A Boy Named Queen
A Boy Named Queen by Sara Cassidy is a 77-page juvenile fiction book published by Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press in 2016. The story follows Evelyn, a fifth grader who is both intrigued and unsettled by the arrival of a new classmate named Queen. Queen’s unique personality and unconventional style challenge Evelyn’s structured life, prompting her to navigate her feelings about friendship, peer pressure, and self-identity.
As Evelyn observes Queen’s confident demeanor and his ability to defy social norms, she finds herself drawn into a friendship that tests her boundaries. The narrative explores themes of social dynamics and self-esteem, as Evelyn grapples with her strict upbringing and the expectations placed upon her. Through her experiences, including a memorable birthday party invitation and a visit to Queen’s home, Evelyn discovers new perspectives and possibilities in her own life. This edition offers a thoughtful exploration of childhood friendships and the courage to embrace individuality.
Official synopsis Publisher
Evelyn is both aghast and fascinated when a new boy comes to grade five and tells everyone his name is Queen. Queen wears shiny gym shorts and wants to organize a chess/environment club. His father plays weird loud music and has tattoos.
How will the class react? How will Evelyn?
Evelyn is an only child with a strict routine and an even stricter mother. And yet in her quiet way she notices things. She takes particular notice of this boy named Queen. The way the bullies don’t seem to faze him. The way he seems to live by his own rules. When it turns out that they take the same route home from school, Evelyn and Queen become friends, almost against Evelyn’s better judgment. She even finds Queen irritating at times. Why doesn’t he just shut up and stop attracting so much attention to himself?
Yet he is the most interesting person she has ever met. So when she receives a last-minute invitation to his birthday party, she knows she must somehow persuade her mother to let her go, even if it means ignoring the No Gifts request and shopping for what her mother considers to be an appropriate gift, appropriately wrapped with “boy” wrapping paper.
Her visit to Queen’s house opens Evelyn’s eyes to a whole new world, including an unconventional goody bag (leftover potato latkes wrapped in waxed paper and a pair of barely used red sneakers). And when it comes time for her to take something to school for Hype and Share, Evelyn suddenly looks at her chosen offering — her mother’s antique cream jug — and sees new and marvelous possibilities.
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