Parents' Guide to

Hour of the Bees

By Mary Eisenhart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Tween finds herself and her roots in gripping magical tale.

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Is It Any Good?

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Kids say (4):

First-time author Lindsay Eagar's heartfelt, gripping, original novel finds its relatable, 12-year-old heroine connecting with long-lost family and centuries-old magic in rural New Mexico. HOUR OF THE BEES takes its young narrator and readers on a life-altering journey, as a summer on her dementia-stricken grandfather's arid sheep ranch puts her in touch with roots she didn't know she had and makes her see things from a new perspective:

"I'm surprised, too -- this sounds nothing like me. Caring about my roots? Worrying about what will happen to this ranch, this land? But try as I may to push this frustration away, my eyes sting with tears.

"I hide my face with a glance out the window. Dad and Mr. González are still pacing the pasture. Are they debating how much this ranch is worth? Probably not much to the rest of the world -- not much in dollars -- but it's Serge's home. The place where sheep tell time."

Book Details

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