The Recess Queen

Teachers and parents will love this funny but true to life bully story to read to their students and children. It would be a great way for teachers to open up discussion about the bully problem in their classrooms.

We love this book and its important message. The illustrations are vibrant and punchy and it's always a fun read. Katie Sue is a great role model and a strong female character. She artfully disarms Mean Jean just by being her friendly, natural, brave self.

Excellent book. My grandchildren ages 5 and 8 enjoyed it and my 8 year old reads it for us as well. I read the book for the 3rd grade Cornerstone project, so the children at school are learning how to handle bullying situations at a good age.

Mean Jean is a playground bully of both girls and boys. She considers herself a leader, which means she controls the playground: If SHE doesn't start a game, then that game cannot be played. And she can back up her attitude with her physical toughness. She thinks nothing of punching, pushing, slamming and otherwise being "in your face". And the other children know, too, who the playground boss is. Except..., that a NEW girl doesn't. She doesn't pay Mean Jean any mind. Of course, a bully can't allow someone to ignore who the boss is; so the new girl, Katie Sue, may need to watch her step. Still, Katie Sue doesn't care one wit about Mean Jean's position on the playground, and she learns how to handle Mean Jean: Katie Sue has a special gift that even a Bully can't resist.

Picture Book: Realistic Fiction (grades K-3)

The Creative Teacher: Activities for Language Arts (Grades 4 through 8 and Up)

There's one or more on every playground. And more kids fall victim to a bully than you actually are aware of. So why not prepare your kids for the inevitable and teach them how to handle this situation. Great lessons!

I have read hundreds, if not thousands, of children's books to my students and to my own children. Of all the books I have ever read aloud to children, this one is hands down my favorite! It reads like jazz tugging on heart strings. Powerful insights into playground bullying, school violence, and poor self-esteem are weaved through character education lessons for traits like integrity, citizenship, equality, and courage (to list only a few) that resonate with children and adults of all ages. If this one is not in your possession, consider yourself lucky that you stumbled upon it and will be adding it to your collection with your next mouse click. I give it my highest possible rating!

The Recess Queen is about a horrible bully that makes everybody do stuff after her. Until one day, a girl named Katie Sue, a tiny kid saves the day. When it comes to recess, she helps out. Will mean Jean stand for this or not?
I think this is a good book because just helping out one person can help out can help a lot of people. Voila! That’s about the world’s greatest book. (Book Review by a third grade student)

Excellent book. My grandchildren ages 5 and 8 enjoyed it and my 8 year old reads it for us as well. I read the book for the 3rd grade Cornerstone project, so the children at school are learning how to handle bullying situations at a good age.

Mean Jean is a playground bully of both girls and boys. She considers herself a leader, which means she controls the playground: If SHE doesn't start a game, then that game cannot be played. And she can back up her attitude with her physical toughness. She thinks nothing of punching, pushing, slamming and otherwise being "in your face". And the other children know, too, who the playground boss is. Except..., that a NEW girl doesn't. She doesn't pay Mean Jean any mind. Of course, a bully can't allow someone to ignore who the boss is; so the new girl, Katie Sue, may need to watch her step. Still, Katie Sue doesn't care one wit about Mean Jean's position on the playground, and she learns how to handle Mean Jean: Katie Sue has a special gift that even a Bully can't resist.

Picture Book: Realistic Fiction (grades K-3)

The Creative Teacher: Activities for Language Arts (Grades 4 through 8 and Up)

There's one or more on every playground. And more kids fall victim to a bully than you actually are aware of. So why not prepare your kids for the inevitable and teach them how to handle this situation. Great lessons!

I have read hundreds, if not thousands, of children's books to my students and to my own children. Of all the books I have ever read aloud to children, this one is hands down my favorite! It reads like jazz tugging on heart strings. Powerful insights into playground bullying, school violence, and poor self-esteem are weaved through character education lessons for traits like integrity, citizenship, equality, and courage (to list only a few) that resonate with children and adults of all ages. If this one is not in your possession, consider yourself lucky that you stumbled upon it and will be adding it to your collection with your next mouse click. I give it my highest possible rating!

The Recess Queen is about a horrible bully that makes everybody do stuff after her. Until one day, a girl named Katie Sue, a tiny kid saves the day. When it comes to recess, she helps out. Will mean Jean stand for this or not?
I think this is a good book because just helping out one person can help out can help a lot of people. Voila! That’s about the world’s greatest book. (Book Review by a third grade student)

This book was recommended by a school counselor when my child was having problems adjusting to kindergarten. Going from a class of 12 in Pre-k to a class of 20 can be overwhelming. Today, kids have to deal with so much so soon and making friends can be a challenge. Feelings can be easily hurt and different personalities are eminent. This book teaches kids about how to act when someone is bossy or a bully. It also teaches them to stick up for themselves. Not only is it a great book to have, but it's a great teacher gift too!

Trying to find books that deal with bullying in younger grades is often a frustration of mine, until I found The Recess Queen in my local bookstore. Queen Bees do not just crop up in 4th or 5th grade, as a school counselor I see them loud and clear in our kindergarten classes. Kids are truly mesmerized by this book. I really appreciate that the author uses another child to turn Mean Jean's behavior around. The illustrations are awesome and the kids love all of the rhyming. I read this book a few times throughout the year and reference it quite often. Do your kids a favor and get this on your shelf.

Mean Jean by Alexis o’neill mean jean think ‘s she's queen of the playground.she's mean because she thinks she has to be first on everything. I dislike it because mean Jean is sooo mean. She’s mean because she thinks she has to be first on everything. Also it techies you a lesson. There is fabulous illustration some stouts love the story it is a good book for children if you really liked this review, buy the book.

The ability to offhandedly deflate a bully, with neither anamosity nor remorse, is my idea of heaven -- and is high on my wishlist for my daughters. This snappily told story of unwavering self-worth and the power of cheerful assertion gives us hope -- and lots of laughs.

When the bell rang for recess Mean Jean starts doing her thing. Being a bully. All of the other kids never get to play so the kids just don't play. 2 days later a new kid arrives and she doesn't know Mean Jean so she just plays . In this book something happened to Mean Jean

My children in my classroom love the Recess Queen book. Sometimes we have a Recess King also in our classroom. If we have a hard recess time, this is the perfect opportunity to get this book out. It's a great book for discussion if someone is having a hard time in the classroom or on the playground.
Enjoy!

Have you ever thought about the best children's book? Keep reading this review to find out why we think it's The Recess Queen! One reason is because it has silly, made up words in it that we think are funny. Another reason is because it has nice, detailed pictures. Next, we can learn from the characters to stand up for yourselves, and we can also learn that one way to stop a bully is to be nice to them!Now you know why we think this is a great book! Be sure to pick one up!

Mean Jean may rule the playground with an iron fist, but it takes newcomer Katie-Sue to stand up to her by taking the offensive - offering to jump rope with her. All well and good, but it does not really address the very real issue of playground tyranny. Not all bullies are amenable to overtures on the part of their peers and Katie-Sue seems an overdrawn literary ploy. I did not like the illustrations, finding them overly large and the colors gaudy and garish. I didn't like the way the characters were drawn at all and found them physically unappealling. Mean Jean was especially unappealling with her oversized head and perpetual sneer. I also disliked the nonsense rhymes, e.g. "lollapaloosh," "kitz and kajammer." What saved this from receiving a one-star review was the good faith effort to tackle the issue of playground despots.

"King of the Playground" by Naylor, et al. is vastly superior to this book. However, this is a good effort.

Kids of all ages will enjoy the illustrations and text of this book. It gets the "point" across and helps kids see things from a different perspective. I use this book in my work as a school counselor.

My daughter loved this book! We read it at least 20 times so far. She listened with interest at how Mean Jean controlled the school playground until a new little girl came to school and changed things. We laughed to see how they jumped rope together after resolving things on the playground. An excellent book to show your child that he/she is not alone if there is a bully at their school.

Alexis has captured with humor and accuracy the school bully, and what is driving her behavior. This book empowers students to look at a common problem they may encounter, and gives them a new perspective for looking at and dealing with this person.