The Queen Bee and Me
By:
Meg has been best friends with Beatrix forever. Everyone at school wants to be like confident, decisive Beatrix, and Meg has always felt the same. But this year, Meg wants to take a science course instead of dance class. She’d rather do what makes her happy—not what Beatrix wants.
When a quirky girl named Hazel moves to town, Meg is partnered with her on a science project about bees. Meg learns a lot about being Queen Bee—in a hive and in middle school. As Beatrix is less than welcoming to Hazel, Meg feels her loyalty fraying. Choosing Hazel could mean ending her oldest friendship—a choice more difficult than Meg ever expected.
ISBN: 9781681197517
JLG Release: Apr 2020
Sensitive Areas:
None
Topics:
Best friends
, Friendship
, Bees
, Bullying
, Middle schools
Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Booklist*, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal
School Library Journal
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 inc 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. 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.
Book Details
ISBN
9781681197517
First Release
April 2020
Genre
Fiction
Dewey Classification
F
Trim Size
8 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Page Count
288
Accelerated Reader
Level 4.1; Points: 8;
Scholastic Reading Counts
N/ALexile
N/AFormat
Print Book
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Bloomsbury USA
Potentially Sensitive Areas
None
Topics
Best friends, Friendship, Bees, Bullying, Middle schools,
