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thelibraryofklee's review against another edition
5.0
Set in a all too possible future, in Australia, bees are mostly extinct, and children and enlisted on farms to pollenate the fruit trees. Our young protagonist Peony dreams of being a bee. She lives with her sister and granddad, while her mum earns money in the city. One day mum arrives home to announce Peony must go to the city to work and her world is torn apart.
Peony is a brave, wee girl, who loves her place in the world on the farm. Life is tough but filled with love. Until her mum rips her away. This novel is full of hope, fierce bravery, unwavering loyalty, and genuine kindness. Peony is an incredible character, who wants to make sure she keeps her promises but her ultimate dream is to go back to the farm, to her home.
Highly recommend this one for middle grade readers. A stark reminder about why we need to care for the smallest helpers on earth - bees and kids alike.
Peony is a brave, wee girl, who loves her place in the world on the farm. Life is tough but filled with love. Until her mum rips her away. This novel is full of hope, fierce bravery, unwavering loyalty, and genuine kindness. Peony is an incredible character, who wants to make sure she keeps her promises but her ultimate dream is to go back to the farm, to her home.
Highly recommend this one for middle grade readers. A stark reminder about why we need to care for the smallest helpers on earth - bees and kids alike.
booksaremysituationship's review against another edition
5.0
It’s really sad how Rosie Peony’s mum died l wonder how the ape treated her and what the cause of her death was
zarfus211's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Coming of age type story in a future dystopia setting
just_lily's review
The book was pretty boring at the begging so I'd didn't really get me so I didn't complete it
sweetlime17's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful little story about the importance of family, friendship and the environment.
The language was a little juvenile at times, but it makes it perfect for junior readers! Peony is a very sympathetic character and I really enjoyed her story.
The language was a little juvenile at times, but it makes it perfect for junior readers! Peony is a very sympathetic character and I really enjoyed her story.
alongreader's review against another edition
4.0
Shades of Heidi in this fantastic read. Peony's a great heroine, and I love that even though an apocalyptic thing has happened - the bees are all gone - humans have adapted and things don't seem much worse than they are now. That's unusual for this kind of book.
A great read to accompany nature lessons.
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
A great read to accompany nature lessons.
Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.
jkeyes's review against another edition
3.0
Whilst the overwhelming focus of this book is the importance of family and friends, for a MG- level book, I found some of the topics unsettling (domestic abuse, child abandonment, dystopian future and child labor.)
tehani's review against another edition
5.0
I expected to like this book - Bren is a talented writer and Allen & Unwin consistently produce quality books for younger readers. However, I didn't know I was going to love this book so much. It really hits all the right beats and it made me sob more than once, and laugh out loud at times, and uses its setting - a near future Australia that verges on dystopic but doesn't quite tip over the edge - to excellent advantage.
Our protagonist, Peony, is not even 10 years old, and one of the best things about the book is the consistency of her world view. She behaves in a manner appropriate to her age and environment, and I loved that about her. She is feisty and determined, clever and kind, but strong-willed and stubborn as well. MacDibble surrounds her with characters of all shades of grey, not letting sentiment get in the way of story and allowing the reader to experience the full range of Peony's emotions.
Not only do we get a well-paced story, it is underpinned by some beautiful - and slightly frightening - worldbuilding, essential to the narrative and somewhat of a cautionary tale to the reader. This framework, supporting as it does a cracking yarn, will make How to Bee a fantastic text for readers to examine in schools, with depths to unpack and explore.
I really can't recommend this enough for readers of 9 and upwards, and if this isn't on a bunch of awards lists next year I'll be absolutely astonished (and cranky, too, because it deserves to be!).
Our protagonist, Peony, is not even 10 years old, and one of the best things about the book is the consistency of her world view. She behaves in a manner appropriate to her age and environment, and I loved that about her. She is feisty and determined, clever and kind, but strong-willed and stubborn as well. MacDibble surrounds her with characters of all shades of grey, not letting sentiment get in the way of story and allowing the reader to experience the full range of Peony's emotions.
Not only do we get a well-paced story, it is underpinned by some beautiful - and slightly frightening - worldbuilding, essential to the narrative and somewhat of a cautionary tale to the reader. This framework, supporting as it does a cracking yarn, will make How to Bee a fantastic text for readers to examine in schools, with depths to unpack and explore.
I really can't recommend this enough for readers of 9 and upwards, and if this isn't on a bunch of awards lists next year I'll be absolutely astonished (and cranky, too, because it deserves to be!).