MISC. MANGA, *Queen Bee

Chynna Clugston had already gained notoriety from her manga-styled Blue Monday comic, so she went on to create a graphic novel for younger readers through Scholastic Press. Queen Bee was intended to be an ongoing series, but merely made a single but critically praised release about the ups and downs of being a teenager in the mid-2000s.

Haley leads a semi-normal life, despite the fact that she has uncontrollable fits of psychokinesis, resulting in the occasional moving of objects with her mind. She doesn't seem to have a full grasp of her abilities as her spasms are caused from negativity, and for someone who obsesses about being popular, it does prey on her emotions. This makes it hard for her to make friends at her current school, but Haley lucks out when her mother has them move to a different town. At her new school, Haley manages to work her way into a clique called "The Hive". The psychic teen turns down interacting with the students she met when she first got oriented, and climbs over the clique head Anjelica to achieve her status as queen bee of the school. Haley's status is challenged when a fiery redheaded rival arrives named Alexia who also happens to have psychic abilities that rival hers. The two espers keep their special abilities aside to decide who deserves to reign as queen through a talent competition. Haley relaxes her anxiety over being popular thanks to her study partner Jasper, who helps her in her act, as well as showing her that hanging out only with the cool crowd isn't the only thing that counts.

Queen Bee differs from Clugston's Blue Monday as it takes place in modern day, where the prior was set during the early 90s. The manga style used here is more a reflection of the creator's style, and not an attempt to cash in on the anime craze that was dominating American culture in the early part of the century. The graphic novel is a fine addition to a young reader's library, and perfectly safe for all ages.