FROM THE PUBLISHER

It's not easy being a nine-year-old kid in the middle of a busy, gifted family. Especially when the list of things you're good at includes only two items—'Crying' and 'Stopping crying'—and the list of things you're not good at seems to be getting longer every day.When Sophie's mom suggests that she's good at being kind and just needs a little more practice, Sophie feels hopeful. But being kind to a grouchy old lady or her big sister, Nora, or the weird new girl at school isn't as easy as it sounds. If only Sophie were a queen, she could practice being kind to commoners instead. It would be much more dignified and elegant. And she would finally get to wear her very own diamond tiara. . . .From the author of the popular Owen Foote books, here is a funny, observant novel about an irrepressible girl, as quirky and original in her own way as Owen is in his, in search of her own special talent.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Greene's (the Owen Foote novels) intermittently affecting novel introduces a nine-year-old who is saving up to buy a tiara. The middle child of five siblings, Sophie is convinced that she is not good at anything-except crying and keeping a list of all the things she does not do well. One of them is ballet, at which her frequently condescending 12-year-old sister, Nora, excels. In a comical family dinner scene, Nora snootily comments that Sophie "can't do anything," and the younger sister responds by performing her trademark trick of wiggling her nostrils. Sophie revels in taking the spotlight until her sister says, "I'd die if my nose looked like that." Sophie runs to her room, where Mrs. Hartley consoles her by saying she has a talent for "being kind" and suggests she hone the skill by practicing it (the woman also wisely makes it a bit of a contest, saying that Nora is only kind "when it suits her"). This sets the stage for some rather belabored descriptions of the girl's efforts at being kind (to the off-putting new girl at school and a moody older woman). Yet Greene's narrative shines in its depiction of the heartwarming, entirely realistic Hartley family dynamics, including a satisfying turnabout by Nora, which brings the story to a-literally-sparkling conclusion. Ages 7-10. (Apr.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Susie Wilde

It was not a good day in Sophie's house when she overheard her ballet teacher telling her mother, "I wouldn't waste any more money on Sophie." That means she would never get the ballet tiara that would make her feel like a queen. Now she has to add ballet to her list of things she is not good at. Sophie is not good at ballet or violin or riding lessons. Her talents are crying, eating too much, and list-making. Those do not do her much good, so Sophie decides to find something she is good at. Her mother suggests she is a kind person. Sophie tries to practice being kind to a grumpy old lady, but the retired Dr. Holt is just plain mean when Sophie tries to help her plant flowers. Being kind to the new weird girl in school makes Sophie lose her former best friends, and the new friend becomes meaner and her expectations grow stranger. Will Sophie have to add kindness to her list of things she is bad at? This large print, fast read blends emotions with humor in a way that young readers will welcome. 2005, Clarion, Ages 7 to 10.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Sophie, 8, has tried ballet, in which her older sister excels. She wishes she could play the violin like her brother. Even horseback riding lessons don't work out. Her mother reminds her that she is good with the baby, at making mashed potatoes, and, most importantly, at being kind, an underrated skill. Sophie decides to fine-tune this quality. She makes a few missteps along the way with a new girl at school, but develops a special bond with an elderly woman, a history professor who unexpectedly helps her to find another special ability thanks to discussions about Queen Victoria-curtsying. The family dynamics are nicely developed and believable as the siblings have their squabbles and the parents are supportive but not overbearing. Sophie is likable and resilient, and readers will identify with her as she works through her school and family situations.-Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Sophie's little heart is breaking, but in a funny way. She feels fat, clumsy and useless, so she's developing two lists, her strengths (crying and stopping crying) and her weaknesses (horseback riding, ballet, sitting still), and her family is helping. Her older, prima donna sister, who is graceful, elegant and fabulous, says Sophie is good at whining and crying, and her Mom says she is good at being kind. Is a talent something that's easy to do? No, Sophie discovers as she learns that it's hard work to be nice to her angry, elderly wheelchair-bound neighbor and to her friendless, snotty know-it-all classmate. This humorous voyage to self-discovery insightfully pinpoints the importance of self-knowledge, hard work and focus. Greene's simple plot, droll dialogue and strong characters intimately bring the reader into Sophie's world-one that feels wonderfully like Ramona Quimby's. The reader will understand on multiple levels why it's important to Sophie to learn how to curtsy and wear a tiara, and they'll smile slyly as Sophie applies her learned wisdom inwardly and outwardly, never a prima donna, but ultimately in charge of heart and soul-definitely the queen. (Fiction. 8-11)