Andy Shane and the Queen of Egypt

Everyone in Ms. Janice's class had to choose an African country to report on for the school cultural fair. Andy Shane's Granny Webb had just given him a scarab beetle that very morning and so when he was called upon he gently touched his pocket and said "Egypt." Well, Dolores Starbuckle, the pain in the neck, had a fit. She jumped out of her chair and yelled "I am the QUEEN of Egypt." She was going to bug him until he either let her take Egypt by herself or even better, work together! When she was at Granny Webb's with him, she asked to help serve the pineapple pizza. When she handed Andy his plate, the pineapple was arranged in a pyramid and she claimed, "if we work together on the project, I can make lots and lots of pineapple pyramids. We'll be a huge hit!" Yeah, and she was a huge pain even though they were friends. The next day at T-ball practice there she was again. She was still wearing her Egyptian clothes and dancing in the bleachers to "Walk Like and Egyptian." He was so busy watching her he missed an important catch and the other team won the game. What was Andy going to do? Would he relent and let her work with him or would she pester him for the rest of his life? This amusing story illustrates the point that children will have trouble with one another at times, including those who are close friends. It gently brings the two friends back together in a sudden unexpected heartwarming resolution. The only thing that disappointed me in this book was the fact that the inside illustrations were done in a shaded black and white, but that is a minor issue. Sometimes friends can be very different, but can be very special to each other, can't they?