Other editions of book The Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street

Queen is a royal pain in the neck. Her Highness treats everyone as though they were her loyal subjects: her classmates, her teacher, even her parents! When a new kid comes to Queen's school, riding a broken bike and wearing run-over shoes, he immediately becomes the butt of everyone's jokes. Queen's parents insist she be nice to Leroy, but Queen doesn't see why she should. Leroy isn't just smelly; Queen thinks that he tells fibs - whoppers, in fact. And when he says he's an African prince from Senegal, sparks begin to fly. Queen is determined to prove that Leroy is an impostor. But along the way, Queen learns the unexpected from her Broken Bike Boy, including what being a good friend and "happily ever after" really mean.

“Queen is smart. Queen is pretty. But nobody likes her except her kitty.” Queen’s house—the biggest one on 33rd Street--looks just like a castle, and in her bedroom, she has dozens of beautiful dresses and crowns. Queen thinks she’s a real queen, and she treats everyone, even her teacher, like her royal subject.When a new kid comes to Queen’s school, riding a broken bike and wearing smelly, worn-out clothes, Queen joins her classmates in making fun of him. Her parents insist she be nice to Leroy, but Queen doesn't see why she should. Leroy doesn’t just stink; Queen thinks he tells lies—whoppers in fact. And when he says he’s an African prince from Senegal, Queen makes it her mission to prove Leroy is an impostor. But as she gets closer to discovering Leroy’s real story, Queen learns the unexpected from her broken bike boy: what being a good friend and “happily ever after” really mean.

I am a queen. Spoiled, smart, pretty, privileged, and mean, fifth-grader Queen Marie Rousseau has barely a friend at school-even the teacher dislikes her. Things change when she meets her knight in shining armor-the new kid, Leroy. He smells like moldy clothes and rides a rusty, broken bike, but he shows her a whole new world near his neighborhood projects. Queen knows Leroy is a fake when he says he is an African prince from Senegal, but then he brings gold coins and an elephant tusk to school. Are they real? Where did he get them? The mystery is fun, and even though the solution is a bit contrived and message-driven, Queen's arrogant, first-person, present-tense narrative brings readers along as she takes a voyage around the world that changes her. Queen's discovery, We are all from Africa, makes a great climax.