Meg and Beatrix have been best friends since kindergarten, but they're in seventh grade now and something has shifted. Meg is afraid to tell Beatrix that she's taking a science elective instead of dance, and Beatrix takes an immediate dislike to new girl Hazel, who is also in the science elective. Meg is caught between her old best friend and a potential new one, trying to figure out the right thing to do, even when it means facing her fears - of Beatrix freezing her out, and of Hazel's bees, which Beatrix's real estate mom is trying to get kicked out of the neighborhood.

Quotes

Being best friends with Beatrix is like having a bubble around me that keeps me safe.
Of course, Beatrix comes with her own set of rules. (71)

"Many people handle their fears by avoiding what scares them. But as a scientist, you have a responsibility to do the opposite. Get close to the thing that frightens you. Look it in the eye, ask the questions, find the answers. After a while, you may find your fear has been replaced by curiosity." (Ms. Dupart, 102)

"We can't always help what we love." (Dad, 114)

"Data mean nothing without a story that people can understand and relate to." (204)

My brain knows we aren't friends anymore, but sometimes my heart forgets. (265) ( )

Meg has been friends with Beatrix (Bea) since kindergarten. She has some anxiety issues and in their small town there's limited opportunities to meet other people anyways, so it's always been easier to just go along with Bea. But they started middle school last year and Bea is... not so nice. She's always been a bit bossy, but she's taken to giving Meg the silent treatment and freezing her out of their friend group whenever she doesn't agree or go along with Bea's ideas as enthusiastically as Bea wants.
Now the two are growing even farther apart. Bea is absorbed in dance and in her desire to move to modern and contemporary styles, rather than the classical ballet her mom prefers. Meg wants to pursue her love of science and has been accepted into a special 7th grade science class. But it will mean not taking dance with Bea. Then a new girl moves to town. She's weird and quirky, has bee hives (Meg is terrified of bees) and is an immediate target for Bea and her overbearing, bullying mother. Meg is sort of interested in being friends with Hazel, but Bea makes it clear that if she "chooses" Hazel over her, Meg's social life is over.

Things get even more complicated when Bea's mother starts a campaign to get Hazel's bees banned and Meg finds herself doing a science project about bees with Hazel. Meg's parents don't seem to understand what's happening - and Meg's mother in particular has her own issues with Bea's overbearing mother. There are many stumbles as Meg struggles to make her own choices and be her own person apart from her friends, but eventually she finds herself in a happier and more mentally healthy place in her life and ready to move forward.

I have mixed feelings about this sophomore effort from McDunn. It's true that McDunn is just a really good writer. This is spot-on about the angst and feelings and roiling worries about friendship in middle school. It's also very realistic about the handful of overbearing people who can take over in a small town and run things to suit their own narrow-minded ideas. There were many spots where I wanted to stop and say something was stereotypical, like the "quirky" new girl coming in with free and easy ways who wakes up the locals. But McDunn is such a good writer and she always tips things away from the stereotype to add a different aspect. Part of the plot of Meg's emotional growth involves her standing up not just to Bea but also to Hazel, who starts out as bossy as Bea, but in different ways. I'd say the bee aspects of the plot were an unnecessary complication and the town council meeting was very unrealistic, but small towns can - and do - devolve into endless complications over minor details like this and people are incredibly ignorant about bees. I had a whole outdoor program screaming about being stung by "bees" when they were hornets the whole time. I even caught one in a clear plastic bin to show them the difference and they STILL say "remember that time we were at the park and got stung by bees" *headdesk*.

Verdict: I think, ultimately, I would say that McDunn's skillful writing keeps this from devolving into stereotypes, but that there are so many similar books this just doesn't stand out as much as her debut novel. I'd recommend for middle school and upper elementary if you have a lot of kids who like this type of friendship-focused, more serious story, but otherwise I'd look more towards diversifying my collection with different offerings.

ISBN: 9781681197517; Published March 2020 by Bloomsbury; ARC provided by publisher; Currently testing on a sixth grader

This book is about Meg a young girl who is timid and quiet. She is seen as her best friend Beatrix's shadow. Beatrix is the friend the girl who makes all of the decisions but middle school has them starting to change. Meg is in a special Science elective and is required to be paired with the new girl Hazel. Beatrix does not like this new found friendship and tries to reclaim Meg as her sidekick. Meg is starting to find her own voice while being friends with Hazel and battles whether or not continuing her friendship with Beatrix is really worth it. This is a great book for students who are struggling with middle-school friendship dynamics. ( )