katie Sue, a new student, was unaware of Mean Jean’s rules. She played freely with whatever she wanted. Mean Jean confronted her, but Katie Sue refused to be bullied. Instead of being mean to Mean Jean Katie, Sue invited her to jump rope.
Bullying happens every day in schools, especially on the playground. I like that Katie Sue didn’t let Mean Jean’s attitude affect how she treated her. She simple responded with kindness, something Mean Jean was not used too. I think all children should be introduced to this book to help understand bullying and was to approach it.

The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill, illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith, is based on a theme of bullying and how friendship can change how someone acts. In the beginning of the story, Mean Jean is known for being the “recess queen” because she would control the playground. Through characterization and exaggerated repetition, the author shows how much power she has over the other kids. When Katie Sue gets introduced she acts as the conflict in the narrative because she is challenging the power of Mean Jean. Katie Sue is not scared of Mean Jean, she wants to include her in jump roping. The illustrations are bright and full of movement. The readers are able to understand Mean Jeans' emotional shift easier by the illustrations. In the show more end, Mean Jean stops bullying and starts to play with the others, which shows character development. This story is a good story for children because it shows that kindness and confidence can stop someone from bullying. The book also uses humor and visual storytelling to teach an important lesson that kids can understand. show less

The Recess Queen was an entertaining yet powerful book that I liked reading. Two reasons why I liked this book was how the characters were depicted and how it pushes readers. This book had various characters in it but the main character was depicted as the bully, she was larger than everyone else and had the power on the playground. Everyone copied what she did and she was the most powerful student in the grade. Her character could relate to various bullies that students are exposed to. This book also pushed readers to think about bullying and friendship. It can tell students to be their own persona and to not give into peer pressure. The message of this book has to do with friendship, and that everyone needs a friend.

"The Recess Queen" is about a girl, Jean, who is really mean to the other children on the playground. She always has to do everything first and everyone has to follow her rules. One day, a new girl comes to school and does not follow Jean's rules. Jean gets really angry, but the new girl does not care. She realizes that the reason Jean is mean is because no one has ever asked her to play. She asks Jean to play and all of the sudden, Jean becomes nice! This book would be great to use during a shared reading activity because the words follow a pattern that they students can pick up on pretty quickly. It is also a good book to read if there is bullying in a class- whether it is at lunch, in the classroom, or on the playground. The book show more teaches the reader that being kind to someone is more powerful than being mean. The phrase "kill them with kindness" is portrayed very well throughout the story. show less

I love this book. It shows the kids how to stand up to bullies in a nice way. The girl Jean was the mean girl who believes she had to do everything first before anybody well until she a new girl came and instead of being afraid of her she asked to be her friend. I will read this throughout the school year to remind students that bullying is not friendly and also to teach them how to deal with bullies. This book is compelling, and the effect of it is strong.

The Recess Queen is a superb realistic fiction choice for young readers. The illustrations in the book are vibrant and exciting for both children and adult readers, especially the way emotion is portrayed in Mean Jean's face and the classmates' facial expressions throughout the story. It is very easy to depict the emotions and overall tone of the characters because of this, which makes it ideal for listeners to relate and make connections throughout the story. Mean Jean was the "recess queen" who always seemed to get her way because of her bully like tenancies. She got in other kids' faces, pushed them, yelled at them, and made everyone afraid of her so she could get what she wanted, when she wanted. No one wanted to get in her way. The show more turning point of the story was when a new girl named Katie Sue, arrived in Mean Jean's class. Katie Sue demonstrated she was not afraid of Mean Jean by talking back to her, confronting her, and playing with all the things Katie Sue wanted to play with. That really challenged Mean Jean, because nobody dared confronting her the way Katie Sue did. Mean Jean was very surprised and taken back at Katie Sue because now, not only did she refuse to give in to her ways, but she also stated that she wanted Mean Jean to play with her. Mean jean was so happy that someone wanted to play with her, so she ended up playing with Katie Sue and was no longer a bully with kids at recess. She story had a very good overall message of the power of inclusion and assertiveness. show less

The Recess Queen is a great story for any student that may be dealing with a bully or a "mean girl". The book follows a bully, nicknamed Mean Jean, as she terrorizes fellow students on the playground. No one will stick up to Mean Jean until tiny, scrappy Katie Sue comes to class and stands up to Mean Jean. This book definitely applies the message of "kill them with kindness" because instead of being mean right back to Mean Jean, Katie Sue invites her to play, and she eventually accepts and becomes nicer to her classmates. The illustrations provided bright blue, red, and yellows that would definitely draw in any child. My only criticism of this book is that I am not a fan of the writing style. It follows a very formulaic, almost lyrical, show more format which makes it seem like the same information is being restated over and over again. The book repeats the lines "'Nobody swings until Queen Jean swings. Nobody kicks until Queen Jean kicks. Nobody bounces until Queen Jean bounces." several times throughout the pages, so it is never new. show less