Queenie's father is in jail, and the kids at school tease her about it. Queenie pretends not to care, but she always end up in trouble for fighting, throwing rocks, and skipping school. On a field trip in the woods, Queenie sets up a log to be a trap for the boy who teases her the most. He falls and breaks his leg, and Queenie is forced to pay the doctor's bill. Queenie starts to wonder if being bad is really all that good. It might be better for her to behave herself, but she has all this anger inside that needs a way to get out.

I did not like Queenie's character at all. She's selfish and angry and bitter. She has no self-control at the beginning, but by the end of the book she learns some self-control. She's also just gross. She chews tobacco and spits. She smokes cigarettes. She takes joy in throwing rocks at birds and squirrels and killing them. She is dirty and rude. By the end of the book, she learns to keep her temper a bit better, but she is still a nasty child.

The writing is boring. It goes on and on about the household chores and the chickens and milking the cow and churning the butter. If those things were written in some enchanting way, then it might be fun to hear about the chores, but it's just boring.