Party Queen

By Marci Peschke and Tuesday Mourning

Kylie Jean loves slumber parties, but she's starting to get homesick.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Feb 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479523061

Marci Peschke

Marci Bales Peschke was born in Indiana, grew up in Florida, and now lives in Texas, where she is a librarian. She has lived in three haunted houses, but now lives with her husband, two children, and a feisty black and white cat named Phoebe. She loves reading and watching movies.

Book preview

wave.

I’m Kylie Jean, and I’m going to be a beauty queen. Just you wait and see!

It’s May, and I’m as happy as a candle on a cake! I’m a May baby, and so is my big cousin Lilly. She’s gonna be sweet sixteen, and guess what? She invited me to her sleepover party! Can y’all believe it?

Usually the older girls don’t want us younger girls around, but not Lilly. She loves me and Lucy. She has to love Lucy because they’re sisters, but she doesn’t mind when we’re around, and she always helps me out.

As soon as I get home from school on Friday afternoon, it’s time to get ready for the party.

Ugly Brother is waiting for me when I walk into my house. Do you want to come help me pack? I ask.

Ruff, ruff! he replies. That means yes! We go straight to my room.

I put my pink overnight bag on the bed. It’s real cute! The design has hearts and stars. I like to use it when I spend the night at Granny and Pappy’s house.

Now we’re ready to pack! I say.

Ugly Brother agrees. Ruff, ruff. He brings my hair brush and hair bows. The bows hang out of his mouth, but he does a good job carrying the brush.

I put my PJs, robe, and clothes in the bag while Ugly Brother looks for my slippers. He finds them under the bed. After I put them in my bag, I zip it up.

Momma! I yell. I’m all packed up for the party!

Did you pack your toothbrush? she calls back.

I smack my forehead. Oops! I say. I shake my head. I even put my toothbrush on the list and still forgot to pack it.

I carefully put the toothbrush in my bag. Got it, Momma! I yell.

Ugly Brother and I zoom downstairs. I’ll be home tomorrow, I tell him. He looks sad, but I have to go now or I’ll be late for the party. Momma is already waiting in the van to take me.

One more big squeezy hug for Ugly Brother and then I slip out the door and hop into the van. It’s party time!

Party Tip #1:

If the party is a slumber party, don’t forget your toothbrush!

Aunt Susie, Lilly and Lucy’s mom, is waiting at the door when Momma drops me off. Hey there, Kylie Jean, Aunt Susie says. She rubs her tummy. She’s going to have a baby soon, and I will have a brand-new cousin!

Hi, Aunt Susie, I say. I’m ready to party!

Great, hon, Aunt Susie says. She looks tired. I was going to make pizza, but I’m not feeling well, so I ordered them from Pizza Pie Guys instead. They should be here any minute.

Lilly comes to

Reviews for Party Queen

[aileenstewart-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My daughter picked out this book and started reading it to her father and I. She picked it originally because her cousin's name is Kylie, but soon she kept reading it because the Kylie Jean of the story was cute, and girlie, and interesting. We all thought it was quite fun that her dog's name was ugly brother, and her determination to become a rodeo queen make her a good role model. It's not so much about Kylie Jean wanting to be a rodeo queen as it is about working hard to achieve a dream and n...moreMy daughter picked out this book and started reading it to her father and I. She picked it originally because her cousin's name is Kylie, but soon she kept reading it because the Kylie Jean of the story was cute, and girlie, and interesting. We all thought it was quite fun that her dog's name was ugly brother, and her determination to become a rodeo queen make her a good role model. It's not so much about Kylie Jean wanting to be a rodeo queen as it is about working hard to achieve a dream and not giving up if there are set backs. I would encourage all little girls to read Kylie Jean Rodeo Queen and to find a dream of their own!

[karafrib · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Eight year old Kylie Jean wants nothing more than to be a beauty queen! She practices her beauty queen wave all the time so she can be ready when the big day comes. When the rodeo comes to town, Kylie Jean is struck by the rodeo queen riding in the parade. She makes up her mind that if she cannot be a beauty queen, then perhaps she can be a rodeo queen. Kylie enlists the help of all of her family members—from her uncle to her grandmother—to try to find a rodeo event she can learn in two weeks. When her dad buys a new horse and says it can be hers, she turns to her grandmother (who was once a rodeo queen herself) to teach Kylie how to barrel race. What follows is a whirlwind of bonding with her new horse, Star, and training for the rodeo, culminating in the big event itself.Kylie Jean is a wonderfully spirited character, who brings a taste for the Texas lifestyle to this transitional chapter book. Her family is loveable, and her relationship with her dog, Ugly Brother, is endearing. Kylie’s love for the color pink is emphasized in the cartoon drawings that are dispersed throughout the story, where it is the only color present other than black. While this is cute, her affinity for all things pink is mentioned excessively throughout the story. It is also hard to believe that an eight-year-old could learn barrel racing in just two weeks. Even though Kylie becomes interested in winning the barrel race competition, the end of the book finds her back at her old self, hoping to be a beauty queen, and the character growth that happened during the story is lost. Best suited for grades 3-5.