Twelve-year-old Flor faces a bittersweet summer with a pageant, a frenemy, and a hive full of honey in this “sweet and satisfying read about friendship, sisterhood, and change” (Kirkus Reviews).
It’s the summer before eighth grade and Flor is stuck at home and working at her family’s mattress store, while her best friend goes off to band camp (probably to make new friends). It becomes even worse when she’s asked to compete in the local honey pageant. This means Flor has to spend the summer practicing her talent (recorder) and volunteering (helping a recluse bee-keeper) with Candice, her former friend who’s still bitter about losing the pageant crown to Flor when they were in second grade. And she can’t say no.
Then there’s the possibility that Flor and her family are leaving to move in with her mom’s family in New Jersey. And with how much her mom and dad have been fighting lately, is it possible that her dad may not join them? Flor can’t let that happen. She has a lot of work to do.
Flor was so excited for the summer. She had her Kings Island season pass and her best friend, and she was ready to have fun, fun, fun. But, all her plans went to pot, when her bestie went away to band camp, and Flor was stuck in Honeydale. To make matters worse, she was forced to work with her ex-friend, Candice, for the honey festival, her parents were fighting, and the family business was struggling. This became her summer of honeybees and frenemies and a lot of personal growth, and I really enjoyed getting to accompany Flor on her journey.
When I stopped to think about it, there was really a lot going on in this story, but Wientge blended the different story elements together in such a way, that it was very cohesive and never overwhelming. Flor was dealing with a lot that summer, and along the way, she had to do quite a bit of introspection and a bit of growing up too.
A few major themes emerged with respect to trust, friendship, embracing change, and putting someone else's needs before your own. Flor had to step back, quite a few times, to take a look at the big picture. These were times of real growth for her, and I really appreciated that Wientge included these sort of "a-ha" moments in the story, because they are an integral part of growing up.
Other things I loved:
• All the bee facts were fascinating and I liked learning more about them. • Bee bearding! • Flor was a girl after my own heart with all that crocheting • The Valandhingam family was pretty awesome. The parents were supportive, and also showed a lot of respect for their children. • Small town life - I love it! • Adventures in healthy eating • I was really touched by many of the interactions with Mr. Henry
Overall: A very sweet and charming story of friendship, family, and honeybees.
