Today I have Leslie DuBois here to give her thoughts on "queen bees," which, of course, play a huge part in her new novel The Queen Bee of Bridgeton. Welcome, Leslie!
Mean Girls Revealed!
Why do “mean girls” and cliques keep popping up in YA literature? I think it’s because we have an addictive fascination with royalty. I mean, look at all of the fuss over William and Kate! Face it, as a society we are obsessed with royalty. And in this country, we have several types of royalty: the first family, musicians, reality TV stars etc. And then each high school, as a microcosm of society, has their own levels of social status which includes the high school royalty: queen bees.
 |
| The mean girls in action. |
As a society, we are riveted to their actions, their movements, their devices. People on the outskirts want to know what it’s like to be “in”. The people in power want to stay there and sometimes go to extremes to insure their position.
I do think TV, films, and books exaggerate the phenomenon a little. I mean, when I was in high school, I remember there being popular kids and I remember not being one of them. But I honestly don’t remember there being one particular group targeting other people or trying to rule the school. Or maybe I was just so far removed from popularity that I didn’t know what was really going on!
I also taught high school for 9 years and while I did notice cliques, I didn’t see them being vicious toward each other. Especially at Georgetown Day School in Washington DC. Those were the most loving group of students I had ever seen in my life. The other school I taught at did inspire me to write The Queen Bee of Bridgeton and actually gave me plot ideas. But the events were things that happened outside of school.
On the other hand, how many times have we heard of the catastrophic ends of extreme bullying? Kids committing suicide or homicide as a direct result of the actions of their classmates. So obviously it does happen.
Another thing that attracts us to these “mean girls” is that we all love a good underdog story. We always want to see someone rise above the obstacles laid upon them. I believe it inspires us and motivates us to be better people. That’s what I hope The Queen Bee of Bridgeton does.
Thanks, Leslie! I also love how The Queen Bee of Bridgeton features such a unique and strong protagonist, who you can get a peek of in the trailer:
As part of the tour, I also have a copy of The Queen Bee of Bridgeton (Dancing Dream #1) to giveaway!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks, Leslie! I also love how The Queen Bee of Bridgeton features such a unique and strong protagonist, who you can get a peek of in the trailer:
As part of the tour, I also have a copy of The Queen Bee of Bridgeton (Dancing Dream #1) to giveaway!
When fifteen-year-old Sonya Garrison is accepted into the prestigious Bridgeton Academy, she soon discovers that rich girls are just as dangerous as the thugs in her home of Venton Heights. Maybe more so. After catching the eye of the star, white basketball player and unwittingly becoming the most popular girl in school, she earns the hatred of the three most ruthless and vindictive girls at Bridgeton. Can she defeat the reigning high school royalty? Or will they succeed in ruining her lifelong dream of becoming a world class dancer?
Rules:
• To enter, fill out the form below.
** You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
• Open U.S. and Canada
• Contest ends Monday, June 6th at 11:59 EST
• For more information, please view my contest policy.
