Queen of the Scene

By Queen Latifah
Illustrated by Frank Morrison

I really liked this story because it has a very strong “girl power” and “be yourself” sort of message.  It’s all about a girl who is “the queen of the scene,” best at every sport or game you can think of.  But there’s much more to it than that.  A poetry book written by the “Grammy Award-winning First Lady of Hip-Hop” (as proclaimed inside the front cover) can easily bring about a powerful discussion on the relationship between poetry and music.  The book even includes a CD recording of Queen Latifah rapping this story.  I think that introducing rap/hip-hop into the poetry discussion can be a very powerful source of inspiration for many students.  As educators we need to find ways to make learning “exciting,” and that means exploring different means for presenting information.  Students who think poetry is boring or old-fashioned might just get hooked by the idea of connecting their poetry to music.