The main character, 12-year-old Carol (not Carolina, she insists) as she and her family relocate for the summer to her grandfather's ranch in New Mexico.

And I didn't like how she was made to feel guilty because she wanted to be called Carol instead of Carolina. I really didn't like any of the characters except Carol. I found the tree story boring even through I recognize eloquent, heart felt writing. But I did anyway because I just didn't like the book and don't believe my students will enjoy it. Readers who dream that there's something more out there will be enchanted by this captivating novel of family, renewal, and discovering the wonder of the world.Īfter reading what others reviewed about this book, I felt pressured to give it more than two stars. As the thin line between magic and reality starts to blur, Carol must decide for herself what is possible-and what it means to be true to her roots. But as the summer wears on and the heat bears down, Carol finds herself drawn to him, fascinated by the crazy stories he tells her about a healing tree, a green-glass lake, and the bees that will bring back the rain and end a hundred years of drought. At first, Carol avoids prickly Grandpa Serge. While her friends are spending their summers having pool parties and sleepovers, twelve-year-old Carolina-Carol-is spending hers in the middle of the New Mexico desert, helping her parents move the grandfather she's never met into a home for people with dementia. Things are only impossible if you stop to think about them. What does it mean to be fully alive? Magic blends with reality in a stunning coming-of-age novel about a girl, a grandfather, wanderlust, and reclaiming your roots.

Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar