Summer is just around the corner which means summer reading can begin! And because you can never have too many middle grade books to read here’s a great one to get everyone started.
Zinnia Flossdrop is not having a good summer. It all started when she was sent to detention on the last day of school for yarn bombing the school mascot with her older brother and then coming home to find that said older brother had up and left. Now her mother, Dr. Flossdrop (a dentist) has adopted a mangy dog as her latest project, refuses to discuss Adam’s disappearance, and insists Zinnia do something to make herself useful. But she can’t. The other complication in her life is in the form of bees, a whole hive of them that have taken up residence on Zinnia’s head and it’s all she can think of. (Can you blame her?!)
Enter Birch, the nephew of Zinnia’s next-door neighbor who has come to stay for the summer and considers himself something of a naturalist. But Zinnia doesn’t want to admit she needs his help, or even speak to him at all, convinced he will betray her just like everyone else has.
Told from both Zinnia’s and the bees points of view, you get a bit of a science lesson regarding the inner workings of a hive as well as the inner workings of Zinnia’s mind. A tad unrealistic, obviously, but also a sweet little story of friendship, trusting others (and yourself) and a reminder that just like the bees we all have a part to play in making this world a bit sweeter.
Written by: Danielle Davis
Number of Pages: 232
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers, 2017
Age Range: 7-12
Rating: 3/5
What’s on your summer reading list?