I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After having read Gillian McDunn's Caterpillar Summer, I couldn't wait for The Queen Bee and Me. Meg and Beatrix have been friends since kindergarten, and now halfway through seventh grade, Meg starts to see their friendship a little differently. She wants to take a science elective, rather than the dance elective that is so important to Beatrix. Add to that, Hazel's arrival in town, and Meg starts to wonder what it really means to be a friend.

This story is important validation for so many kids. It's sometimes a hard pill to swallow when you realize that the person you've called your Best Friend may not be the person who's best for you. I love that it's hard for Meg, not only to speak up for herself but to be the kind of friend she wants to be. Real life is messy and hard and it doesn't always work out the way we hoped.

Really good book about coming of age, changing friendships, and living your values. I particularly liked the end, which felt very true to life.