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100pagesaday's review against another edition
4.0
The kids of Baker Street grew up playing together to the fanciful games thought up by Joey Kinkaid. Joey was called the Princess of Baker Street since his games often included Joey in a princess dress being rescued by his best friend, Eric Sinclair. Now, the kids of Baker Street are in Eighth grade and things have changed, the four friends have found themselves in separate cliques. Eric has opted for the route of survival, especially since is mom isn't often around. Eric hangs around with his friends on the soccer team. Joey doesn't exactly fit in anywhere, he would much rather wear his mother's dresses to school than the button up shirts and slacks that his father insists on. When Eric and Joey are paired as study buddies, their friendship rekindles. However, when Joey begins to show up to school in girl's clothing, Eric's allegiance is divided between his friends and his need to fly under the radar.
Timely and relevant, The Princess of Baker Street reaches into the awkward, transitional years of middle school for a group of students, including the Joey who is realizing that he has always been a girl. Told through Eric's point of view, the voices are sincere and realistic for eighth graders. Everyone seems very self-concerned and are worried about where they will fit in. Eric's journey is just as important as Joey's. I felt for Joey as he dealt with an absent mother and the decision to be Joey's friend even if it would cost his popularity. Eric's struggle with his feelings for Joey as he slowly comprehends that not only is Joey a girl, but that he has always seen Joey as a girl as well- a girl that he likes. With these understandings comes big changes and responsibilities. Not all of the changes are handled very well by everyone and reinforces that none of these issues should be handled by the kids by themselves. Insightful and pertinent, The Princess of Baker Street is an important and heartfelt read that can be enjoyed by middle grade through adult readers.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Timely and relevant, The Princess of Baker Street reaches into the awkward, transitional years of middle school for a group of students, including the Joey who is realizing that he has always been a girl. Told through Eric's point of view, the voices are sincere and realistic for eighth graders. Everyone seems very self-concerned and are worried about where they will fit in. Eric's journey is just as important as Joey's. I felt for Joey as he dealt with an absent mother and the decision to be Joey's friend even if it would cost his popularity. Eric's struggle with his feelings for Joey as he slowly comprehends that not only is Joey a girl, but that he has always seen Joey as a girl as well- a girl that he likes. With these understandings comes big changes and responsibilities. Not all of the changes are handled very well by everyone and reinforces that none of these issues should be handled by the kids by themselves. Insightful and pertinent, The Princess of Baker Street is an important and heartfelt read that can be enjoyed by middle grade through adult readers.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
lyndajdickson's review against another edition
5.0
Eric and Joey have been friends all their lives, but things change when they start middle school. Joey defies gender norms and has always been a bit of a princess. Eric decides it’s time to ditch him for a more popular crew, the jocks, which includes Travis, also once Joey’s childhood friend but now his biggest bully. Eric has problems of his own, but Joey takes most of the attention off him and he can hide in plain sight. Eric’s home situation goes from bad to worse, while his relationship with Joey progresses to a whole new level, making it harder and harder for him to remain inconspicuous. Eric must decide which is more important, self-preservation or loyalty. Will he make the right choice?
The story is told from Eric’s point-of-view with flashbacks to his childhood with the other Baker Street kids. His grammatically incorrect narration and conversational tone provide him with an authentic his voice. It’s sad to see how Eric’s mother is physically absent, yet always present in Eric’s mind. He never openly resents her and places so much credence in her quirky sayings, drawing on her words of wisdom whenever he’s in trouble. The author presents Joey as a believable character, giving us a clear and accessible description of both the physical and emotional sides of being a transgender youth. This is a heartbreaking story of two damaged souls who don’t yet realize they are the only ones keeping each other alive. Thankfully, the book ends on an uplifting note. The only problems I had were with characters being called alternately by their first or last names (which can become confusing) and the similarity between Eric’s and Joey’s last names (Sinclair and Kincaid).
Warnings: LGBTQ themes, bullying, attempted suicide, child abuse.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post:
https://www.booksdirectonline.com/2019/01/the-princess-of-baker-street-by-mia-kerick.html
The story is told from Eric’s point-of-view with flashbacks to his childhood with the other Baker Street kids. His grammatically incorrect narration and conversational tone provide him with an authentic his voice. It’s sad to see how Eric’s mother is physically absent, yet always present in Eric’s mind. He never openly resents her and places so much credence in her quirky sayings, drawing on her words of wisdom whenever he’s in trouble. The author presents Joey as a believable character, giving us a clear and accessible description of both the physical and emotional sides of being a transgender youth. This is a heartbreaking story of two damaged souls who don’t yet realize they are the only ones keeping each other alive. Thankfully, the book ends on an uplifting note. The only problems I had were with characters being called alternately by their first or last names (which can become confusing) and the similarity between Eric’s and Joey’s last names (Sinclair and Kincaid).
Warnings: LGBTQ themes, bullying, attempted suicide, child abuse.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post:
https://www.booksdirectonline.com/2019/01/the-princess-of-baker-street-by-mia-kerick.html
kba76's review against another edition
4.0
There was so much going on for the main characters in this, and I was torn between admiration for the courage they ultimately showed and horror at the kind of behaviour they were subject to. Tough read, but definitely worth sticking with.
Eric is our narrator. He’s thirteen, trying to hide the fact that his mother has, essentially, abandoned him and fretting over his inability to do what he knows to be the thing he wants and be friends with Joey. Joey was Eric’s best friend when they were younger. Full of exuberance and the one to tell amazing stories, Eric always remembers how Joey was different. It was only when they moved to middle school that this difference started to become an issue.
Joey has, from early on, known the gender he was assigned at birth doesn’t match how he feels. Running round the streets in his mum’s dress and growing his hair are the outward signs of his feelings. Nobody bats an eyelid until they start to grow up and face the prejudices that seem to be more apparent as the differences in gender become more noticeable.
Paired up for a school project, Eric starts to unpick his feelings for Joey. He wants to be a good friend, but his own personal issues mean he’s determined to do anything to avoid becoming a target for bullies.
The narrative takes us through some appalling scenes, including an attempted suicide and awful bullying/prejudice. They remind me just how terrifying it is to be different and how isolating it can be to be someone who doesn’t conform to others’ expectations.
This was not quite the read I thought I’d get, and I’m so pleased to have been able to read it. Thank you to NetGalley, and I’m definitely going to try some other books by this author.
Eric is our narrator. He’s thirteen, trying to hide the fact that his mother has, essentially, abandoned him and fretting over his inability to do what he knows to be the thing he wants and be friends with Joey. Joey was Eric’s best friend when they were younger. Full of exuberance and the one to tell amazing stories, Eric always remembers how Joey was different. It was only when they moved to middle school that this difference started to become an issue.
Joey has, from early on, known the gender he was assigned at birth doesn’t match how he feels. Running round the streets in his mum’s dress and growing his hair are the outward signs of his feelings. Nobody bats an eyelid until they start to grow up and face the prejudices that seem to be more apparent as the differences in gender become more noticeable.
Paired up for a school project, Eric starts to unpick his feelings for Joey. He wants to be a good friend, but his own personal issues mean he’s determined to do anything to avoid becoming a target for bullies.
The narrative takes us through some appalling scenes, including an attempted suicide and awful bullying/prejudice. They remind me just how terrifying it is to be different and how isolating it can be to be someone who doesn’t conform to others’ expectations.
This was not quite the read I thought I’d get, and I’m so pleased to have been able to read it. Thank you to NetGalley, and I’m definitely going to try some other books by this author.
bookwormbunny's review against another edition
5.0
The Princess of Baker Street is a YA story about a young boy, Eric, and his friend. Joey Kinkaid was assigned the gender of "boy" at birth, but he feels that he was born into the wrong form. As children, Joey played with her friends and there weren't any problems. But with growth comes change, and with change comes nothing but trouble as the author shows us in this story.
The Princess of Baker Street by Mia Kerick is the first book that I have read by this author and I found this story to be gripping and heart-rending at the same time. The story is told from the first person perspective of Eric, Joey's friend. I'm torn by this story. Eric has his own problems. His mother is here today, gone tomorrow until it gets to the point of where...she's just gone. She's living with her new boyfriend and has left Eric alone. Eric is dealing with non-existent home life while at the same time he is confronted with the bullying of Joey. Joey didn't ask to be different. She just is. The story focuses mostly on Eric and how he keeps to himself when at school and shies away from trying to be there for Joey.
I can't help but be disappointed in Eric for shunning Joey. On one hand...I get it. School is a tough environment and kids are so swept up in trying to be "cool" or not get bullied themselves. I just wanted more from him. But I feel that this book is pretty on point with how children are. I will admit that I don't approve of some of the language used in this book since I feel that it is a YA book, but I get it that kids do use such language. This book honestly paints a realistic picture of the world today.
At the end of the day, I'm rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's a fictional story, but this book is extremely eye-opening at the end of the day. While the blurb makes the story sound like it focuses predominantly on Joey, the story is more about Eric witnessing his friend's bullying and refusing to step up until he reaches a breaking point. I do encourage other people to read this book. I think that it will be a good read.
The Princess of Baker Street by Mia Kerick is the first book that I have read by this author and I found this story to be gripping and heart-rending at the same time. The story is told from the first person perspective of Eric, Joey's friend. I'm torn by this story. Eric has his own problems. His mother is here today, gone tomorrow until it gets to the point of where...she's just gone. She's living with her new boyfriend and has left Eric alone. Eric is dealing with non-existent home life while at the same time he is confronted with the bullying of Joey. Joey didn't ask to be different. She just is. The story focuses mostly on Eric and how he keeps to himself when at school and shies away from trying to be there for Joey.
I can't help but be disappointed in Eric for shunning Joey. On one hand...I get it. School is a tough environment and kids are so swept up in trying to be "cool" or not get bullied themselves. I just wanted more from him. But I feel that this book is pretty on point with how children are. I will admit that I don't approve of some of the language used in this book since I feel that it is a YA book, but I get it that kids do use such language. This book honestly paints a realistic picture of the world today.
At the end of the day, I'm rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's a fictional story, but this book is extremely eye-opening at the end of the day. While the blurb makes the story sound like it focuses predominantly on Joey, the story is more about Eric witnessing his friend's bullying and refusing to step up until he reaches a breaking point. I do encourage other people to read this book. I think that it will be a good read.
raoionna's review against another edition
5.0
Adorable ~ Truthful ~ Necessary
tl;dr: ABAB girl and her friend deal with transition and high school
I can't recommend this sweet book enough. The short novel is a wonderful book about friendship and family, in the end. The two main characters are lifelong friends. One person has always been effeminate but then transitions. Her friend Eric is there to help through the difficulties a gender transition can cause. This is a bit of a romance and a bit of a book about gender transition, but it really is a lot about the elasticity of love. I recommend this book to everyone who wants a sweet YA romance.
tl;dr: ABAB girl and her friend deal with transition and high school
I can't recommend this sweet book enough. The short novel is a wonderful book about friendship and family, in the end. The two main characters are lifelong friends. One person has always been effeminate but then transitions. Her friend Eric is there to help through the difficulties a gender transition can cause. This is a bit of a romance and a bit of a book about gender transition, but it really is a lot about the elasticity of love. I recommend this book to everyone who wants a sweet YA romance.
amullen03's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a hard read. Not in a badly written story way, but in a reminded me of my childhood. I loves how this story is told from the friends point of view. Eric really changed and grew between part 1 & 2.
This book really captured what middle school is like and how horrible it can be. Some books over exaggerate what middle school is like but not this one. I loved joey/shaylee and how she and her mother grew as characters.
I definitely cried and felt like Eric's stories were mine. But as a mom I just wanted to pull them in and love them. So need to have young people read thos book!
This book really captured what middle school is like and how horrible it can be. Some books over exaggerate what middle school is like but not this one. I loved joey/shaylee and how she and her mother grew as characters.
I definitely cried and felt like Eric's stories were mine. But as a mom I just wanted to pull them in and love them. So need to have young people read thos book!
ashezbookz's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 I adored this book so much. Each of the characters had an interesting and tumultuous time in their lives, definitely coming of age. Loved the different parts of the book, I was assuming it would be a longer time difference between "parts" but it really wasnt so it picked right up where it left up and I'm so happy for each of the characters, honestly, such a great book and totally something I had never read before!
hetlevenvaneenboekenworm's review against another edition
5.0
This book really blew me away! I'll write a better review soon!
ljbentley27's review against another edition
4.0
The Princess of Baker Street by Mia Kerick is a book that surprised me in so many ways. If I am completely honest, I chose to read the book based on the cover. I had not read the blurb nor did I have any knowledge of Mia Kerick’s previous writing. I did not know it was an LGBTQIA+ story. Not that that would have mattered. In fact, it probably would have made me want to read it more.
What I loved about the story is that it was sensitive. Not only to Joey who is going through the agonising process of becoming the correct gender, but to Eric who is dealing with abandonment. Also to the school bully who is dealing with learned behaviour from his misogynistic father.
It is just a lovely yet heart-breaking story told with the utmost sensitivity and beauty that could have been lacking in somebody else’s hands. Mia Kerick has really worked magic in writing this story.
The Princess of Baker Street by Mia Kerick is available now.
What I loved about the story is that it was sensitive. Not only to Joey who is going through the agonising process of becoming the correct gender, but to Eric who is dealing with abandonment. Also to the school bully who is dealing with learned behaviour from his misogynistic father.
It is just a lovely yet heart-breaking story told with the utmost sensitivity and beauty that could have been lacking in somebody else’s hands. Mia Kerick has really worked magic in writing this story.
The Princess of Baker Street by Mia Kerick is available now.