An Inside Look with Gillian McDunn
(Author of The Queen Bee and Me)
*The first season of interviews ran from June of 2016 to March of 2017.
*Season #two ran during the summer of 2017.
*Season #three ran during the school year of 2017-2018.
*Season #five ran during the 2018/2019 school year.
*During summer 2019, the sixth season ran.
*The seventh season of interviews ran during the fall of 2019.
*I'm excited to be back for season #EIGHT with brand new interviews/authors.
*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.
*This is the NINTH interview in which I'm calling Season #EIGHT.
*Thank you to Gillian McDunn for being the One-Hundred Twenty-Ninth author that I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.
*Here is my review of the Novel...
The Queen Bee and Me
by Gillian McDunn
(March 3, 2020)
How did you come to know Meg?
One of the early Meg lines that came to me remained in the final version of the book--“Beatrix Bailey is my best friend, but I don’t always like her very much.” I was interested in writing about someone who starts to realize that she’s unhappy in a friendship--a friendship that is very much a part of her identity.
What do you think is her most admirable quality?
Meg is a keen observer of the world around her. It’s part of why she is so drawn to science--she wants to understand how things work and why.
Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
Even though Meg goes through a lot, there’s nothing I would change about her actions. She learned so much from everything she did, and those experiences helped her grow.
What do you think Meg can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
I hope that readers will connect with the idea that best friends are sometimes forever--but not always. It’s important to have your own voice and to have friendships based on mutual respect.
How did you research Meg and the circumstances she found herself in?
I drew from my own experiences with friendships, both in childhood and adulthood. Friendships are wonderful--and they can also be complicated, which isn’t always discussed. I was interested in exploring what happens when someone feels loyalty to a friend, even though the friendship has become unhealthy. I also got to do a lot of research about bees, which was fascinating!
Do you and Meg share any similarities?
Meg is deeply loyal, and I like to think I am, too. She also has a strong inner voice and a fondness for grape jelly meatballs.
What was the hardest scene to write about Meg?
The big cafeteria scene was the trickiest--it’s where pretty much everything comes together at once. I wanted to convey the larger (hive-like!) activity happening in the lunchroom and also capture the small-scale, moment-by-moment details of Meg processing the conversation with Beatrix and Hazel.
Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
This is a great question. Meg’s science teacher, Ms. Dupart, is a wonderful supporter. She challenges Meg as a scientist and as a person. I also have a soft spot for Meg’s parents, who love her dearly and are doing the best they can to connect with their seventh grader.
Why do you think some young people (like Beatrix) have to be in charge of their friendships, while others (like Meg) follow and can’t be their true selves around the other person?
One of the early Meg lines that came to me remained in the final version of the book--“Beatrix Bailey is my best friend, but I don’t always like her very much.” I was interested in writing about someone who starts to realize that she’s unhappy in a friendship--a friendship that is very much a part of her identity.
What do you think is her most admirable quality?
Meg is a keen observer of the world around her. It’s part of why she is so drawn to science--she wants to understand how things work and why.
Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
Even though Meg goes through a lot, there’s nothing I would change about her actions. She learned so much from everything she did, and those experiences helped her grow.
What do you think Meg can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
I hope that readers will connect with the idea that best friends are sometimes forever--but not always. It’s important to have your own voice and to have friendships based on mutual respect.
How did you research Meg and the circumstances she found herself in?
I drew from my own experiences with friendships, both in childhood and adulthood. Friendships are wonderful--and they can also be complicated, which isn’t always discussed. I was interested in exploring what happens when someone feels loyalty to a friend, even though the friendship has become unhealthy. I also got to do a lot of research about bees, which was fascinating!
Do you and Meg share any similarities?
Meg is deeply loyal, and I like to think I am, too. She also has a strong inner voice and a fondness for grape jelly meatballs.
What was the hardest scene to write about Meg?
The big cafeteria scene was the trickiest--it’s where pretty much everything comes together at once. I wanted to convey the larger (hive-like!) activity happening in the lunchroom and also capture the small-scale, moment-by-moment details of Meg processing the conversation with Beatrix and Hazel.
Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
This is a great question. Meg’s science teacher, Ms. Dupart, is a wonderful supporter. She challenges Meg as a scientist and as a person. I also have a soft spot for Meg’s parents, who love her dearly and are doing the best they can to connect with their seventh grader.
Why do you think some young people (like Beatrix) have to be in charge of their friendships, while others (like Meg) follow and can’t be their true selves around the other person?
Some friendships develop patterns over time in terms of who is a leader and who is a follower--others seem more balanced. I actually believe that either dynamic can be okay, but it’s important that both people feel like they can be themselves. In Beatrix’s case, she has a
lot of areas of her life where she feels out of control, which is why she tries to exercise control over Meg. Meg has leaned on Beatrix so much that she’s not really sure who she would be without a best friend.
What do you think Meg is doing as the present time?
What do you think Meg is doing as the present time?
For her future, I hope she keeps asking questions, thinking deeply, and choosing her own path.
*Here are links to the One Hundred Twenty-Eight interviews...
SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)
SEASON #TWO (Summer 2017)
SEASON #FOUR (Summer 2018)
SEASON #FIVE (2018/2019)
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
SEASON #SEVEN (Fall 2019)
SEASON #EIGHT (Winter 2020)
Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)
Interview #123 with Lindsay Lackey (Author of All the Impossible Things)
Interview #124 with Tae Keller (Author of When You Trap a Tiger)
Interview #125 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Roll With It)
Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)
Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)
Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)
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