How to Bee

If you're looking for a book about bees, with no actual bees in it: I FOUND IT FOR YOU!! It's set in a world where there are no bees. Which, okay fineI get why bees are important for LIFE. But as someone who's allergic to (a) bees, and (b) honey, I wasn't super connecting to this book. Plus the narrator is 10 and I haven't been 10 fora long time. Excuse me while I cough awkwardly. So I think this wasn't quite my thing. (And I do adore a lot of MG books, like Snicket and Riordan! But most fail to [...]

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 t [...]

Since the bees died out, people have taken over their role, with kids climbing up among the branches to pollinate the flowers. Because without bees, everything else starts to fall apart. Without bees, there would be no fresh fruits and vegetables, and the whole circle of life would be in trouble.The farm’s full of circles. Bees, flowers, fruit. Pests, chooks, eggs. People, bees, flowers, fruit, pests, chooks, eggs, people…all overlapping circles. I don’t understand how it went before the f [...]

Nine year old Peony aspires to become a Bee, a member of the team of children who hand pollinate the orchards at the Goulburn Valley plantation. Peony and sister Magnolia live with their ageing grandfather while their mother migrated to the city, supporting the family to purchase medicine and trade for the ferocious winter season. The Goulburn Valley community is responsible for producing fresh produce for wealthy, urban residents.Peony is a perceptive and ambitious young lady, agile and slight, [...]

An exceptional example of the use of sophisticated language for the 8-12 age group. How to Bee is a compelling and immersive read with engaging characters. Set in a recognisable, plausible future world that is neither as unlikely nor terror-filled as one might expect from the cli-fi genre. I read it incredibly slowly to savour the poetry of the scene-setting and dialogue, my 13 year old powered through it at speed to find out what would happen to Peony and her aspirations of bee-hood. Very highl [...]

Honestly, when the back cover blurb advises you of the way you will feel after reading the story within, reservations begin to pool but in this instance, every word is true. Peony, the young heroine - and she really is in every sense of the word - in MacDibble's gripping middle grade novel, radiates tenacity, kindness and sass so loudly, her voice really will be resounding long after you read the last page.This is a brave story set in Australia in the not-too-distant future but has global implic [...]

I grew up on a vast orchard with acres of fruit trees, changing seasons and of course bees. This book brought back memories of the hard work we did as children from the age of five, carrying boxes, picking up prunings, wrap packing fruit, making up boxes, labelling etc. Although How to Bee is set in a near cli-fi future, the setting is authentic in it's specificity, the characters real and the family dynamics genuine. The gentle unfolding of the story wraps the reader in a world where one small [...]

How this is not a nominated Children's Book Week book I'll never know. A world where bees are extinct and poor children aspire to the job of "bees" - running through orchards with a feather duster, pollinating the trees to sell fruit to the out of touch, wealthy city folk.A lovely little story about a young bee who gets dragged to the city and does all she can to get back home.

Anchored in an Australian climate change future where humans must hand-pollinate orchards, the story comes alive through the eyes of would-be human bee Peony. We see life on the orchard for the workers, and then how the city folk survive. It's a delightful read, not without its sad moments, but always leavened with humour and Peony's energy and belief in the power of family (and friends, or community) to see one through. A quick, enjoyable read for those older than the target market.

This was a brilliantly refreshing take on a dystopian future. I loved the character of Peony who desperately wanted to be a bee - kids who pollinate flowers. There were lots of heavy duty topics in this story, including domestic violence and poverty, but it never felt heavy or preachy. I was really happy to go along for the ride with Peony - a ride that was surprisingly joyous!

'How to Bee' is a clever little story set in Australia, in the near future, where bees no longer exist. Children, like 9 year old Peony, work as bees and pollinate flowers by hand. This story is aimed at 8-12 year olds but I think teenagers would enjoy this story too. I won this book through Giveaways.

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book, but it was on the recommendation of one of my trusted booksellers. I liked the concept straight away, and although I didn't always understand the motivations of the characters, I liked the general lay of the story. There is a kind of wholesomeness about it that's nice to see, even when things like death and loss are brought up. I won't go into too much detail since I feel like even snippets will spoil it. Safe to say I enjoyed it, four sta [...]

Loved this futuristic story about life where humans have to do the work of bees because bees are extinct. A lovely story of family, friendship and bravery. Loved the ending.

4 1/2 stars. I love when a book surprises me, and that’s exactly what “How To Bee” did. It’s a beautifully told tale set in the near future where bees are now extinct and children pollinate our plants. And although the world Peony lives in is extremely challenging, the novel is ultimately uplifting.As a protagonist, Peony is a fantastically fierce 9/10 year old. Her love for her family is such a positive overall theme that it keeps you reading through the strained relationship Peony has [...]

Well that was a ride and a half.3.5 stars.I got an ARC of this from work, and I actually super enjoyed it. It was really well written, and Peony's voice was lovely - super ocker, really cute. I loved her relationships with AJ and Ez, and thought she was pretty badarse. Loved the setting and the family dynamic (even though I wanted to shake her mother) and the environmental aspect too. Highly recommend this lovely Australian middle-grade.

Kept me entertained for the flight from Amsterdam to Edinburgh - much obliged!

Totally agree with the blurb - this is a beautiful and fierce novel, written for children and young adults, but with clear messages for all readers. 'How to be' is set in a time where real bees are extinct, amd where the quickest and bravest kids climb the fruit trees and pollinate the flowers by hand.This is the story of Peony, of a loving family living in hard times, of a mother who rightly or wrongly thinks she is doing the right thing.A great read aloud for older children

This was a great book, full of suspense, affection, and you really feel for the characters in this book

A beautiful, moving story of a farm girl and her life; running through the open meadows and scrambling along the high branches. Peony, Mags, Apple-Joy, Gramps and Foreman will stay with you forever.

Oh wow! I know other people have been recommending this, but I never expected it to be this good. I think this is going to be a regular on my reread list in the years to come

How to Bee is middle grade novel by debut author Bren MacDibble. The setting is a futuristic Australia where bees have become extinct - unless you believe the rumours that scientists still have some in laboratories. To counter this problem, farms are now staffed with children and the best, most agile and light-footed ones are chosen to be bees. These children climb trees and pollinate each and every flower so the trees produce fruit. Unfortunately for the farm-dwellers, most of the produce is ca [...]

It doesn't take long for Peony to work her way into your heart, she is such a gutsy wee thing. Creative 'take' on bees and a future without them.

How to Bee should become a beloved classic as it has a timeless grace. Peony is almost 10 years old, and can't wait to join the ranks of 'the bees': children who manually pollinate the fruit trees, now that all the real bees are extinct. Although this is set in a near future, it has the feel of tough times during the depression. Many reviewers have commented on how Australian this novel is, but I disagree. I think MacDibble has created a setting that could be anywhere in the world. Peony is extr [...]

Quirky futuristic story set in Australia where bees are virtually extinct, so children need to do the job of pollinating plants for food. Enjoyed it a lot!

I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.Ten Second Synopsis:In a post-bee world, plants are pollinated by children on farms and Peony wants nothing more than to be a "bee" and one day, the farm Foreman. When her mother returns from her job in the city and insists on taking Peony back to work with her, Peony must fit in in order to find a way out.Although this book is set in a post-bee world, the setting is far enough after the bee-pocalypse (or the time when the bees we [...]

With a light touch, Bren MacDibble brings the reader into a future world where children are trained to be Bees. The struggles of the world are brushed in feather strokes so that without heavy descriptions, we understand and join Peony and her friends and family as they make their way through life. The story has humour, sadness and lots and lots of love. My daughter is 10, she read it first and couldn't resist telling me bits. She cried. I cried. And we both loved the story.

Ever wondered who would do the job of pollinators if they all died out? "How to Bee" takes a look at how the world would be if the Bees were almost extinct. It's a beautifully written story and it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster.My 12 year old read it first (snatched it out of my hand when it arrived) and said:"It made me open my eyes to how some families work. I really enjoyed it and I would really recommend it."

I loved this book, my 11 year old twin sons loved this book.The story was gripping from the start, and brave Peony has won a place into all of our hearts. The wonderful and original ideas and enduring cast of characters, as well as inspiring settings and beautiful writing will make this book an Australian classic.My sons started reading this book one evening and it was hard to get them to stop reading so they could sleep. The next afternoon we had to go straight home so they could finish the boo [...]

“How to Bee” is told in the voice of Peony, a fierce voice that resonates honesty and will stay with you long after you finish the book.Set in a future where bees are extinct, Peony her seister and grandfather live and work on a fruit farm where children have to scramble along branches in order to pollinate the blossoms. Peony is a pest – she has to kill unwanted insects – but, deeply ambitious, she wants to be promoted to bee- a job for the quickest and bravest children and a role she i [...]

I read ‘How to bee?’ aloud to my 12 yo daughter over the course of the week. She was drawn to the story and asked me to keep reading at the end of each chapter. However, when we got to the end she said that it was a good book but not something she would read by herself. She prefers fantasy/ magic. The book reminded me a lot of Morris Gleitzman’s ‘Girl Overboard.’ It tackles complex issues - environmental damage by pesticides, domestic violence and poverty in a way that a younger audien [...]