The Music of Bees
by Eileen Garvin
Realistic Fiction
Adult/older teen
* * * * * Stars (Amazing!)
Alice Holtzman, now in her forties, always wanted to do something special with her life, but after losing her much beloved husband and facing up to the facts that her job is a placeholder for the things she really wants, she’s starting to question her choices. Now she’s planning to expand her beekeeping hobby into a business, but almost destroys any hope of doing that when she plows into Jake, a paraplegic teen in a wheelchair, while she’s bringing home her new colonies of bees. Jake’s in a rough spot, too – trying to adjust to life after the accident that took away all of his opportunities – and when Alice realizes just how rough, she spontaneously offers him a job helping her work the bees. Jake has the heart and the interest, but there are challenges, too – things he can’t do in a wheelchair. Alice ends up hiring another young man, Harry – a twenty-something who has made some poor decisions in his life. The adventures of this unlikely trio make for an entertaining, heartwarming story that’s full of laughter and tears. Lovely. (AND this author KNOWS about beekeeping and has clearly done her research!)
Reviewed by YA Librarian
