Chrissa Maxwell (Sammi Hanratty) and her family move from Iowa to be closer to Chrissa's "Nana" after their grandfather died. At her new school Chrissa has a hard time making friends and is bullied by three girls who call themselves the Queen Bees. Chrissa tries to befriend Gwen Thompson (who is also bullied by the Bees) but at first Gwen avoids Chrissa. Chrissa finds out later that she avoided her because Gwen was homeless and ashamed of it. The Bees find out that Gwen is homeless and began to make more fun of her. They get in trouble and are sent to the principal's office. Sonali, one of the Queen Bees who was tired of bullying and being bullied, apologizes to Gwen the next day about all the mean things she has done to her and leaves the Queen Bees. She then becomes friends with Chrissa and Gwen. After the incident, the bullying gets more intense. Posters and rumors are passed around about Chrissa by Tara, the Queen Bee leader, and her best friend. Chrissa quits her school swim team because she is tired of Tara being mean to her. Chrissa gets advice from her art teacher to tell her parents about the bullying. She tells her parents and they tell her that sometimes bully's are mean because they want to feel better about themselves by insulting others. Chrissa decides to rejoin the swim team for the big swim competition. She realizes that she and Tara have to work together if they want to win the relay. Although Tara is reluctant, Chrissa assures her that though they may not be friends, they can still work together to win. Their team work earns them their victory, and they reconcile and hug. The fourth grade class then does a project to make people aware that many kids are bullied and that bullying is wrong. In the end Chrissa, Sonali, Gwen, and Tara are best friends. Main Characters: Chrissa Maxwell - (Sammi Hanratty) - A ten year old who is bullied by Tara James. She doesn't want to tell anyone because she thinks if she tells that she'll be a tattletale, so she decides to keep the bullying a secret. She also joins the school's swim team, but soon quits after an accident at the pool involving her brother, Tyler (Austin Thomas), but she soon understands that the reason that she quit shows her less than who she actually is and to her foes. She then works with Tara to win by assuring her, that even if they can't be the best of friends, or any kind of friends for that matter, their work together will earn a victory; which proves actually did. She is best friends with Gwen Thompson and Sonali Matthews. Tyler Maxwell - (Austin Thomas) - Tyler is Chrissa's older brother. He joins the school's swim team, but he has to quit after he has an accident. He plays a small part in Tara James's plans. Gwen Thompson - (Kaitlyn Dever) - A homeless girl who lives in a shelter called Sunrise House. She is very lonely and shy until she meets Chrissa. Chrissa becomes friends with her after she hears Gwen playing her violin at school and offering her home-made chocolate chip cookies at lunch. Gwen lost her father eighteen months before the story. Tara James - (Adair Tishler) - A bully at Chrissa's school. She and her friends Sonali and Jayden, also known as the "Queen Bees" do mean and sometimes cruel things to anyone that gets in her way. Chrissa, Tyler, and Gwen are her enemies but she works with Chrissa at the last team meet and their work earns the victory of the meet and hugs her. Sonali Matthews - (Ariela Barer) - Sonali is an exotically beautiful dark-haired ex-queen bee and friends with Tara and Jayden at the beginning of the film, but soon realizes that they were being extremely mean. She makes amends with Chrissa Maxwell and Gwen Thompson's; eventually even becoming best friends with them. She is proven to be loyal, sweet, caring and sensitive. She loves to do arts and crafts much like Chrissa, and when she works on painting a bowl for Gwen's homeless shelter, Sonali and Chrissa become very close. Jayden Johnson - (Shelby Harmon) - A friend of Tara who plays a small part in her plans. She stays loyal to Tara unlike Sonali. (The spelling of her name in the book is "Jadyn", but is changed in the movie to "Jayden.")

• published: 12 Nov 2012
• views: 1350098