Although Queenie Peavy examines subjects such as juvenile delinquency, parental indifference, malnutrition, and the cruelty of children to one another, the book is, on the whole, uncontroversial. One troubling point is Burch's reference to the Corrys as "negroes" rather than as blacks; although this term was more common in 1966, when the book was published, readers should be aware that it is now considered offensive.

Despite the novel's somewhat bleak subject matter, Burch melds realism and optimism convincingly to yield a surprisingly upbeat portrayal of an adolescent struggling against great emotional odds. Queenie lives a solitary life; her mother works all day, and her father has never appreciated his daughter. To shield herself against possible hurt, Queenie assumes the persona of a self-sufficient, tough youngster who "doesn't care" about the results of her actions. Burch mixes scenes of Queenie as troublemaker with scenes of her entertaining the...