How to Bee
Published on 3. May 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-1-910646-44-1 (ISBN)
Description
Set in a future Australia in a time when there are no bees and children are employed to scramble through the fruit trees with feather wands, like the pear farmers of Hanyuan in China do today. Peony wants to be a bee, a hand pollinator. She's light, fast, and even though she's a year too young, she's going to be the best bee the farm has ever seen...except when you're only 9, it's hard to get everyone around you to go along with your plan. A beautiful and fierce novel for middle grade readers, 'How to Bee' explores an all-too-possible dystopian social landscape with an intensely compelling and original voice.
Reviews / Votes
Quirky, original and heartfelt, this is an all too plausible dystopian adventure, exploring themes of family loyalty and the environment. -- Fiona Noble * The Bookseller * MacDibble writes with confidence and ease - the book feels different, atypical, which makes it shine brightly in the field of current children's fiction. It turns out being is a complicated business, but with books such as this, children will buzz with excitement about their ability to influence their own futures. -- Claire Zinkin * MinervaReads blog * This story, set in a dystopian landscape, reminds us of the vital role played by the bees that we take so much for granted, but there is even more to the story than environmental issues. We see extreme poverty and domestic violence but also courage and the ultimate insignificance of material comforts when compared to the love of friends and family. -- Jan Lennon * Carousel magazine * How to Bee is a moving, intelligent novel, offering plenty of food for thought and a cast of appealing- and not so appealing - characters which linger with you long after the story is finished... -- Sue Wilsher * North Somerset Teachers' Book Award blog * How to Bee is perfect. It gave me the same shivers as Skellig. Not a word is wasted and the voice is compelling. This is a future classic. -- Louise Nettleton * Bookmurmuration blog *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Target group
Young adult
Reading Age: From 9 to 14 years, Interest Age: From 9 to 14 years
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Laminated cover
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
255 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-910646-44-1 (9781910646441)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Twice nominated for the Carnegie Medal, winner and shortlistee for the Australian Children's Book of the year, twice winner of New Zealand Children's Book of the Year, amongst many other accolades, Bren's books are set in climate changed worlds and can truly be described as 'award-winning'. Bren writes wild adventures for those curious about the future and hopes her stories give them courage, ideas and the language to talk about the future they'd like to see.