You're Mean, Lily Jean!

Plot Summary

When Lily Jean moves in next door, sisters Carly and Sandy are happy to have a new friend join their games. But Lily Jean changes everything. She decides they'll play house and orders Carly to be the baby. When they play king and queen, King Lily Jean tells Carly to be the royal dog! Tired of being bossed around, Carly comes up with a way to teach Lily Jean a lesson. With Sandy's help, can she turn a bully into a friend?

Reviews

"Wishinsky recreates a common childhood experience through realistic dialogue and actions that convey every emotional shift. Just as engaging, Denton’s watercolor illustrations capture the girls’ attitudes with gestures and facial expressions that speak volumes. Well paced and fine for reading aloud, this picture book has universal appeal, since every child who’s encountered a mean kid will delight in watching the tables turned on Lily Jean." Booklist

"Their movements are fanciful, and their faces are expressive. They play as real children do and work out their difficulties with both whimsy and humor. Simple yet natural dialogue makes this engaging tale a good choice for independent readers and as a read-aloud." School Library Journal

"This realistic, all-too-common scenario is relayed in a light-hearted fashion with appropriately sassy drawings. Bullies Beware!" ForeWord Reviews

"Writing mostly in dialogue, Wishinsky brings a welcome reportorial cool to the bullying story; her willingness to avoid obvious cues to readers makes Carly's predicament all the more poignant and Sandy's capitulation feel worse than outright rejection. Denton's watercolors exude her customary balletic grace (few illustrators can make an extended arm or crooked wrist look so eloquent), and her light touch becomes a thread of reassurance for readers to follow until order and fairness are restored." Publishers Weekly

"A fresh twist on the classic motif of the odd man, or girl, out." Kirkus Reviews

"Bullying is a hot topic, and helping children understand the experience from both sides is a sensible strategy. The younger sister's creative responses to the bully show that there is often a way around what at first seems impossible. This is hopeful and empowering to young children." Library Media Connection

Associated Keywords
Friendship, Imaginative play, sisters, bullying, bully, pretend, playing