The Queen Bees of Tybee ­County

Gr 6 Up–It’s the “Summer of Yes” for seventh grade Chinese American Derrick Chan. As a strong basketball point guard with a best friend in fellow player JJ and basketball camp on the horizon for summer, everything seems to be aligning for Derrick. Unfortunately, Dad can’t swing the tuition, and the trajectory of Derrick’s summer takes a drastic turn. Sent to spend the summer with estranged Grandma Claudia in small town Heritage, GA, he’s certain that summer will be dull. But then Derrick meets Ro and Giles, two friends with whom he feels like he can really be himself, even painting his toenails and enjoying make up. Grandma Claudia’s organization of the town’s pageant allows Derrick to sub in for some of the absent dancers and explore some of the beautiful dresses Claudia creates for the girls. Throughout the summer, Derrick learns more about his mom, prior to her death from breast cancer, and what it means to be a drag queen. Characters are well developed, and readers will find the relationship challenges teens often face to be relatable. Learning the importance of true friendship and risking it all to be true to oneself are major themes of this engaging novel.