The Queen Bees of Tybee County

The Queen Bees of Tybee County - Hardcover

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The Queen Bees of Tybee County
  • The Queen Bees of Tybee County
The Queen Bees of Tybee County - Hardcover

The Queen Bees of Tybee County - Hardcover

by Kyle Casey Chu
$19.99
$19.99

Book Overview

AN APALA HONOR BOOK * NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOKS OF 2025 * BOOKLIST 2025 EDITOR'S CHOICE * BCCB BLUE RIBBON * SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOKS OF 2025 Better Nate Than Ever meets Dumplin' in this charming, poignant debut by Kyle Casey Chu, aka Panda Dulce, a founding queen of Drag Story Hour.

After making the buzzer-beating shot at the Georgia basketball state championships, Derrick Chan becomes the star of Bayard Middle School, and Derrick's single dad could not be prouder. But there are parts of Derrick that no one knows about, like the toenail polish he wears under his basketball sneakers, his secret lip-sync performances in the bathroom mirror, and the feelings he's developing for his best friend and teammate, JJ.

As the school year comes to a close, Derrick's dad takes an out-of-town job and ships Derrick off to spend the summer with his estranged, eccentric grandmother, Claudia. Soon, Claudia introduces Derrick to the world of small-town southern beauty pageants, and Derrick suddenly feels he's found where he belongs. But when the opportunity arises to compete in the town pageant, Derrick is forced to decide just how much of himself he's ready to show the world.

Can he learn to love and accept the most unique parts of himself? And what will happen if others--like his father and JJ--can't do the same?


  • A Star on Two Courts: Derrick is a basketball champion, but he finds his true calling on a different kind of stage, discovering the glamour and courage of drag performance.
  • Found Family: Sent to his eccentric grandmother Claudia's house, Derrick finds unexpected friendship with fellow misfits Ro and Giles, who help him find the confidence to be himself.
  • Best Friend First Crush: Navigating secret feelings for his best friend and teammate JJ adds a whole new layer of complication to Derrick's transformative summer.
  • Heartfelt and Humorous: Perfect for fans of Better Nate Than Ever and Dumplin', this story is packed with laugh-out-loud moments and poignant lessons about self-acceptance and family.
ISBN9780063326958
Author Kyle Casey Chu
PublisherQuill Tree Books
GenreChildren
FormatHardcover
PublishedApril 2025
LanguageENG- English
Pages320
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceKids
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Juvenile Fiction Kids

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More by Kyle Casey Chu

The Queen Bees of Tybee County

The Queen Bees of Tybee County - Hardcover

The Queen Bees of Tybee County - Hardcover

By Kyle Casey Chu

About Kyle Casey Chu

Kyle Casey Chu, also known as Panda Dulce, is a San Francisco-born-and-raised writer and a founding queen of Drag Story Hour. Her first novel, The Queen Bees of Tybee County (2025), was named an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature - Children's Literature Honor title. Andrew W. Shaffer is a San Francisco-based historian of LGBTQ community and culture. His background includes graduate work at the University of San Francisco and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he helped to build the city's first permanent LGBTQ archives. Cindy Lozito is a mixed Latina illustrator, cartoonist, and muralist based in Philadelphia, originally from Queens, New York. Her murals and artwork have appeared at the World Trade Center and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. When she is not illustrating, you can find Lozito giving her terrier mix belly rubs, singing in her local choir, or drinking too much cold brew.

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