When Derek's plans for basketball camp fall through, he goes to spend the summer with his grandmother. While there he learns the complexities of his family history and his own unexpected love of drag. Most of the plot points are familiar, but feel fresh and relevant. Readers will cheer for this likable protagonist as he explores what it means to be Chinese American and queer in the contemporary American south.

I absolutely adored this middle grade novel about Derrick Chan, a Chinese American gender-nonconforming tween boy who loves basketball and tries to please his father but also secretly loves wearing nail polish and dressing in drag.

When Derrick goes to spend the summer with his grandmother Claudia in small town Georgia, he gets caught up in her beauty pageant work and even enters one himself as his drag persona, Bee Daring. This book is all about self-acceptance, queer joy, embracing your true self and living your truth.

It also doesn't shy away from tough topics like coming out to a parent, homophobia and anti-Asian racism but the overall message is so important!! Highly recommended for fans of books like Martin McLean, middle school queen or Middle school's a drag.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!