Author: Danielle Davis
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: The Half-True Lies of Cricket Cohen by Catherine Lloyd Burns
The Book of Dares for Lost Friends by Jane Kelley
Rating:
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| unique, though some elements give me pause |
Summary (provided by publisher): A colony of honeybees mistakes seventh-grader Zinnia’s hair for a hive — and that’s the least of her problems. While Zinnia’s classmates are celebrating the last day of seventh grade, she’s in the vice principal’s office, serving detention.Her offense? Harmlessly yarn-bombing a statue of the school mascot. When Zinnia rushes home to commiserate with her older brother and best friend, Adam, she’s devastated to discover that he’s gone — with no explanation. Zinnia’s day surely can’t get any worse... until a colony of honeybees inhabits her hive-like hair! Infused with magical realism, Danielle Davis delivers a quirky, heartfelt debut, exploring both the complex life of a young loner and a comical hive of honeybees. Together, these alternating and unexpected perspectives will touch anyone who has ever felt alone, betrayed, or misunderstood.
My opinion: I am at times quite enamored with this book but others leave me feeling rather ambivalent. I guess in part I expected it to be more ecological, less about relationships. I get that the bees are symbolic but I had had trouble buying nobody noticing the bees on Zinnia's head. And while having the point of view of the bees was necessary for exposition I struggled with the chapters where the bees were blaming their scout. That personification felt like it was taking things a bit too far. It's a largely pleasant, relatively quick read, though the moral might be a bit heavy handed.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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