The Queen Bee and Me

November 15, 2019
It's tough to stand up to the queen. Anxious Meg has always deferred to bold, popular Beatrix--knowing, unhappily, that Beatrix will quickly freeze her out if she doesn't. Beatrix dictates what electives the two will share, what childhood traditions they will and won't retain, and what Meg must do or say to retain her favor. When Meg is one of four seventh graders to be accepted into the competitive science elective, the very thought of telling Beatrix that they will no longer share dance brings unparalleled terror. However, it is eccentric, bee-obsessed new girl Hazel who relates that ill news at a more ill-fated neighborhood party, invoking Beatrix's immediate animosity and Meg's warring admiration and consternation. As Meg and Hazel begin to forge a connection through a science project featuring Hazel's bees, Meg must find the courage to face down her failing friendship with Beatrix, her town's (and her own) prejudices against the bees, and, ultimately, herself. Meg's first-person narration is emotive and candid, maintaining sympathy even as her occasional hypocrisy provokes outrage. Middle school drama, including concerns regarding the legitimacy of its power, is tenderly treated, and the connections between characters--family, friends, classmates, and teachers--feel refreshingly genuine. The novel adheres to a white default, with some ethnic diversity among the supporting cast. McDunn's tale of growing beyond a toxic childhood friendship will ring painfully true for many a reader. (Fiction. 8-12)

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January 20, 2020
Meg and Beatrix, 12, have been best friends since kindergarten, but in their hierarchical friendship, anxious Meg is compelled to follow popular Beatrix’s lead or get frozen out. When Meg earns a coveted spot in an advanced science elective and drops the dance class Beatrix had chosen for them both, she’s terrified to tell her friend. McDunn (Caterpillar Summer) deftly sketches Meg’s struggles amid seventh grade’s unspoken social order, highlighting how “Beatrix comes with her own set of rules.” Tensions escalate further when quirky new girl Hazel is paired with Meg for a science project on bees, and the two form a bond that infuriates Beatrix. Told in Meg’s strong voice, McDunn’s narrative includes fieldwork updates on the bee project that effectively echo the story’s human interactions (“How does the worker bee realize it is time to switch to something new?”). Meg’s warm, tight-knit family contrasts with Beatrix’s demanding and judgmental mother, who contextualizes some of the girl’s motivations. Readers will identify with the pitch-perfect middle school dynamics and cheer for Meg as she navigates a toxic friendship. Ages 8–12. Agent: Marietta B. Zacker, Gallt and Zacker Literary.

February 1, 2020

Gr 4-8-Seventh graders Meg and Beatrix have been best friends forever-or, at least since kindergarten. Knowing this has made life and school effortless for otherwise anxious Meg. Until last year, when Queen Bee Beatrix invoked The Freeze on her. Ever since, Meg has been nervous about taking the wrong step with Beatrix, especially since that step may include taking a special science elective she was hand-picked for instead of the dance class they've always taken together (which Meg is horrible at, anyway). Things only get harder when a new girl, odd-ball Hazel, moves into the neighborhood, becomes Meg's partner in her science elective, and brings a literal hive of bees that Beatrix and her well-connected mother think are dangerous. When one of Beatrix's family dogs is attacked and stung numerous times, Meg tries to keep the peace with Beatrix. Meg shares more than she should about Hazel's past, and things get stickier than honey. While the three main players and their families default to white, the cast of secondary characters is diverse. Additionally, commentary on the importance of bees and the nature of girl "drama" versus "boys disagreeing" deftly graces the overarching friendship and familial plot lines, creating a truthful look at the complicated friendships of middle school and what happens when, forced to choose between a new friend and an old one, you choose yourself instead. VERDICT Fully realized characters and high-stakes yet realistic middle school dilemmas with real-world applications make this a royal addition to shelves for upper elementary and middle school readers.-Brittany Drehobl, Morton Grove Public Library, IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Midway through seventh grade, Meg grows tired of pressure from her best friend, Beatrix, to take ballet class with her again and to stop using the silly babyish goodbye phrases that have been their inside joke since kindergarten. Meg's already on thin ice with Beatrix for taking an advanced science elective rather than dance. When Meg befriends a new classmate, Hazel, who keeps bees, Beatrix becomes downright hostile to her, undermining the newcomer and spreading rumors. Beatrix's mother even mounts a campaign to outlaw backyard beekeeping. Meanwhile, Hazel blames Meg for sharing information about her family with Beatrix. Feeling torn, guilt-ridden, and overwhelmed, Meg struggles to decide where her loyalties lie and comes to an unconventional conclusion. Meg's observant, first-person narrative is equally adept at capturing the nuances of her friends' emotionally charged verbal sparring and her own misery when both girls turn against her. The writing vividly depicts aspects of the physical world as well. In one memorable phrase, Meg describes Hazel in her white beekeeper's coveralls and veiled headgear as looking like an astronaut bride. McDunn portrays the intertwined emotional lives of middle-school kids with sensitivity and precision, while including relevant interactions within their families. An insightful story of friendship and change.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)