Davis, Danielle Zinnia and the Bees

Davis, Danielle           Zinnia and the Bees  Capstone Publishers 2017   240p   19.99  978-1-62370-867-2            elm/ms           Conflict           E-BN            

Zinnia, an 8th grader, loves to knit. She makes a  yarn bomb (like tea cozy) for the school mascot statue and gets into trouble. Her older brother goes missing, she attracts a hive of bees, and her summer is one she will never forget.  Gr. 4-8     

Zinnia is a master knitter. She makes yarn bombs (think tea cozies) for any object. When she cloaks the school mascot, a rattlesnake sculpture, in a full length yarn bomb as a last day of school prank, her punishment makes her feel like her world is closing in. Her older brother, 18 years old, disappears the next day without notice. After eating an ice cream to console herself over the loss of her brother she attracts a hive of honey bees that take up residence in her unruly, curly hair without causing her a single sting.  How to deal with this colony of bees who think her hair is their new hive, trying to find her brother, becoming friends with a boy visiting his uncle next door, and mending the fractured friendship with her girl friends keeps this novel humming along. Lots of laughs, plenty of puns about flowers and birds, and even a first person narrative by the scout of the bee colony provide the reader with an enjoyable read about friendship, family and growing up. A unique story featuring a girl whose character changes from being self-centered and anger at her brother and mother to one of being capable of understanding the fears, needs and wishes of others.                          McNicol,Lois          Friendship, Bees, Mystery