The Queen Bee and Me

McDunn portrays the intertwined emotional lives of middle-school kids with sensitivity and precision. . . . An insightful story of friendship and change. * Booklist, starred review * Meg's first-person narration is emotive and candid. . . . Refreshingly genuine. * Kirkus Reviews * The dynamics of shifting middle school friendships ring true, and readers will recognize themselves and their friends in Meg’s struggle with her loyalty to Beatrix, her budding friendship with Hazel, and her need to be true to herself. * School Library Connection * McDunn deftly sketches Meg’s struggles amid seventh grade’s unspoken social order. . . . Readers will identify with the pitch-perfect middle school dynamics. * Publishers Weekly * Fully realized characters and high-stakes yet realistic middle school dilemmas with real-world applications make this a royal addition to shelves. * School Library Journal * An engaging, honest book--I love Cat, and you will, too! * Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Newbery Honor-winning author of THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE on CATERPILLAR SUMMER * I could almost smell the ocean air as I read Gillian McDunn's Caterpillar Summer. What a beautiful story of family, forgiveness, life on an island, and growing up. * Kate Messner, author of BREAKOUT and THE SEVENTH WISH on CATERPILLAR SUMMER * An engrossing, heartwarming, beautifully written debut about building and rebuilding family ties. * Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on CATERPILLAR SUMMER * McDunn’s poignant, gratifying debut about friendship and family encourages both empathy and hope. * Publishers Weekly, starred review, on CATERPILLAR SUMMER * Fans of the books Rules by Cynthia Lord and Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine will enjoy this well-written book about the struggles of a fractured family. * School Library Connection on CATERPILLAR SUMMER * A sweet summer story that middle grade readers will appreciate. * School Library Journal on CATERPILLAR SUMMER * Readers will find Cat to be an admirable and fully credible heroine . . . and the idyllic island setting makes for a wistful summer escape. * BCCB on CATERPILLAR SUMMER * Paints an intricate and heart-wrenching portrait of middle school . . . Fans of Celia C. Pérez and Kate DiCamillo will gobble up this novel. * BCCB *