Eagar, Lindsay. Hour of the Bees. Fiction. Candlewick, 03/2016. 368pp. $16.99. 978-0-7636-7922-4. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 5-9.
The story follows 12-year-old Carol as she and her family spend one long, hot, transformative summer together on the family sheep ranch while helping aging grandfather Serge transition from living alone to life in assisted care as he begins to slip into the haze of dementia. Sequestered by the heat, isolation, and dangers of the New Mexico ranch and suffering the new stresses of junior high, Carol finds solace in the near-instant connection she forms with her grandfather as he shares stories of the magical, yet seemingly possible, past history of the desert land and the villagers who once lived on it. Filled with beautiful, captivating magical realism, Hour of the Bees captures both the harsh isolation of the Southwestern desert and the deep connection to the land felt by the people native to the region. While packing away a lifetime of her grandfather’s memories, Carol and, to a lesser extent, her other family members all discover themselves and reconnect with their Mexican-American heritage: “Carolina is your namesake…Why do you spit on your roots, Chiquita?” While enthralling, this story is not without its share of sadness as it realistically describes the juxtaposition of life, the beauty of growth compared to the pain of loss—leaving the reader with hopeful instructions: “Do not be afraid to die, and you will not be afraid to live.”
Diana Learned, San Jose Public Library