Kelsey Green, Reading Queen by Claudia Mills (review)

Since third-grader Kelsey loves reading more than anything, she's thrilled when her principal announces a school-wide reading contest and she's determined to lead her class to victory ("Mrs. Molina's class had as good as won the pizza party, thanks to Kelsey Green, reading queen"). Kelsey's also got her eye on the individual reading honors, but she knows she'll have stiff competition from Simon Ellis, her classmate and fellow reading buff. Mills' portrait of Kelsey is affectionate but nuanced, credibly depicting Kelsey's competitive streak (which drives her to read the shortest books possible merely to up her total) and developmental struggles with empathy (she fails to understand her friends' lack of interest in reading, and she's initially incensed at a classmate's failure to rack up titles). It's typical Mills, in fact, to sensitively reveal a high performer's flaws and give her a chance to address them, and that growth is achieved in particularly cheering fashion here, with Kelsey's suspicion of Simon evaporating when it's clear that he also loves The Secret Garden, and her frustration with the struggling classmate turning into genuine assistance. There's some subtle interrogation of the effects of such competitive reading, too, making this an excellent book for discussion on several levels. Mostly, though, it's a keenly observed, robustly written examination of the way our strengths can also be our weaknesses, and it may make reading kids think a little more deeply about their own achievements. Future installments involving other Franklin School kids are planned, so readers can look forward to seeing Kelsey again.