Hour of the Bees

Hour of the Bees Synopsis

This powerful debut novel delicately blurs the line between truth and fiction as Carol unravels the fantastical stories of her mentally ill grandfather. When she and her family move to his deserted ranch in order to transfer him to a care home, Carol struggles to cope with the suffocating heat and the effects of her grandfather's dementia. Bees seem to be following her around, but the drought means this is impossible. She must be imagining things. Yet when her grandfather chooses her as the subject for his stories - tales of a magical healing tree, a lake, and the grandmother she never knew - Carol sees glimmers of something special in what her parents dismiss as Serge's madness. As she rethinks her roots and what she thought she knew about her family, Carol comes to the realization that Serge's past is quickly catching up with her present. A stunning coming-of-age story.

Hour of the Bees Reader Reviews

Teens love to read and so in addition to our Lovereading expert opinion some of our Lovereading4kids Reader Review Panel were also lucky enough to read and review this title. You can read their full reviews here.

• Maisie Sadler, age 14 - ', I couldn't stop reading...The author has created an amazing, unforgettable story which I know for a fact I will never forget.'
  
• Sophia Ufton - 'Amazing story! Blew me away, loved it all.'
• Edel Waugh - 'Thought-provoking and heartbreaking we learn about Serge's past and how much his home and roots meant to him.'
  
• Megan Chambers, age 14 - 'Whatever you are doing right now, stop, and order this book. You will not regret it at all.'
  
• Traviss Chaytors, age 12 - 'Powerful...Most of all I loved the character of Carol and her relationship with her Grandad Serge. As my Grandma suffered with dementia I could really relate to this book and I'm sure many other readers will be able to as well.'
  
• Emily Passmore, age 14 - 'A lovely book about family relationships, with a great plot and a fantastic ending. I loved it.'
  
• Mariam Ahmed - 'The story is quite slow paced at the beginning but becomes more exciting and suspenseful near the end.'
  
• Olivia Armstrong, age 12 - ' Her Grandad lives in a run-down ranch, in a desert where there hasn’t been rain for hundreds of years.... According to Grandad Serge, the bees will bring back the rain.'
• Amelie Chatham, age 13 - 'I liked this book a lot because I enjoyed how it is two different stories put together to make one plot.'
• Alice East, age 11 - 'When Carol and her family travel to the desert to visit her grandad, who has dementia, they are caught up in a magical adventure...I really liked the fact that this book was really different from other books that I have read.'
• Aaliyah Mohammed, age 12 - 'I loved this book especially the stories that the grandfather tells. You will not be able to put this incredible book down.'
• Maddie - 'Hour of the Bees was a fantastic book which I have already recommended to friends. It’s unexpected and original tale had me hooked the whole way through.'
• Mansi Singh, Year 8 - 'This book made me really emotional and I found it really inspiring.'
• Jessica Lund, age 14 - 'The thing I liked about this book was when it talked about how you measure time and how you find your own way to work out how time passes.
• Olivia Dally-Fitzsimons, age 13 - 'A magical story about a young girl and her grandfather.  I would definitely recommend you read this... I really loved it.'

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All versions of this book

ISBN: 9781406368154
Publication date: 03/03/2016
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
Format: Paperback

Book Information

About Lindsay Eagar

Hour of the Bees is Lindsay Eager's first novel. A classically trained pianist and un-classically trained rock guitarist, Lindsay lives in Utah with her young daughter.

More Books By Lindsay Eagar