Hour of the Bees
This powerful debut novel delicately blurs the line between truth and fiction as Carol unravels the fantastical stories of her mentally ill grandfather. When she and her family move to his deserted ranch in order to transfer him to a care home, Carol struggles to cope with the suffocating heat and the effects of her grandfather's dementia. Bees seem to be following her around, but the drought means this is impossible. She must be imagining things. Yet when her grandfather chooses her as the subject for his stories - tales of a magical healing tree, a lake, and the grandmother she never knew - Carol sees glimmers of something special in what her parents dismiss as Serge's madness. As she rethinks her roots and what she thought she knew about her family, Carol comes to the realization that Serge's past is quickly catching up with her present. A stunning coming-of-age story.
~Excert Taken from Amazon.ca
Themes: Family, Love, Identity, Happiness, Coming of Age
Recommended Grades - 5 and up
Recommended Grades - 5 and up
Activities:
Literature Circles - Add to literatures circles with any of the above themes. I sometimes just like to do Literature Circles with beautifully written books or some of my favourite books. I would defiantly add this book to that.
Questions:
Candlewick Press Discussion Questions
Some Questions I have prepared in 5 chapter sections. Use and edit, as you need to!
After Reading Quote Analysis and Reflection Questions
Exploring Character
One activity I would do for sure is to compare Carol and her grandmother. I would use one of the comparison templates. I would also compare Carol to her sister Alta and in fact all the members of her family. I also think it is important to chart the changes in Carol. The ranch and her Grandfather, Serge, change her perspective on many things in a deep profound way. Comparing Raul, Carol's dad, to his parents would also be a very powerful activity. - Then connecting back to themselves. How are we like our parents, how are we different? Do we always take the best parts? Do we have similar qualities to our parents, but display them in different ways?
I love these templates for character analysis that I found a few years ago. You will see that I have linked this site for most of the novels featured here. There are a variety of options here for all ages and grades. The activities that compare two characters are perfect. You can compare the characters in the novel to each other. Or compare them to other novels your students have read.
Just read a Chapter - No time to read a whole novel, but looking to add to your short story arsenal. Read Chapter 1 of the novel.
Activities to do with the chapter:
Literature Circles - Add to literatures circles with any of the above themes. I sometimes just like to do Literature Circles with beautifully written books or some of my favourite books. I would defiantly add this book to that.
Questions:
Candlewick Press Discussion Questions
Some Questions I have prepared in 5 chapter sections. Use and edit, as you need to!
After Reading Quote Analysis and Reflection Questions
Exploring Character
One activity I would do for sure is to compare Carol and her grandmother. I would use one of the comparison templates. I would also compare Carol to her sister Alta and in fact all the members of her family. I also think it is important to chart the changes in Carol. The ranch and her Grandfather, Serge, change her perspective on many things in a deep profound way. Comparing Raul, Carol's dad, to his parents would also be a very powerful activity. - Then connecting back to themselves. How are we like our parents, how are we different? Do we always take the best parts? Do we have similar qualities to our parents, but display them in different ways?
I love these templates for character analysis that I found a few years ago. You will see that I have linked this site for most of the novels featured here. There are a variety of options here for all ages and grades. The activities that compare two characters are perfect. You can compare the characters in the novel to each other. Or compare them to other novels your students have read.
Just read a Chapter - No time to read a whole novel, but looking to add to your short story arsenal. Read Chapter 1 of the novel.
Activities to do with the chapter:
- Focus on how the author describes setting in this chapter. Have students pull out words and phrases that describe the setting.
- Discuss the list of rules her dad gives her before meeting her Grandfather. Discuss dementia as a class, look at the phrases she has memorized from the pamphlet in conjunction with what Serge says and does.
- I love the way she describes her grandfather. Examine how the author portrays this character the first time Carol meets him. Perhaps have kids sketch him. Then have students pick an adult from their life and try and describe them. Or provide some random pictures of people they have never seen before in unique settings. Have students write their first impression in detail and tie that person to the landscape they are in
- Connect to the title - Carol sees a bee, but then is told 'no bees in a drought', so basically she is being told that it is impossible. Which leads to this: "Impossible, yes," Serge plucks the word from the air like a fish from a river. "Bees impossible. But it's only impossible if you stop to think about it." Powerful quote worth discussing! Going on further, her grandfather asks her to tell him if she sees more bees, because bees will bring the rain back.
- This chapter alone could be connected into a Science unit on weather. Drought - causes etc.
- "No rain for a hundred years . . . It sounds like something from a book, an evil curse from a grudge-holding fairy who wasn't invited to a party. Except curses in fairy tales always come to an end, and here the sky is cloudless for miles. Forever. If this is drought, it's miserable. Every inhale scratches my lungs." - Great quote for discussion and thought. I also love the comparison she makes.
- "Carolina is your namesake." Any smile in Serge's eyes is gone. "Why do you spit on your roots, Chiquita?" His question rattles through me, but I don't have a good answer." What does this mean? How are you connected to your roots? How are you disconnected from them? Why is it easy for a teen in today's world to 'spit on their roots.’ Do you think we need to stay connected to our roots or should we disconnect from them? Great discussion and writing opportunities from this. Also a great opportunity to explore identity - part of new curriculum!