Juana Fanta Needs a Hero

About this book

An eighth grade basketball star must solve the mystery of his drag idol’s disappearance—while navigating first love and a looming future—in this sparkling companion to The Queen Bees of Tybee County. Derrick Chan is shooting for a once-in-a-lifetime high-school basketball scholarship with his childhood best friend, JJ, by his side. But Derrick’s life is about more than just free throws since embracing his queer identity and love for drag (even if he’s not ready to share either with the whole world quite yet)! Right now, he’s just trying to take his dad’s advice: don’t sweat the small stuff.This weekend, however, Derrick’s two worlds are colliding in a big way. At a career-defining basketball tournament, where scouts from elite schools are watching his every move, Derrick secretly plans to meet his drag idol, the magnificent Juana Fanta, at the Comic Con held in the very same hotel. As the stakes skyrocket, team tensions bubble to the surface, including Derrick’s own growing feelings for JJ. But when Juana Fanta disappears from the con, Derrick and JJ must team up to find her before she misses her show-stopping live performance. Can Derrick find a community that celebrates slam dunks on the court and dazzling drag in the spotlight? Can he really save Juana Fanta’s future—and his own—in one weekend?

Details

Format

Hardcover

ISBN-13

9780063327009

Publisher

Quill Tree Books

Published

October 20, 2026

Pages

256

Weight

11.2 oz

Subject

Juvenile Fiction